Redbox's Email Strategy: Reward Users for Engagement

I write a lot about email marketing campaigns and best practices... in part because it is such a vital, under-discussed lever for marketers (primarily for engagement / retention). But also because I get so many emails that it's easy to compare effective ones against the junky ones (which are the vast majority). I pay attention to emails from movie-rental company Redbox because they are intelligent and well crafted.

Redbox runs email promotions that have a clear purpose. I wrote before that about the email campaign / offer aimed at validating email addresses - it was smart because it rewarded an action that was worth longer-term value (free movie for an email validation).

Redbox has run similar offers / campaigns for Facebook Likes.

Below is a 2-for-1 email promotion. Seems like a great deal - and it is: three movies for <$2/night? Of course Redbox knows that the third movie is either no-cost to them OR results in greater value (from late return fees associated with incremental rental days... after all, is watching three movies in a night possible?). And the email arrives on a Friday (smart: if you're going to rent three movies, it should be for the entire weekend).

I love the fact that Redbox is eager to reward users who do a little work: whether its validate an email, like the company of Facebook or rent a couple movies.

Google +1 a Win for AdWords, Ad Units

I don't fully have my head around Wednesday's Google's +1 launch... namely because I don't entirely understand how 'liking' a page affects / improves a search query: am I voting for the best matching page for the query? or is +1 more similar to 'liking' a page? And if it's akin to liking a page - this makes more sense on product searches, websites, etc... much in the same way that Facebook Connect and concept of having Facebook Facepiles">Facepiles appear across the web.

What does my sense to me is the effect of +1 on ads. It makes a ton of sense and I love it:

For consumers: +1 'facepiles' (for lack of a better term) will lend credibility and users will be more inclined to click on those ad units.

For advertisers, you can now amass brand 'advocates' or 'fans' who will effectively improve click-throughs and conversions.

And this leads to a happy Google.

And a note to advertisers: I would work to drive +1's on my AdWords campaigns immediately. There will be a first-mover advantage as the product gains traction and your ads compete against units without +1 votes.

Overstock Rebrands As O.co

The .co domain is hot... at least from a marketing perspective. GoDaddy and others have run large television campaigns (including during the Super Bowl) to promote the new domain. I have no data to suggest that the .co domains are gaining traction (although I suspect that is not the case). The first major .co move? Overstock.com which is rebranding themselves as O.co. It will be interesting to watch whether they gain branding / marketing traction with the move (again, I suspect that will not be the case). It is an interesting / bizarre move considering that Overstock is already a prominent brand and advertising efforts around a rebrand are challenging... no matter how short or clever the new domain is.

This ad, which is currently running in prim time television, is proof: the spot is focused on explaining the rebrand while reinforcing the core brand qualities.... tough, confusing and probably not worthwhile.

Old Navy Commercial + Shazam = Hidden Content

Old Navy is currently running a TV ad that features the song Super C-U-T-E by Audio Threadz (a song and band seemingly created for the campaign). You'll notice the "Shazam Now" icon that appears in the corner and prompts viewers to use the mobile app to discover who the unknown band is:

Considering how often the commercial is on TV (the YouTube video alone has ~2m views), it is great co-branding for Shazam. It is also an interesting integration for Old Navy - who can use the promotion to unlock 'rewards': 1. a custom Shazam landing page / experience (fun) 2. the commercial's song (free) 3. "shop the look" - interestingly the commercial does not tout specific products... this reveals the merchandise

But imagine delivering discounts / benefits to users for actions like a Facebook 'like', an email confirmation, some other social sharing mechanism, etc. While most advertisements will not include a custom song and Shazam experience - it represents the power of delivering immediate content and value via the mobile device. We have seen it with check-ins, bar-codes and QR codes, coupons, etc... now it's coming to TV ads in more interesting / powerful way than "follow us at facebook.com/oldnavy".

PokerStars.net Evokes Facebook, YouTube & Twitter in ESPN Ads

Clever ad from PokerStars.net in the most recent ESPN The Magazine. It certainly grabs your attention with the use of prominent logo / font-types and it evokes the social appeal of online game-play. Furthermore, those logos are recognizable enough that it will attract readers otherwise uninterested in poker (such as myself). And whether or not it is true (I wouldn't know!), the suggests that PokerStars.net is integrated into the major social platforms: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Redbox's Smart Movie Promotion Aims to Validate Emails.

Redbox is a service I love, a product that is terrificly done and a business whose future is murky (negative: moving digital and Netflix as a competitor; positive: Netflix as an example of transitioning perfectly). One of underrated components of Redbox is their email interaction with customers... and in some ways, they are similar to Groupon, LivingSocial, Gilt Group and Rue La La: email marketing drives the business. So it wasn't surprising to me that, after my first Redbox rental, they followed up via email with the following promotion: confirm your email address and receive a free rental (DVD or Blu Ray). They understand the value of a verified, engaged email user... and they are willing to give free product away (they also make some direct revenue on the promotion because of rental 'late' fees). Smart.

Unrelated: they also do a great job with their website:

- crisp and good looking - four major actions: reserve, learn, find and research - big promotion for Facebook fanpage (1.9m fans!), their newsletter (per above) and the bog - easy-to-navigate list of available movies - with trailers and cast - the ability to send Redbox gifts (ie a Valentines rental via their Facebook app)

And Redbox.com:

Lady Gaga Uses Facebook Event to Launch New Single

230,000 have RSVP'd to the debut of Lady Gaga's new single: Born This Way. Why? In part because it is Lady Gaga (who only trails Justin Bieber in internet popularity) and in part because the viral loop of the Facebook Event promoted directly on LadyGaga.com and across Facebook. I have previously written about Facebook's Facepile... but this is interesting because it is an 'eventpile' of sorts. LadyGaga.com showcases the event and the corresponding facepile of those attending and viewers can register for the event (attend, maybe, no) directly from the homepage.

Once you attend, you it publishes to your Facebook feed and showcases you (and your friends) who are attending. That of course gets significant visibility - ~250,000 people have RSVPed and many of their 500 friends are probably aware.

It's a very aggressive implementation of Facebook Event system. And it's very clever / effective. Now imagine the event being tied to Facebook Places, Groups or special access to the song. Lots of possibilities...

LadyGaga.com homepage - primary action / display is the Facebook Event:

~250,000 people are attending. Another 200,000 are undecided (which is effectively no different since it's a promotional event).:

Tech takes to Super Bowl XLV Ads... & Takes them to Web before the Game

Tonight you'll likely see a handful of tech companies advertising during the Super Bowl (a 30-second spot runs $3,000,000). Techmeme - which is usually filled with tech and gadget news - is headlined by forthcoming ads by Groupon, Living Social, and The Daily. And there will be others... But what is equally interesting is how many of these ads are now being showcased on the web before they hit the television. Crafted for the Super Bowl ad blitz, Volkswagon's Darth Vader commercial is already a viral hit with nearly 13m views... which means they may well have already won the ad wars:

And then there is Facebook who, according to InsideFacebook, aims to make the commercials social. users will be able to watch, comment, share and rate commercials within Facebook... and advertisers will hope that their spots become viral the way that VW's already has. The page will become available at 2pm pst and be available on Facebook's sports page.