I love a good marketing promotion. I’m that consumer who gets sucked in by the prospect of saving a buck on something I don’t even need or possibly winning a million dollars. It’s sad, I know. I’m sure that I’ve wasted more money than I’ve saved in the long run. But I can’t help myself, and neither can many other consumers. So I thought, just for kicks, that I would highlight my three favorite promotions ever, why they were so awesome and how they kept (keep) me coming back for more.

Subway Stamps

This one is a bit of a blast from the past, for me anyway. For those of you who lived under a rock or are too young to remember them in their heyday (you’d have to be pretty young, they were only discontinued a few years ago), beginning in the ‘80s Subway customers received a stamp for every 6-inch sub and two stamps for a foot long. When customers filled up their Sub Club cards with stamps (if I recall correctly, you needed eight stamps to fill up a card), they got one free 6-inch sub. Brilliant! Simple! A great deal! In my opinion it was the best promotion EVER!

I rarely eat fast food, but Subway had me almost literally eating out of the palm of their hands. I could fill up a card in two weeks no problem. It was a great promotion because it rewarded frequent customers and built customer loyalty. Since they ended the promotion in early 2005, however, I’ve purchased maybe four or five Subway subs tops. Back then it was like a game to me. I would buy, sell, share, steal or barter stamps—anything to fill up that stupid little card. Now I have no use for Subway, and my will to go there is gone.

McDonalds Monopoly

McDonalds Monopoly causes even the most mild-mannered people to become fierce competitors—and the fiercest competitors to gain about 15 lbs. during the annual promotion. McDonalds Monopoly isn’t about saving money, it’s about winning. Because of the rarity of certain game pieces like Boardwalk, Short Line RR or Mediterranean Avenue, the chances of getting a monopoly are slim to none, but who cares. Collecting as many game pieces as you can is still fun.

Like Subway stamps, it’s a great traffic generator because people have to come back again and again in order to get a prize. Like I said, I hate fast food, but during “McDonalds Monopoly madness” I find myself overdosing on French fries and chocolate shakes. It’s consumer engagement in the form of intense competition that excites me and compels me to hit the drive-thru. I’m already in training for the 2008 season; bring it on McDonalds.

Express Card Coupons

Unless you are an avid-shopper of young women’s (and I guess men’s too) clothing, you may not have heard of this one. Express, a clothing retailer common in malls across America, is simultaneously the bane of my bank account’s existence and one of my favorite stores—at least since I opened an Express credit card. Before I opened an account I would occasionally buy a few items here and there when I had the funds and that was it. But when you get the card, they start frequently sending these coupon cards that I cannot resist no matter how strapped for cash I am—if you spend $60 you get $20 off, if you spend $100 you get $35 off, that sort of thing.

I pay no attention to the “if you spend $__” part and fix my mind on the “you get $__ off.” How can I NOT take advantage of a deal like that? I’ll buy a pencil skirt or a pair of dress pants that I don’t need because if I don’t, I’m basically throwing money away, or at least that’s how I feel. My closet is chock full of business-casual clothes, but when those little cards come in the mail every few weeks, I get  really excited and just can’t wait to add to my collection.

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