One of the things that always gets to me is when brands don’t bring their marketing messages together. For instance a while ago a wrote about a pair of brands that were close, but no cigar, so I didn’t expect much when I signed up for a box of free Cheddar Explosion Mac & Cheese from Kraft on Facebook. I know, I am a five year old stuck in the body of a 29-year old and am excited easily by ‘splosions and macaroni and cheese.
So with low expectations, I was pleasantly surprised when I received this coupon in the mail yesterday:
Not only do I get free Mac & Cheese, but Kraft also expresses their gratitude for me becoming a fan of theirs. So to that I say cheers to the free box of fake cheesy goodness and bravo to Kraft for successfully keeping their FB page top of mind with this offline coupon. Wonder how many brands will follow suit.
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Adam Cohen and jeffespo, Seth Pederson. Seth Pederson said: Kudos to Kraft for tying SM online to offline (http://bit.ly/cgPoOc via @jeffespo) – But is SM strategy tied too much to "free?" […]
Kraft also should thank you for providing your email and home mailing address to be added to their CRM database. Would be interesting to see if they change their communication strategy for you now that they can connect you as a FB fan, email, region, and track the usage of the coupon (eventually). You may get future calls to action for promotions they are doing online. Keep us posted, would love to hear if they adapt and take advantage now that you have “opted in.”
I'm wondering why they didn't just provide a link for a downloadable coupon? It seems they could still be tracked, as the user just prints it from their home computer.
I opted in as well [another kindred mac 'n cheese spirit in a grownup body] but was surprised to get a snail mail coupon. Seemed to be a bit of a disconnect.
I think their thinking was to not only grow their list but to also avoid being gamed. Online print at home coupons are easy to game and replicate. It could also be the case that they are still stuck in their old ways.
Also getting one printed and calling out Facebook had me go back to their fan page so it kept me in the cycle.
We shall see. I don't really read promotional emails but getting free food is always good in this awesome economy we are in. Now as a married man with no kids, I am not in their core demographic, but I may be one day. Will keep you posted of what comes.
Hopefully they aren't like Camel who got my address and sends me coupons. Guess they purchased a bad list since I never smoked.