Piaras Kelly PR – Public Relations in Ireland

I don’t know what it is about exclusivity, but having to be invited to use a service does wonders for building buzz around it. For example, I was delighted with myself when I got my invite for Gmail and felt even better being able to give five more people the chance to join. Experiencing exclusivity as a consumer makes you feel special and you are more likely to talk about the product/service.

This is also the case when the product/service isn’t even that good. For example, just look at CoComment. New online services are being launched ten a penny these days. I tend to ignore most of them, but when the words ‘invite only’ were mentioned in conjunction with CoComment, my interest perked. Not only did I sign up, but I also did the usual ‘I have X invites, first x people to contact me will get them.’ The funny thing is I don’t even use CoComment. Great idea for a service, but it doesn’t really work.

Moving past the online aspect of beta testing though, more companies should use exclusivity to build buzz around their product/service. Luxury car brands often invite their customers to launches of new vehicles, other brands though should also be offering their customers access to something which only they can experience because of their purchase. Not only does it make the customer feel more valued, but it also makes other consumers jealous and even resent rival brands for not treating them the same way.

Granted this isn’t going to work for the likes of McDonalds. If I was a loyal customer, an extra packet of salt really isn’t going to do it for me. Clothing retailers though should be building loyalty programs and start initiatives like a preview evening of a new clothing range to loyal customers, with the temptation of a discount of course!

It is worth noting though that it’s hard to build a feeling of exclusivity around a brand in the real world. For example, I was out in the pub for my dad’s birthday last night and I noticed a beer mat which was promoting Guinness’ exclusive Brew Series. I turned to my dad and asked being a Guinness drinker, whether he would ever drink the Brew Series. Without a second’s thought he shook his head. Back to the drawing board for Guinness I guess.

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