Sign me up. Or not.

 

A few weeks ago The Met sent me an email asking me to renew my membership when it expires at the end of April.  I was surprised.  I thought it had already expired.

 

I read about the Met reopening a while back with different hours and reservations required.  It occurred to me that it might be easier for members to get reservations so I went online to check it out. 

 

Much to my joy I discovered that members do not need reservations!

 

Now that's a perk I can really enjoy.  So I did.  My visit to see the Alice Neel exhibit went so well that I did indeed renew my membership and am looking forward to future visits before it gets really crowded again.

 

I wish I could say I am as happy with the other loyalty programs I belong to. 

 

Over the years I have watched the decline in frequency of my $5 off coupons (Duane Reade), free shipping come and go (Staples) and my personal pet peeve - discount coupons that arrive right after I have made a purchase (Silver Palate & Shutterfly).

 

None of these things make me feel more loyal.  In fact, they trigger my loss aversion and make me mad.  Clearly not the intended result.

 

Have you had negative experiences with loyalty programs?  What were they?  How did they make you feel about the company?  Did you stop dealing with them?  Switch to a new vendor?

 

Conversely, what experiences have you had with companies that have surprised and delighted you?  What perks really matter?  How did you respond when offered those perks?  Did it pay off for the company?

Why do you Tik Tok?

 

Tik Tok had 61 million downloads in January 2021. 

In terms of usage among teens, Tik Tok has surpassed Instagram and is now the second favorite social media platform for U.S. teens - 69% are regular users.

The most popular content category is entertainment with 443 billon hashtag views, followed by dancing with 150 billion views.

But other categories such as sports and fitness (43 billion) home renovation (29 billion) and fashion (18 billion) are starting to pick up as well. (2021)

This week, NowThis, a mobile news brand partnering with Tik Tok, began airing a live health education series.  Called "Viral" the weekly 45 minute episodes will air on Thursdays at 6 p.m. The series will be hosted by Laurel Bristow, who will discuss Covid-19 issues.  (Schultz, 2021)

 

Meanwhile, Americares, Zambezi and Hallwood Media have joined to create "Wear a Mask" an effort developed to educate and drastically shift the behaviors of apathetic and resistant young adults with regard to Covid-19.  To better connect with the target, the entire creative team for the project is between the ages of 18-34.

 

Hallwood and Zambezi produced an original hip hop track, and Dezirea Saenz was brought in to develop an original dance.  Additional Tik Tok influencers Tallie B., Kara Cannella, Andrew Carrera and Nany Kessey are also encouraging sharing. 

 

Additionally, The Zambezi team created album artwork, digital billboards, banner ads and interactive Snapchat filters. And a new music video is scheduled to be released later this month. (Faw, 2021)

 

And then there's - "books that will make you sob." While its 6 million downloads may pale in comparison to the earlier stats, sales of books are up.   

 

The #songofachilles hashtag has 19 million views on Tik Tok.  The book "The Song of Achilles" is selling about 10,000 copies a week, roughly nine times as many as when it was first released in 2012.  It is now third on the New York Times bestseller list for paperback fiction. 

 

Fees for influencers range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per post.  But free books are one of the perks. (Harris, 2021)

 

So, how do you Tik Tok?  Do you go beyond basic entertainment?  Are you looking for a new workout routine?  Home improvement ideas?  Or perhaps a new book?  What influencers do you follow and why? Do you share content yourself?  Are you hoping to be an influencer?

 

Will you watch NowThis?  How about "Wear a Mask?"  Do you think anyone else will?

 

(2021, March 11) TikTok Statistics – Revenue, Users & Engagement Stats (2021) influencemarketinghub.com.  Retrieved April 19, 2021, from https://influencermarketinghub.com/tiktok-stats/#:~:text=31.-,32.5%25%20of%20U.S.%20Users%20Aged%2010%2D19,aging%20with%20the%20app%2C%20however.

Schultz, R. (2021, April 14)  'Now This,' TikTok Partner On Weekly Covid-19 Series.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved April 9, 2021, fromhttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/362346/now-this-tiktok-partner-on-weekly-covid-19-seri.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaign=122082&hashid=EprW9szuRz-P0Y8JYqr1eg

Faw, L. (2012, April 13)  New TikTok Campaign Attempts To Make Mask Wearing Cool To Kids.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved April 19, 2021, from https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/362297/new-tiktok-campaign-attempts-to-make-mask-wearing.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaign=122082&hashid=EprW9szuRz-P0Y8JYqr1eg

Harris, E. (2021, March 20)  How Crying on TikTok Sells Books. nytimes.com.  Retrieved April 19, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/20/books/booktok-tiktok-video.html