As someone who can't turn their marketing brain off, I can't help but look at every birthday offer that brands send out with a critical eye. 👁️
Small occupational hazard, but it's provides some pretty valuable insights to you!
And since my own birthday just came and went, I've been bombarded with all sorts of deals and discounts. So, I thought: why not dive into these offers and see which ones truly stand out? 🤩
What Makes a Birthday Offer Stand Out?
When it comes to judging these offers, there are three key factors I consider:
- Personalization: Does the offer feel like it was made just for me?
- Value: Is the deal actually worth it?
- Timeliness: When did the offer arrive? Timing is everything.
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let's be clear: this is all about the birthday offers themselves. We're not here to pass judgment on the overall quality of these brands.
It's That Me Espresso
Let's kick things off with a classic: Starbucks. They've pretty much set the standard for birthday perks with their free drink offer. Any drink, any size, available any time of day that they're open. Who doesn't love free caffeine on their special day?
Overall rating: 8/10
What's your go-to freebie order? Mine is a Grande Brown Sugar Oat Shaken Espresso.
Dressing Green
I wanted to like this one so much more than I actually did. I love tentree's clothes and mission; everything is super high quality and every single thing you buy goes back into sustainable initiatives.
Overall, the email presentation is great:
- The subject line is personalized
- The email body has a festive and on-brand header image
- Clearly states what you get
- How many loyalty points you currently have (and how much they're worth)
- Shows the latest arrivals that you're likely to want based on past purchases
The problem for me arises with the birthday offer itself. As you can see in the email above, I got 50 points.
Cool. I had no idea what that was worth, so I did some digging to find out that those 50 points had an equivalent value of $2. Less cool.
Overall rating: 6/10
BRB, Cozying Up With a New Book
Next up is Indigo and its plum rewards program. This one has been a personal favourite for years, mainly because they give you the whole month to use your birthday discount.
The 20% off is a generous cut, too.
But while the email subject line makes you feel special, the actual content could use a bit more pizzazz. A lively design would really make it pop.
Overall rating: 9/10
Bliss Dough
Cookie dough is excellent, and the safe-to-eat stuff is even better.
The email is super straightforward, so it's easy to scan and find exactly what you're getting (in this case, that's 200 points).
Bliss Dough is a small, locally-owned business, so I'm not going to fault them too much for not using imagery beyond their logo. It's probably pretty challenging for them to get affordable custom graphic design support.
What would be a doable improvement to this email would be the way it's structured below the points announcement. Instead of launching into ways to earn more points and having the only CTA button related to earning more points, it would be better to have some products listed below it (bonus points if they're related to items I've purchased before) and have the primary CTA prompt me to use my points on free or discounted cookie dough.
This way, the email would prompt me, the customer, to take more immediate action and buy something. The way it's currently laid out makes it very easy for me to not come back to the email.
Overall rating: 7/10
Aeroplan
Aeroplan's birthday email gets a lot right. The personalized subject line and animated graphics score major points for effort and attention to detail. Plus, it lands in your inbox just in time for a lunchtime browse through potential flights and vacations.
Offering five different options is a nice touch, showing they understand not everyone wants the same thing. However, some of the "better" rewards come with strings attached, making them less accessible.
For instance, getting 25% off base fares plus a preferred seat sounds great until you realize you must travel within six months. That might work for some, but not for others.
And then there's the option that doesn't require spending any extra money: a mere 100 Aeroplan points. That's roughly equivalent to $1.44. Not exactly a grand gesture.
But, if you can align your travel plans with your birthday, the top-tier rewards could be quite valuable.
Overall rating: 5/10
More Espresso, Less Depresso
ECS Coffee is another favourite local brand of mine. In short, they provide a lot of coffee, drinkware, and appliances to stock your home coffee bar.
Every year on my birthday, I get the same email with this lovely little header.
And, every year, this is always the first brand to wish me a happy birthday since they send it out by 1 a.m.!
The offer is always the same, but it's pretty good. $5 in points that I can either redeem right then and there, or just add to my account to save up for a bigger order.
$5 isn't a lot but it's enough that it'll prompt me to go and make a purchase. Super convenient timing since I just ran out of Torani syrups.
Similar to Bliss Dough, I think it would be a good idea for this email to show some of the new products, featured products, or any sales happening. It could go one step further by adding some personalization to the subject line or greeting, or by showing products that I've ordered previously and might like to buy again (like my syrups).
In general, this is a strong contender. The offer has value and arrived very early in the day.
Overall rating: 8/10
PC Optimum
This is a great example of a brand making their birthday offers progressively worse.
2022: Spend $30 on your birthday, get 20,000 bonus points.
2023: Spend $50 the day after your birthday, get 20,000 bonus points.
2024: Get a free box of PC Decadent cookies this week.
I gave PC Optimum a 1 last year but I really should've saved it for this year. Apparently the birthday girl isn't even good enough for a box of bakery cookies.
This is also an example of when something isn't always better than nothing. When it comes to a loyalty program, including birthday offers, brands cannot afford to play a game of "how low can I go". The trend for PC Optimum is clear.
- Less convenient. First, it was on my birthday, and then it was the day after. This time, it's a week. What's next? A scavenger hunt to find a "participating store"?
- Higher spending. $30 was doable, but $50? That's quite the jump. At that point, the $20 in free points isn't really worth it.
- Diminished value. From a generous points offer to...cookies. And not even fresh ones! This is like unwrapping a gift to find it's something they grabbed from the clearance aisle (and left the price sticker on).
Remember when getting older felt rewarding with these programs? Now, it feels like they're trying to reinforce the idea that we should have lower expectations each year.
And yes, sometimes nothing really is better than a disappointing something. It's the thought that counts, and this doesn't feel very thoughtful at all.
Overall rating: 1/10
Final Thoughts
Birthday offers can be a delightful surprise or a bit of a letdown. It all depends on how well a brand knows its customers and how much value they're willing to provide. Personal touches, substantial value, and timely delivery can turn a simple promotion into a memorable birthday gift.
As marketers, it's our job to ensure we hit these marks and make every customer feel celebrated on their special day.
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