I have long maintained that two moments of truth define whether consumers will engage with a loyalty program, the exception being that some loyalty geeks like myself will sign up for anything just to see how it works!

The two-step process goes like this:

1. What’s in it for me? A quick read of the “take me”, direct mail or email invitation triggers the “loyalty calculator” that resides deep within the human brain. Nearly instantly, we register brand compatibility or lack thereof, and calculate the potential reward and recognition of the offer. The outcome dictates our willingness to invest additional time to enroll and engage.
2. What do I get? The value proposition having passed the initial test, consumer attention turns to rewards. We ask ourselves, “So, if I earn what I expect from this program, what can I get in exchange?” Easy understanding of reward options and their accessibility confirms our continued interest in the program offer.

Assuming these two tests are successfully passed, the ball is in the hands of the program sponsor, who is now in a position to win.

A similar mental process can be mapped to how consumers think about any advertising offer. I observed a digital bank sign the other day which rotated several messages beyond just time, date, and temperature. My attention was drawn to the invitation “Want a friendly hometown bank? Visit Us”.

Intrigued by the message and the implied high-touch service from this community bank, I was making the right hand turn into the parking lot only to see the follow up display. “Restrictions Apply….. Details Inside.”

Even allowing for substantial benefit of the doubt, I was put off by this bank’s take on full disclosure. Every Sales 101 course instructs that you keep the prospect’s eyes on the benefits before directing them to the fine print.

In an earlier post, I described the Loyalty Asterisk™ that plagues many marketers today. In this case, the bank might have just as well printed a large Loyalty Asterisk™ on this sign, symbolic of the shifting sands upon which this message was constructed.

If this pairing of digital messages were part of an invitation to a loyalty program, I would have read the value proposition and then passed the rest to the shredder once deflated by the second message. In this case, I just moved the shifter to reverse and headed home!

Bill Hanifin