Coupons on CD: Five Compelling Reasons to Advertise Your Product in This High-Tech New Medium Real Life For Real People

Evans City, PA September 19 2003-- A question for advertisers: how would you like to send your coupons to consumers who not only want your product, but actively seek it? This is a whole different ballgame from buying expensive magazine ad space in hopes that someone who wants it will stumble across it. It's also different from inserting your coupon in the Sunday paper, in a stack with umpteen dozen others. We're talking about reaching an audience that's not just captive, it's willing. We're talking about a sea change in the way businesses relate to their customers-and a company named Advanced Solutions is riding the crest of this trend with its revolutionary CD-ROM magazine.

"The way people shop has changed," asserts Jill Eselman, CEO of Advanced Solutions and publisher of AScdmag (www.ascdmag.com), the world's largest and first magazine of it's kind on CD-ROM.

"Technology, commoditization and a host of other forces have led to the creation of a buyer's market, which of course means that buyers get what they want. And what they want is a way to enjoy big discounts without aggressive sales pitches, time-consuming searches, hassles, and a mountain of paper. Our magazine gives them that."

Here's how it works: Manufacturers, retailers, restaurants, hotels, airlines and other companies pay to have their discount coupons included in this monthly general interest "magazine." (Because there are no printing costs, advertisers reap substantial savings.) Then, subscribers-who sign up to receive AScdmag mainly for the coupons-use a built-in search engine to access big discounts on the products they want and need. Since the CD magazine hit mailboxes the first week of November 2003, some 289,475 people have subscribed-and those numbers are growing in leaps and bounds.

To understand the benefits of participating in this new direct marketing medium, one must look at it from the customer's point of view. The CD magazine appeals to consumers in many ways, five of which Eselman details below:

• It's consumer driven. It goes without saying that people who seek out coupons for your products are likely to buy them, and, hopefully, become loyal customers. Because people subscribe to AScdmag mainly for the coupons-and because it gives them a way to quickly and easily find the ones they need-there is a high likelihood that they'll take advantage of your offers. But the CD mag goes a step further: it interacts with its readers (actually, Eselman refers to them as "viewers"), seeking input on the products subscribers want, the problems they have with those products, and any needs that aren't being met. Then, it acts as a go-between, taking this valuable information back to its advertisers. Consumers appreciate having an advocate, which increases their loyalty to AScdmag, and by extension, its advertisers.

• It fits their blended lives. Thanks in large part to technology-in particular, the now-mainstream home computer and the Internet-there is no longer a sharp divide between people's personal and professional identities. They sit at the computer at night, finishing up reports while dinner cooks. Likewise, they send and receive personal e-mails at the office. A CD magazine can be read anytime people have ten minutes to spare, at home, at the office, or during a flight or subway commute. "Basically, people are now comfortable enough with the computer to use it as a lifestyle tool," observes Eselman. "It's no bigger a deal than brushing one's teeth, or perhaps a better comparison would be flipping on the TV. The time is just right for a CD magazine."

• It saves them money. In this age of economic uncertainty, spiraling unemployment and rising prices, coupon clipping is no longer the exclusive domain of financially strapped homemakers. Everyone needs a price break, and that includes people who stay in expensive hotels or buy gourmet foods. And, as Eselman points out, AScdmag's coupon service is its raison d'etre and the spark fueling its growing popularity. A consumer business that doesn't offer coupons is missing a big opportunity-and the same might be said for a business that doesn't offer them in this new, high-tech medium.

• It's quick, easy and paperless. Most people, especially those with busy family lives, don't have lots of time to leisurely pore over magazines. AScdmag doesn't require much time. Subscribers only need scan the table of contents to determine which articles or recipes interest them. And as was described earlier, they can do a direct search for the coupons they want, rather than digging through an overwhelming stack of fluttering paper. Most of them are drowning in credit card offers and other junk mail anyway, and are happy to avoid the task of trashing (or figuring out where to file) more paper.
• It's private. The CD format has another benefit: privacy. Unlike many Internet coupon sites, AScdmag doesn't require subscribers to put their personal information out there in cyberspace. As its home page proclaims: "No cookie watchers . . . No concerns over firewalls or dial up connections . . . No unwanted E-mails due to sign up requirements . . . " "We never share information with other advertisers," says Eselman. "Our customers really appreciate that. And they appreciate the fact that they don't have to view a bunch of pop-up ads, which I consider the telemarketers of cyberspace. People want what they want-and they don't want ads shoved down their throats."



"Interestingly enough, the growing popularity of AScdmag has more to do with what it isn't than with what it is," says Eselman. "It isn't time-consuming, it isn't packed with a lot of useless information, it doesn't force customers to jump through hoops to get what they want. It is a simple, elegant, streamlined solution for people living in a complex and often overwhelming world. Furthermore, I think it heralds a sea change in the way businesses interact with their customers-and I'm happy to say, I think it's going to be a big, big success."




This article courtesy of http://www.askcoupons.com.
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