You know Tesco (well, any business) has lost the plot when it starts over-complicating its marketing.
On a recent visit to the Tesco store in Penarth I was greeted by a pop-up display and information leaflets about the supermarket’s new Fuel Save promotion.
Fourteen paragraphs later, followed by the line ‘if you want to know more, just visit tesco.com/fuelsave’, I was none the wiser. And I suspected a saving of 20p a litre on fuel was probably unattainable for most people because they simply wouldn’t spend enough.
What we did establish was that the scheme was completely baffling and, like that promotion (not sure if it was Tesco or not) years ago where you collected vouchers for computers or sports equipment or something for schools, you would probably have to spend several million before the school (or us in this case) actually benefit in any meaningful way.
“Don’t kick Tesco while they’re down” I hear you say. Well, they’re big enough to take it so here goes: I really hate the fact that, after you’ve gone through the checkout and paid, they give you a voucher for 64p or £1.67 (or similar random amount) off your next shop.
I don’t want it off the next shop Tesco, I want it off this one! Otherwise I have to carry this pointless bit of paper around in my pocket until the next time I shop there (and usually it ends up on my desk and gets thrown out). Apologies, rant over.
Anyway, the lesson here is don’t over-complicate offers. 2 for 1 works fine. Points are a great idea for building brand loyalty (not to mention all that scrummy behaviour data thay can use against you – sorry, to enhance your shopping experience). As Tesco is so fond of telling us, every little helps. But in this case it doesn’t.
Having said that, if someone at Tesco Marketing wants to enlighten me on how the ‘scheme’ works, I’m all ears. The nice lady in the store tried to explain it (after telling me proudly that she had been there twelve years) but even she couldn’t make head nor tail of it. I did comment that, as she seemed very nice and good with customers that I had no doubt she would be there in six months, but I was pretty positive the Fuel Save promotion and its pitiful pop-up and poorly designed leaflets would not.
I’ll get me coat… which, incidentally, I didn’t buy in Tesco.
