Where is Smart Personalized Marketing?

When I lived in Las Vegas, I received an invitation in the mail for a day trip to San Diego to shop at Nordstrom. The very reasonably-priced package included round trip air fare on Southwest, ground transportation to/from Nordstrom, time to shop, lunch, and shipping of any purchases to my home. I presume that this was generated via some sort of partnership between Southwest, Nordstrom, and (possibly) American Express. They knew that I frequently flew Southwest, shopped at Nordstrom when in a Nordstrom city (which Las Vegas was not at that time), and liberally used my American Express card. I was delighted by this personalized offer – the smartest one-on-one marketing for which I have ever been a target.

Fast forward more than ten years – the era when we worry about how much Google and Facebook know about us and what they might do with that information. Where are my delightful personalized incentives to spend my dollars? I submit that one-on-one marketing is practically non-existent, in spite of the fact that we (willingly or unwittingly) share so darn much information about what we like, where we go, things we eat, who our friends are, and how we spend our time. Why is it that no one seems to know what to do with that information to really gain my loyalty and grab their share of my wallet?

A few choice words to marketers:

Don’t waste your money parroting back advertising for things for which I just shopped on the internet. Yes, I purchased a light fixture from Lamps Plus; but that doesn’t mean that you should then show me a banner for Lamps Plus. Honestly, that just feels a little creepy. What about a banner for Home Depot, Sherwin Williams, or Kohler to help me complete my bathroom remodel? Maybe I need a local electrician to help me install the light fixture. Think like me.

I’m pretty savvy about internet shopping and finding what I need on my own. You, however, can forge partnerships and offer me experiences I wouldn’t think of creating for myself (like the Southwest/Nordstrom package). Not only would I find that incredibly appealing, but I would tell all my friends about it for years and years.

Do a better job of recognizing and reaching out to your good customers. I know you know who we are! Now show us that you appreciate our business. It’s not enough to passively wait for me to Like your Facebook page and then post clever but unmemorable status updates. Be there for us, and really manage the interaction with your self-proclaimed fans.

An Honorable Mention:

Amazon.com’s recommendations and notifications about new books from my favorite authors. Keep enhancing your personalization, and I’ll keep shopping with you!