Neat agency promotion

I have been reading and following the US direct marketing agency run by Robert Rosenthal, The Mothers of Invention. They have some great promotion and marketing that they do for the agency and this Friday they have a great offer.

A free review of one marketing programme.

Here’s the offer text I received.

This Friday could be an eye-opener for you and your marketing team.
Because Mothers of Invention – the groundbreaking agency behind dozens of record-breaking campaigns – will review the program of one marketer, at no cost.
We’ll talk about anything and everything you’re comfortable sharing: email, search, banner, TV, Web video, Twitter, blogs, social networks, radio, print, and direct mail advertising. As well as related landing pages.
So seize your chance to discover where you rule – and where there’s room for improvement. This opportunity is ideal for someone who sees the value of challenging the status quo.
Remember, on Friday we’ve got time for only one review. Intrigued? Just hit “Reply” or email Mothers of Invention founder Robert Rosenthal at this address: robert@themothersofinvention.com.

I enjoy offers like this because it delivers a treble benefit to the agency

The opportunity to show off your knowledge against an existing campaign
The opportunity to communicate with prospects who want evaluation of their existing marketing
The opportunity to start new dialogues with disappointed contest entrants

So what are you waiting for?

Well, take a pause first. Don’t just rush off to do this.

Here are four things I’ve learnt about ‘free’ offers and this type of campaign (I have run campaigns like this before)

Most punters won’t take up a “free” offer – because they reason that if it looks too good to be true, it probably is
Few people sign up for public humiliation and so it’ll probably be strong, confident brands who want an offer like this and you can do less for them than weaker, less well organised ones where your advice will have a strong impact
If you do get someone signed up for the free offer, translating that into paid word is very difficult. Educating prospects to expect discounts is a habit that’s tough to get out of
You need a strong existing data list of prospects who are already believe in your agency’s expertise before a small number will proffer themselves for an offer like this

Therefore, this is still a good campaign but you must fulfil the four criteria above before you’ll get good results.

Additionally, there may be some ‘terms and conditions’ around the offer. Robert doesn’t mention it, but if I were running the campaign, I would reserve the right to use the brand’s campaign material and the agency’s free advice as the subject of a future newsletter or blog article, white paper or case study.

Why write a case study?

Because there is more leverage in having original material to show off your marketing skills to a wide audience (your email list) than just to speak one-on-one to the brand who is subjecting themselves to your free offer assessment.

Go do it. It’s a great idea and I hope to report Robert’s results after this weekend.

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