Great Marketing Ideas Gone Awry, No. 826: British Telecom, locked in a running battle with rivals for the island kingdom's phone users, has a program it calls "Friends and Family." The basic idea is that customers can get a break on rates for numbers they call frequently ... like friends and family. Sounds good so far. The problem arises when one of the numbers you call the most belongs to your mistress. And things get worse when BT notices that one of your most frequently called numbers is not on the "friends and family" list, and then tries to help by alerting the customer and suggesting the number be added. But guess who sees the letter? Puzzled, the wife calls the number and uncovers the affair. The husband is thrown out of the house. Now he's threatening to sue British Telecom, saying their promotion "wrecked" his 40-year marriage. Unruffled, a spokesman said simply that BT is "always looking to encourage our customers to maximize any benefit of the discount scheme."
Promoting Fidelity
Great Marketing Ideas Gone Awry, No. 826: British Telecom, locked in a running battle with rivals for the island kingdom's phone users, has a program it calls "Friends and Family." The basic idea is that customers can get a break on rates for numbers they call frequently ... like friends and family. Sounds good so far. The problem arises when one of the numbers you call the most belongs to your mistress. And things get worse when BT notices that one of your most frequently called numbers is not on the "friends and family" list, and then tries to help by alerting the customer and suggesting the number be added. But guess who sees the letter? Puzzled, the wife calls the number and uncovers the affair. The husband is thrown out of the house. Now he's threatening to sue British Telecom, saying their promotion "wrecked" his 40-year marriage. Unruffled, a spokesman said simply that BT is "always looking to encourage our customers to maximize any benefit of the discount scheme."
