The Power of the Offer

5 Incredibly Successful Marketing Strategies

How important promotions, sales offers and purchasing incentives are to your business, is a subjective consideration and heavily dependent on your desired level of growth. For those that are wanting more business, more sales, more followers, then these five proven strategies should be something you consider.

Often the most successful and persuasive marketing campaigns are in and of themselves, customer driven. This means your offers are so good, that your customers, fans and loyalist, want to share your good will to others.

Let’s take a look at some of the most impactful customer loyalty offers and how many of the most iconic brands incentivize their followers to remain devoted and connected, and open to trying new products and services without hesitation.

To start this journey, let’s first consider a few of the most popular ways retailers bring in new business through coupons, discounts and specials.

The B.O.G.O.

Believed to have officially originated in the early ‘80’s, the idea of Buying One and Getting One for Free or for a heavily discounted price, has appealed to consumers since those early days. Many businesses have found tremendous success with this practice, and when used correctly in conjunction with other loyalty offers, it’s a great way to build a brand and make sales.

Today, the BOGO remains a staple for businesses big and small.

Most notably, the popular shoe company TOMS rise to success was based on a charitable BOGO, where they provided a FREE Pair of shoes for every shoe purchased. This offer was out there for years, yet ultimately, the organization found it difficult to actually continue on this path. With well over 95 million pairs of shoes given away during this campaign, it became apparent that the offer wasn’t going to be fully sustainable forever. Noting that all offers, even great humanitarian ones, should be based on a marketing plan of scarcity, limited availability and the urgency to say YES NOW.

For a “Limited Time”

Moving the thought of “scarcity” forward, the Limited Time Opportunity strategy is most definitely a staple in retail marketing and is played out so well on a consistent basis in the fast-food industry.

Who hasn’t seen the release and limited re-release of the popular McRib^®  Sandwich at McDonalds?

First offered in 1981, the McRib has turned into a cult classic and its sporadic return is consistently shared on social media by McRib fans everywhere. In fact, there is even a McRib Locator website and Facebook Page titled the McRib Locator, with over 16k current followers.

Although McDonald’s last roll out of this famous sandwich was during it’s “Farewell Tour” in 2022, some diehard fans believe it will be back someday. According to The Vergecast Podcast earlier this year, the McRib Locator founder, Allen Klein, says he and many others are still holding on for that elusive return of their favorite pork sandwich. #NeverSayNever

The Mystery Offer

Have you ever opened up a box of Cracker Jack’s?  …Sure you have! And for those of us that had that opportunity between 1912 and 2016, you were always going to find that Surprise Toy inside. Anything from baseball cards to whistles. For many, that Mystery Gift was the number one reason to chose this snack over anything else.

Today, you can still find a special gift inside every box. But now, Cracker Jack^®, provides a mystery gift in the form of a digital code, that takes the purchaser to any number of baseball themed games and offers.

Hidden Surprises continue to be popular for a variety of reasons. They can create a sense of excitement and anticipation. Mystery offers appeal to people’s sense of curiosity and elevate others to feel a sense of exclusivity and uniqueness. In all cases, the thrill of not knowing what you will receive and the surprise of discovering what’s inside, is at times too tempting to pass up. Mystery offers are also often limited editions or hard to find prizes, which only adds to the success of these campaigns.

The Flash

No, not the super hero cartoon character. Here we are talking about one of the newest marketing trends, “the Flash Sale”. Although these one-time special discount days or even partial day events occur out of the blue for many marketing strategists. Arguably, one of the most successful Flash Sales occur each year with plenty of notice and plenty of anticipation.

AMAZON Prime Day, was started in 2015 to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the founding of the company. Since then, this “two-day” event has grown to be one of the biggest and most talked about shopping extravaganzas, with members purchasing in excess of $12 million in products last year.

Daily Deals

For businesses looking to attract new customers and increase sales, Daily Deals have become a consistent marketing strategy. Much like the Flash Sale, this program offers consumers a limited-time discount on various products or services, that are rolled out on a regular and consistent basis. Eventually developing a habit for, and expectation of something special to happen each day.

One of the benefits of daily deals for businesses is that they can help drive traffic to their website or store, helping to provide authority with search engine algorithms. By offering a significant discount on a popular product or service, businesses can attract customers who may not have otherwise considered making a purchase. This increased engagement can lead to more sales and exposure for the business.

In addition, daily deals often help businesses to clear out inventory or overstock. By offering a discount on products that may not be selling as well as expected, companies can move inventory quickly and free up space for new products.

One popular website, Groupon, offers the “Deal of the Day”, which brings products and services to their followers, that they would generally not otherwise see or even be looking for. This is a highly effective way for businesses to introduce new products or services, and gain brand recognition.

However, there are also some potential drawbacks to using daily deals as a single marketing strategy. One concern is that customers may become accustomed to receiving discounts and may be less likely to make purchases at full price. Additionally, daily deals can be costly for businesses, as they may need to significantly reduce their profit margins in order to offer the discount.

Overall, weather it is a B.O.G.O, a Limited Time Offer, a Mystery Offer, a Flash Sale, or a Daily Deal, all effective marketing strategies need to be varied and set in motion with clear ROI’s and measured goals for success. Most importantly, providing the consumer with a strong and compelling reason to purchase and to remain loyal to the brand or business long term. Ultimately, leading to the domino effect of sharing your offer to a friend or better yet, all of their friends.

SmartPatch^® provides an extremely unique Brand Engagement System that can help you build loyalty and deliver the strategies shared above and so much more. We welcome your inquiries. Email: Hello@SmartPatch.com or call (800) 872-8778.

“Disclaimer: All product and company names are trademarks™ or registered® trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them. All images used in this article are for illustrative purposes only.”

About the Author.

Steve Thompson, is the President of SmartPatch and a passionate believer in building brand loyalty and consumer engagement, through consistent individualized communication. He often writes and shares ways businesses and organizations can stay connected to their biggest fans and drive new loyalists to their brand.

SmartPatch is a Registered Trademark of Pacific Sportswear Company, Inc., and Patented under

U.S. Patent No.11,301,649