Avis has a clue and does it the right way.
Avis does it right. They are observant and have a clue on timing and offers. Take a look at the following list of text messages sent to me since I signed up in January:
Jan 10 - You’re in! You’ve earned 10% off
Jan 11 - Here’s the deal. 10% off your first rental, plus…
Jan 13 - Don’t miss out on savings! Get 10% of your first reservation
Jan 15 - Last call! Make memories with 10% off your first reservation
Mar 25 - It’s time for a Spring Getaway! Get $15 off $175
Apr 8 - Easter is here & so are our sales! Head to our Spring sale for $$ off
May 1 - Our only plan is to make sure you keep yours. Tap and save 25%
May 17 - You can always Plan On Us. Tap the link and save 25%
June 28 - We’ve got a free upgrade waiting for you + save 35%…
Two tactics to highlight from the above:
First, the time frame between each message, generally speaking is increasing. It’s not at a fixed cadence but six weeks between the last two is nowhere near the one to two days on the first four messages.
Second, the value offered is increasing and becoming more attractive. They want me as a customer and are willing to pay for it. Obviously there is a limit, but it’s pretty clear they ratcheted up the value offer over the last six months.
This is classic direct response marketing and they’re doing it right. Certainly they can do more, but the fundamentals are in place and they’re not abusing the privilege of sending promotion messages to my phone, in contrast to the retail fashion marketers I recently wrote about.