TLC Marketing is trying to put an end to the coupon. Yes, this 100 year old sales driving tactic has a purpose but TLC is trying to reverse the trend of serial couponing and flash sales.
TLC, is a global promotions agency that specialises in motivating consumer behavior by building compelling promotions that capture consumers' attention during those vital purchase decision moments. They provide experiences and rewards with purchase that create a positive memory eternally linked with their clients' brand. This connection is a tool to distinguish a client and its products from the competition.
"We are drawing a line between rational decisions such as discounts that engage consumers for just a moment and emotional highs that by nature last a lifetime," stated Derek Miller, TLC's MD of South Africa. "It really makes sense when you think about it. Rational decisions are made in your head while emotional decisions come from the heart. We are working to foster that emotional, heartfelt connection between people and brands."
How does TLC do this? They build networks of experience providers who benefit from the traffic building, free visibility and brand association to national campaigns run by the TLC client base. This way they obtain high value experiences that are relevant to the specific demographic at a fraction of the retail cost.
They have worked with industries in almost every sector worldwide. Brands like Samsung, Danone and Microsoft have worked with TLC to make stronger, longer personal connections with their customers.
"By nature, people seek an emotional connection first, and only if brands fail to engage with us emotionally, we seek a rational reason to buy them with price," continued Miller.
"It then becomes 'this product is cheaper', rather than 'this is the brand I love'. When the promotional hook is price, it's down to who's more competitive. But when the tool is 'emotion', it comes down to who strikes your cord soonest and keeps you engaged longer."
TLC has most recently completed successful campaigns with Edgar's, Toshiba, Busby and Unilever. Each campaign begins with a client brief of the target customer and what they seek from the brand. Through market research and on-street interviews with the "target demographic", TLC identifies the exact experiences they want most. Then TLC sources a unique network of experience providers, or uses existing ones, that will not only get the attention of the target consumer but the experience will add perceived value to the client's products rather than strip away the value through price cutting.
What is next for TLC? As rewards are delivered digitally and instantly, TLC is working with mobile solutions providers to record transactions, enable location-based mobile check-in and deliver instant rewards when required by the client.
About TLC Marketing, Inc.
TLC Marketing, Inc. is one of the largest and most experienced lifestyle marketing agencies in the promotional marketing sector, with over 50 years of experience (since 1954) and worldwide intelligence from 19 international offices, TLC delivers marketing solutions to its global client base across every industry segment. Watch this space for more info.
