Behavioral targeting, geo-targeting and social media marketing are the current hot terms, but there’s a thin line between something being targeted marketing and it being spam. Unfortunately, that line isn’t always obvious as it’s frequently determined by how the person you’re targeting perceives it.
After a Foursquare check in, I received the following response:
On the one hand, it seems like a brilliant concept capitalizing on the opportunity to advertise other businesses I might be near. However, the big question… Is it effective? In my opinion, no.
Here’s why:
- As you can see in the screen shot of their Twitter stream below, they’re targeting based on address. However, is the targeting accurate? It’s hard to tell from the little bit of information provided.
- The biggest reason though is it isn’t relevant.
Some might argue it is as you’re eating at one restaurant and it’s recommending another. However, I argue it isn’t because in my case and looking at many of the cases in their tweet stream, Chinese food isn’t relevant to Mexican fast food.
If I was eating at Tokyo Joe’s, or one of the nearby Chinese restaurants, I would say it’s very relevant. But if I’m craving Qdoba’s queso, there is absolutely no way I’m going to be tempted by Chinese food.
Secondly, the location is important. How close of proximity is the restaurants it’s recommending? Are they in the same strip mall or are they a ten minute drive?
For me, Qdoba’s is within walking distance of my office. How important is that to me? A lot. Will I consider driving 5 miles to try out a Chinese restaurant? Probably not.
Maybe they get the promotions right more often than not… but from what I saw, Starbuck’s really doesn’t equate to pricey Fondue, or Italian food to sushi.
I see some potential in their marketing efforts, but I think they’ve missed the mark. Especially as it feels completely automated instead of feeling personalized. What do you think?
