21 Days Later: Quiznos Online Marketing Leaves One Man Hungry
Posted by Dave McCue on March 18th, 2009
The day was February 25th, 2009, one day removed from Fat Tuesday and a few beers with a co-worker. Was I hungry? You bet.
Then, like an oasis in the desert, the following subject line appeared in my inbox: “free sub.” It was from an old college buddy of mine, and his message was short, yet effective—”Get a free sub…I did it, it actually worked!”
The link he included took me to the Quiznos web site, where I discovered they were in the middle of a promotion dubbed the “Million Sub Giveaway.” I instantly signed up for their email list, which was the only action required to qualify for my free sub. The Thank You page confirmed that I would be receiving periodic email updates from Quiznos, which I deemed an acceptable sacrifice in light of the redeemable coupon for a free sub that was certainly en route.
The site even had a rolling tally of how many free subs had been given away so far, and it crept closer toward the 1,000,000 mark with each new opt-in. This, I thought, was list-building at its finest. It featured a good offer—the kind that held no value unless a valid email address was supplied—and it was made very clear that signing up for the promotion meant being added to their mailing list. I certainly wasn’t going to complain, in fact, I hoped that being added to the mailing list might mean more delicious Quiznos could be had on the cheap through future offers.
I waited…and waited. I even had a text message queued up to send to my wife that said “don’t need dinner – free Quiznos for me!” Alas, that text message was deleted, never to be sent. The email never arrived that day. Or the next day.
A few days later, subsisting on leftovers and determined to right this injustice, I used the Contact page on the Quiznos site to say “what’s the deal?”
Quiznos’ response, received the next day, went as follows:
Now, it’s bad enough to have a Mesquite Chicken & Bacon-covered carrot dangling just out of my reach, but I’d at least like to be addressed by name on a communication designed to resolve an issue (especially when I know that my contact information has already been gathered). Not only that, but the link on this follow-up email took me to another online form where I was asked to provide my physical mailing address. Fueled by my insatiable desire for toasted carbohydrates, I grudgingly provided the information.
To recap: I was now an officially opted-in subscriber to the Quiznos email list, and now I had possibly been added to a direct mail list as well. All for a free sandwich that was never received…
It has now been 21 days since I opted-in to a mailing list under the guise of being rewarded with a free sub, and my hunger grows. Do I try to contact Quizno’s again, only to receive a follow-up email asking for my social security number?
Nah, I think I’ll wait and see what happens. Maybe I’ll get a Quiznos 2010 wall calendar delivered to my home before an email for my free sub. Better than nothing, right?
The lesson? Just because you can’t see the people who take part in online marketing promotions, you’re still dealing with real people, and they expect that any promises made will be honored in full. Failure to do so, and failure to make a situation right after it’s been brought to your attention, is even more unforgivable.
I wrote a post back in December called “Self-inflicted Brand Damage.” The Million Sub Giveaway was a perfect example of what an effective online marketing initiative can do to promote a brand—and the sour taste it can leave when the “take” outweighs the “give.”
