The Future Of Advertising Is Here
This morning as I was reading through the latest Inc. I read an interesting article titled The Future of Advertsing is Here by David H. Freedman. David writes a column for Inc. on what’s coming next in the world of marketing and technology, and given my personal bend towards these subjects, I found this article most interesting.
According to David, Dunkin’ Donuts and McDonald’s have begun using cell phones as a medium for connecting with their customers. They are encouraging people periodically to come in purchase from them at a discount. One can assume that based upon their advertising technique they have gaterhed some significant customer data about these individuals and they are not just sending random text messages to any and every phone number (although that is possible).
Mobile phone ads are already big in some parts of Europe and Asia, and it’s just starting to take hold here. McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts are among the companies that have beamed coupons to US cell phones, eliciting coupon-redemption rates as high as 17%. “Mobile-phone marketing today is where Internet marketing was in 1996 – it’s about to take off,” says Michael Baker, president of Boston-based mobile-marketing firm Enpocket, which ran the Dunkin’ Donuts campaign. “There are already more mobile phones in use worldwide than televisions and computers put together.”
It’s interesting to see Dunkin’ Donuts take this step forward with technology alongside the worlds best run fast food chain – McDonalds. By association they are raising their image, and by testing it in the Boston market, they are going about it in the right place.
It will be interesting to see what results this new advertising medium will produce for Dunkin’ Donuts and if they are good results what companies will jump on the bandwagon.
The question I walk away asking myself is two part:
- Would I want Dunkin’ Donuts to send me text messages which are essentially coupons?
- And if I would want that, would I be more likely to act on it and choose them over their competitor?
If you have any insight here, I’d love to read it.
DD already did this in the boston area bout a year ago.
Joe-
Did you actually receive a text message coupon? If so, did it cause you to go to Dunkin’ Donuts – meaning was it favorable or was it annoying?
no, i work at a DD and they gave us a picture of what the text message would look like, and saying that if people come in and show this to you, you just type in a ceretain coupon code when they paid. This was when i first started working there at the end of last November and the promotion had just ended, so i never actually saw anyone come in with them.
I just went to a Dunkin Donuts with a coupon that said “buy 6 donuts and get 6 donuts free”. I got a dozen and a half donuts thinking that I’d only have to pay for a dozen. Instead of paying for a dozen donuts I was charged for 2 half dozen. Talk about a rip off. I will never step into a Dunkin donuts store again.
Dunkin Donuts tried the buy two half dozen trick with me and I told them they could keep their donuts..and the coffee and bagel they already made for me.
Pete and Cindy try reading the coupon before buying something, then maybe these things wont happen.