My Coke Rewards
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
My Coke Rewards is a customer loyalty marketing campaign for the Coca-Cola soft drink. Customers enter codes found on specially marked packages of Coca-Cola products on a website. Codes can also be entered "on the go" by texting them from a cell phone. These codes are converted into virtual "points" which can in turn be redeemed by members for various prizes or sweepstakes entries.[1]
The program was first launched in 2006.[2] By November of that year, more than one million prizes had been redeemed.[3] The current phase of the promotion began on April 16, 2007. Although the "My Coke Rewards" promotion was supposed to end by December 31, 2007, the program was extended until December 19, 2008.[4] While the prize selection dwindled in the months leading up to the promotions' proposed end, the official website reported that more rewards would be added soon.[5] The My Coke Rewards promotion was once again extended from December 19, 2008 to December 31, 2009 but codes must be entered by November 30, 2009.[6]
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[edit] Limitations
On February 16th, 2009, a significant change occurred at My Coke Rewards. Instead of being limited to entering 10 codes per day, participants will be allowed to enter as many codes as they wish as long as they do not exceed 120 points per week. Double points days and promotional offers will not be subject to the 120 point weekly limit. Additionally, rewards with a point value exceeding 2000 were eliminated. Participants who had more than 2000 points were given an opportunity to redeem their points for higher-end appliances and electronics (ranging from 2000 to 25,000 points) for the week prior to the implementing of the new 120 point-per-week system.
This is actually a large decrease rather than an increase in the number of points allowed in a week (contrary to the spin put on it by Coke). . For example, 2 liter bottle caps worth 3 points at 10 codes a day equals 30 points a day or 210 points in a week if 10 codes where entered each of the 7 days. Now one is limited to 120 points or 40 caps rather than 70.
Customers have complained to Coca-Cola that the program is fraudulent due to these limitations[citation needed] and argue that a program set up to breed potential lifelong Coca-Cola customers is instead causing them to lose interest in the Coke brand.[citation needed] My Coke Rewards will have a meter that tells the member when they have reached the 120 point-per-week limit.
Many customers complain that the prizes they have been saving up for are out of stock or no longer available. Other customers have stated that when the prizes that were out of stock return that they cost more points. One example is a $75 dollar Blockbuster gift card that went out of stock at 722 points, and returned at 1020 points, or a GPX docking station which disappeared at 975 points, and returned at 1820 points.
Also, MyCokeRewards features an expiration date of codes that are entered. Currently, points expire after 90 days of user account inactivity, meaning a customer must either add points to their account or claim a prize within 90 days to ensure their points do not expire.[7]
[edit] Code reuse
There are two types of codes: single-use and multi-use codes. Single-use codes like those found on Coke products contain a mix of letters and numbers. These codes can only be used once; if they have been entered in any account they will not work again. By contrast, multi-use codes are identified by being all numeric and may be entered by multiple users. Thus far the multi-use codes have all started with the digits 10008. They have been distributed through email, including during the 2006 Christmas holiday season, as well as through direct mail and print advertising campaigns in various magazines and other publications. Both Blockbuster and Disney (with Pirates of the Caribbean) have participated in such special promotions.
[edit] Controversy
The program is one of several marketing campaigns that have come under fire from the Center for Digital Democracy, an advocacy group interested in regulating how food products are marketed to children. Coca-Cola's online marketing techniques are included in a 98-page report issued in May 2007 by the center and the American University called "Interactive Food & Beverage Marketing: Targeting Children and Youth"[8][9] which criticizes the program for collecting personal information from children and for promoting obesity.[10]
Childhood obesity was also a concern for weight-loss instructor Julia Griggs Havey who sued Coca-Cola over the program in 2006, but dropped her lawsuit a few weeks later.[11] The lawsuit was dropped for the specific reason of it being frivolous, since there was a misinterpretation as to what was required of a user in order to accumulate Coke points and obtain the currently available reward prizes. The first assumption—that those who have Coke codes must purchase the product in order to redeem them—was shown to be untrue, as Coke stated they took into consideration that users may obtain codes from others. Second, it was pointed out that the CocaCola Company has other products besides Coca-Cola, including Nestea, Powerade and Dasani water that are available for those who do not wish to consume high amounts of high fructose corn syrup or caffeine.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Official FAQ.
- ^ Coca-Cola North America Announces Launch of "My Coke Rewards" Largest Program of Its Kind in Coca-Cola History, The Coca-Cola Company press release, 2006-02-28.
- ^ My Coke Rewards Celebrates Redemption of One Millionth Reward and Offers 20 Million Free Bonus Points for the Holidays, PR Newswire, November 9, 2006.
- ^ http://www.mycokerewards.com/index.jsp?adParam=1#windowType:help/helpID:1/Skin:true/SkinType:promo/SkinID:home
- ^ My Coke Rewards.
- ^ http://www.mycokerewards.com/index.jsp?adParam=1
- ^ My Coke Rewards.
- ^ Marketing brief - "Interactive Food & Beverage Marketing" (PDF).
- ^ Full report -- "Interactive Food & Beverage Marketing" (PDF).
- ^ Stefanie Olsen (May 17, 2007). "Protecting kids from online food ads" (in English). CNET news. http://news.com.com/Protecting+kids+from+online+food+ads/2100-1025_3-6184479.html. Retrieved on May 17 2007.
- ^ Woman drops suit against Coca-Cola, St. Petersburg Times, 2006-08-06.
[edit] External links
- My Coke Rewards (United States)
- Summer of Music
- iCoke (Canada)
- Center for Digital Democracy
- http://www.cokezone.co.uk (UK version)
- Cokeplay (KO version)
