Orange has to suck it up or suffer the consequences

According to the latest edition of Mobile magazine, carrier Orange and Avon have a bit of a marketing disaster on thier hands with a new mobile phone offer that has been too successful.

For every 15GBP spent on ANEW beauty products range customers get a voucher for a new Siemens A55 to be claimed at Orange stores. Both parties underestimated the redemption rate on the offer and consequently the amounts of handsets involved and the vouchers are even being traded on eBay. Orange has struggled to meet demand for the offer.

Orange has just gained some very expensive low-yield customers - a veritable pikey army. Fortunately, Orange has done the right thing by honouring the deal, so is unlikely to suffer the fate of white goods manufacturer Hoover whose reputation was tarnished beyond repair with an over subscribed international flight deal. Next time they should partner with someone who has more aspirational brand values like Loncome, Chanel or Clinique.

You can read my contribution to AlwaysOn about this here