So I unsubscribed from Groupon today. It was simply too much email. And as our work routinely involves customer service and customer feedback, I told Groupon why I was unsubscribing and selected the “too much email” choice. What popped up next was clever:
In the video, Derrick’s boss walks in, hassles him, and then… throws water in his face. Clearly this is a bit, but here’s why it’s clever, from a customer interaction perspective…
For starters, most unsubscribers of any product (particularly email) are doing so in a negative mood. They’re angry, overwhelmed, annoyed. In short, there was a reason they unsubscribed, and the chances they were doing so because they just loved the product too much are way slim. (“It’s not you, Groupon… it’s me. We can still be friends.” Ha. Highly unlikely.) But this little “Punish Derrick” gadget made me smile, thus reducing my level of irritation. And note the “Resubscribe” button below. I’d be interested to know how successful that is. Does this tactic move the user (or former user) from anger to empathy to reconsideration? Not sure. But it certainly made me less angry. However, I did not subscribe.
Either way, it’s a good idea. It’s a last ditch effort to keep a customer that doesn’t reek of desperate salesmanship. It even makes Groupon appear more human. And anytime a web product can do that, it’s a win.
Page rank #2 may have “proved” that authenticity matters, but we rank #1!
(Click on that smiling face to read the whole article. Or just click here.)
The Drive-By Truckers are my favorite band. (To anyone who hasn’t heard ‘em, listen to them. Now. They’re the last bastion of American music.) Led by Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley, DBT has been around a while. Endless tours… a stack of albums… playing sold out clubs… but they’ve never really “made it.” And frankly, that’s fine. However, recently, the band lent two of their songs to STP Motor Oil for some TV spots. Cooley, with his gravely voice, did the voiceovers too.
Most of the feedback from fans was great: “Kick ass, Cooley!” “DBT finally makes a buck!” On the flip side, some fans felt it was selling out: “No self-respecting rock band would huck motor oil!”
But here’s the difference: Motor oil is very DBT. These guys write whole songs dedicated to cars. “Daddy’s Cup” is about a son learning how to race. “Outfit” mentions a “302 Mach One in green.” (If I knew anything about cars like my fiance does, I’d know what that means.) Point is, in a rare foray into product promotion (and honestly, it’s surprising that STP had even heard of DBT), the band chose wisely. They aligned themselves with a product that their fan base actually uses. A lot. They seemed to have maintained a good deal of influence on creative direction of the ads (tough, mean, badass). And they weren’t in-your-face about it: unless you know their songs or Cooley’s voice, you have no idea who’s behind it.
This isn’t like Shaq shilling Buicks. (Seriously, you really think Shaq drives a Buick? Not a chance. But there’s a good chance Cooley uses STP.) And lyrics like this back it up:
I got 350 heads on a 305 engine / I get ten miles to the gallon / I ain’t got no good intentions (“Zip City” - Southern Rock Opera)
Here’s one of the spots:
Oh hey, Adam Neary in Inc.
[video]
Some blatant self-promotion here…
The first post to my column @ Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Young Entrepreneur” …
Three Ways To Get The Media To Pay Attention To Your Young Company
Why You Should Have Comments, Even When They're Bad -
great article from mathew ingram @ gigaom.
Really Good PR Insight from Chris Wink @ TechnicallyPhilly
Ya gotta click the screenshot to get to the video. (It’s embedded in Thrillist.)