Cracking offers from Roadchef

A couple of weeks back I wrote about Roadchef and its mobile marketing efforts with a text-based loyalty scheme. Well, I've joined up and have received a couple of messages since I signed up and here they are:

Reply path: 447786201349 | Received 4/7/07 at 14:59
Roadchef: Have a FREE KitKat 4 finger (std or dark). Quote code 5798206 to Retail Store cashier at till. Valid to 17/07/2007. Reply STOP for no more offers.

Reply path: 447786201349 | Received 22/06/07 11:00
Roadchef: Have a FREE 500ml Coke or Diet Coke on us. Quote code 8666734 to Retail Store cashier when paying. Valid to 05/07/2007. Reply STOP for no more offers.

Do offers like these really work when the value of the freebie is so small? I wonder how many customers are really going to make the effort to quote the offer code (why couldn't it have been KIT01 for example?) at all for the sake of saving 50p on a bar of chocolate. Is this really 'loyalty'?

Looking at the positive, they do have a reply path and you are able to unsubscribe from getting more offers which is a good thing.

However, judging by Roadchef's website, it looks to me like marketing isn't necessarily their thing - not least, as they're not even promoting the SMS loyalty campaign on the website. In fact, there isn't even a news section. So they seem to be new to this consumer marketing lark and are taking baby steps. But unless they really go for it, I can't see the scheme working and they'll be giving up before they've even begun.

Any loyalty scheme afficionados out there want to add their 2p?

other news of a pre-Glastonbury Monday morning

RoadChef, the motorway services provider is running its first mobile loyalty initiative. You can join the scheme by texting ROAD to 60066 and then you will receive mobile vouchers over a 12-week period. These will be special deals from RoadChef as well as brand partners including Nestle and Coca-Cola and there's also a chance to win a plasma TV. Question - what happens after 12 weeks? And does that really describe loyalty? I'm interested to know what's going to happen next.

The Big Brother season is well under way in the UK and we've already had one walker and one evictee (I say Charley should be the next one). The big difference this year is that there is no text voting as a result of the scandals revealed earlier in the year around TV text voting and competitions. I think this is a real shame and I'm disappointed that they went down this road, but understand the rationale. However, to sweeten the pill, Virgin Mobile (this year's sponsor) is offering free texts to its customers whilst Big Brother is on so that fans can text each other during the programme. Or is it that they want to give fans something to do as the programmes are losing their appeal?!

Is there a future for MVNO's with the recent bankruptcy filing from Amp'd in the US? Well Pyramid research seems to think the future isn't so bleak in the MVNO world. And in the UK, Virgin is most certainly a success.

ITN is serving up Bollywood glamour with Bollywood Insider, a two minute round up of news, views and promos from India’s cinema and music scene, hosted by Suzi Mann, a DJ on commercial Asian radio station, Sunrise.