Taste testing gone wild
Ever heard the saying “every addiction is bad?” Well it is, not to mention expensive. I used to be the first person to say how ridiculous it is to actually pay for the radio. I feel like such a hypocrite now. I only made it 2 days without my SIRIUS radio. 2 days! My friend who recently quit smoking made it longer than that without a cigarette.
It all started a year ago when I got my new Jeep. I thought, “wow, how generous of the dealership to throw in a whole free year of SIRIUS radio.” I never once thought it would be a service I would renew. That year came and went, and so did the music. For the next 2 days I found myself listening to local radio stations, which consisted of the same played-out music over and over. (I can only stomach Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” so many times!) Ugh, I couldn’t take it anymore. My addiction got the best of me and I succumbed to SIRIUS’s latest deal.
SIRIUS knew exactly what they were doing, and it was genius. They know they have a great product and they knew that once I had a taste, I would be back for more. I think we are starting to see more of this type of marketing strategy used for other products as well. A lot of bands are releasing music free of charge via the Internet with hopes that the consumer will want more and purchase the entire album. It’s also great exposure for their brand. I realize that this approach is not for every company, nor will it appeal to all consumers. Although I wouldn’t mind getting a free cocktail dress at Nordstrom’s if I’d promise to be back for more. But I think when a company can stand behind their product or service with that much confidence, it’s a great way to do business. It worked on me anyway.
Once more I find myself on the verge of my 3-month renewal running out. What do I do? Ah, who am I kidding, SIRIUS has me right where they want me.
Michele C. 04/09/2010
SIRIUS is going to get me back too! Just this morning I turned on my favorite local morning station – a nice mix of adult chit-chat with music and news – and found that my peeps are gone and it’s now “Your Variety” music station. What about MY MUSIC STATION? I went on vacation for 10 days and return to find another quality morning show wiped out. Capoot! I related to these DJs… they were adults, not some ‘twentysomething’ buzzed up on energy drinks, yakking about total crap. Detroit radio is not the same without the jazz tunes on 98.7 ‘smooth jazz’ and now WNIC!!
P.S. I love ‘twentysomethings’.. just not those that yak on the radio 🙂 Thanks for the sounding board, Kristy.
MB 04/13/2010
I let my introductory subscription lapse and haven’t looked back since. I just couldn’t justify the payment for something I so rarely used and certainly didn’t appreciate. I do however, slightly miss my OnStar but that’s another discussion I suppose.