I asked in my last blog posting how far would you go to pay the bills. Well, now I’d like to ask how far you’d go just to get something cheaper. Just exactly what would you accept as a ‘trade-off’ in return for a cheaper priced item?
Say, for instance, you’ve had your eye on Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader. Would you be willing to accept a discounted model? Sure you would. How about if I said it comes loaded with adverts on its homescreen and screensavers. Which are part and parcel of the discount. So if you want to save a few bucks, this is the price you pay.
When you consider that Amazon has done exactly this, it’s not surprising. We’re all watching every cent we spend. And any discount is a good one, right? In this case, you save $25, and for this you get the viewing pleasure of ads by P&G, General Motors, Visa and Amazon itself, promoting its latest deals and offers.
It’s not like they’ll be interrupting your electronic reading pleasure however. These black and white ads will only appear on the homepage and when idle, they won’t pop-up when you’re halfway through a juicy paragraph.
What’s next I wonder? The latest tablet devices and mobiles, cheaper if you’re prepared to be deluged with adverts from selected sponsors? But then, why are we complaining? A saving is a saving after all.
Or are we now entering a technology realm where it’s ‘ads for the poor, ad-free for the rich’ – so those of us who can’t afford the higher-priced, advert-free models are the ones who have to put up with it just so we can access the latest gadgets. Hmmm…..maybe that’s food for thought for brands to think about. Is a person who will accept your ads to save $25 the right target demographic for whatever you’re selling?
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