August 28, 2007
Confessions of a BzzAgent Point Hoarder
I've been wondering what happened to BzzAgent rewards. For more months than I can count, the only available choices have been charitable donations. Tonight, I finally had time to do a quick search for the answer. In a June 2006 BeeLog post, Dave Balter talked about the failure of the BzzAgent rewards system:
Almost 87% with enough points to redeem a reward never redeem a single point [an inverted model, for those who are in loyalty marketing], up from 70% just one year ago. No matter how much prodding or pushing we do, fewer BzzAgents are seeking rewards for their points. A very small subset - those in our program for freebies - continue to pursue the rewards, but the significant majority do not.
He went on to say that the program would be overhauled after a serious re-thinking of the role of rewards within the word-of-mouth framework. I was intrigued that Dave called a 13% redemption rate a failure; thirteen percent doesn't set off my alarm bells. Here are some hypothetical indicators that I would believe point to the failure of a rewards system:
-- A flood of reward requests that BzzAgent was unable to fulfill
-- Widespread (outside of the BzzAgent website) complaints about the quality of rewards
-- Zero percent of BzzAgents claiming rewards
In the three-and-a-half years since I became a BzzAgent, I have not redeemed any rewards, but it was not because I disliked the points system. I often checked what items were available; I especially enjoyed looking at the higher point-value rewards and saving for them. I finally have enough points for a smashingly-good reward, and the items have disappeared.
The real-world results didn't jive with the company's expectations, but I wonder if the expectations were based on flawed comparisons. Dave mentions hotel and credit card rewards programs as a baseline. Participating as a BzzAgent is more involved than receiving rewards as a credit card user or airline passenger. I've invested more time and thought while Bzzing and crafting BzzReports than I ever would booking a flight or charging a purchase.
Credit card and airline rewards are throwaways; carrots to keep me going back to one company when I can easily hop providers based on perks; however, BzzRewards are invested with more meaning. They tap into my pleasure at participating in a vast word-of-mouth network. Dashing off an order for a Chili's gift certificate seems to cheapen the time I put into sharing my opinions and writing up the results.
I liked the BzzAgent swag -- the company bee is an energetic logo and I'm eager to display my affiliation with BzzAgent... but really, how many key chains and coffee carafes can one girl own before she's condemned to a sort of geeky hell made up of a janitor-sized keyring and constant caffeine shakes?
I recall seeing a nifty camera as one reward that took four pictures in quick succession. A great little toy, but nothing I needed. I was waiting for a book to use as a birthday present for my brother, a DVD my sister would love... or even a useful item for myself; cookware, books on my wish list or a gadget I've had my eye on. I waited too long; I played a game of Ten Women* with the rewards and lost.
Now this is not a shot across BzzAgent's bow or any such gauntlet being thrown down, but rather an out-loud hope that a company with the capacity to be nothing you expect from marketing continues to zig when we're all zagging. I hope BzzAgent brings back their rewards. And I expect, in true BzzAgent style, that the updated program will surprise and delight us.
*A game in which you decide, of the next ten women to pass you, which one woman you would... *ahem*... "date." The trick is that you must make a "yes" or "no" choice as each woman passes you. You cannot change your choice after seeing what else is coming.
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