Last summer I had an issue with a half gallon of Cookies and Cream Ice Cream I purchased. It seems that there was a lot of cream and virtually no cookies. I went online to let the company know. I found that this brand was a part of the Unilever Family.
I located a section to tell them about product concerns and I let them know about the problem. A few days later I received an apology letter and a coupon for a free half gallon of ice cream. That was a nice touch and I would think that sending apology product coupons is a consistent process when necessary for them.
The Unilever email marketing campaigns, with one exception, are not as consistent.
Could it be difficult to nail down an email strategy when your company produces a wide array of products from mayonnaise to laundry soap? It depends on how you manage it. And I would think it would be easier to segment your list when you offer a little of everything.
When gathering my contact information, in the small print the following statement appeared:
Helping you with your everyday needs is important to us. Therefore, from time to time, we may wish to send you information, samples or special offers that we feel may be of interest to you regarding Good Humor-Bryers, or other complementary brands from Unilever or other carefully selected companies. If you would rather not receive such information and offers, please check the appropriate box below…
The “Yes” box was already checked. In fairness to Unilever in addition to the standard “Yes” and “No” boxes there was an additional choice to only receive offers and information from Good Humor-Bryers. Of course the curiosity was killing me. If I left the “Yes” box checked, what would I receive?
Since last summer I have received some email messages. Not as many as one would think, and the randomness behind it, I can’t quite figure out.
I have gotten pretty consistent messages for one of their bath soap brands. And I’m fine with that. As it turns out, I use the brand anyway. And the consistancy shows someone is thinking about the brand.
However, I am puzzled by the random messages I have received from their other brands. One of the first Unilever emails I received was for their diet product line – should I take that as a hint? Remember, I registered on an ice cream site. –It’s also interesting to note that I’m a long distance runner, I’m careful about what I eat and I’m not remotely interested in this product line. But Unilever wouldn’t know that because they never bothered to ask me.
I have received messages for other Unilever products as well. It always leaves me scratching my head, wondering why I got a particular email until I scroll down and see that the message was sent by Unilever.
Unilever is doing themselves and their customers a disservice. Because their product line is so varied, why not ask people what they’re interested in? And once you find out what people are interested in, send them messages based their preferences. Yes, I’m interested in spaghetti sauce, but I really don’t care about fabric softener.
Pairing preferences with consistency is great way to engage your subscribers. Random messages about random products equate to more opt-outs.
Side note: I have never received any messaging from them about ice cream. With summer right around the corner, I wonder if that will change.
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Posted by MindComet on Apr. 12, 2007
