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The importance of this component is partly due to the special appeal of this level of resolution. It is almost impossible to determine the cost (and value) of a television advertising campaign. Of course, you can get better results by selling a product or paying sellers, but you cannot determine exactly how much money you need to spend in order to get the desired profit.

Points solve this problem. They have a cost (in the case of green stamps, the cost is the amount you have to pay the organization for each stamp you purchase and then give to the customer). In addition, points bring results. You spend more points, you get more results. It is this dependency that makes the use of points a predictable, accountable process.

By using points as a currency that matches the needs of the people you are trying to reach first, you can make your offer much more effective. For example, it makes no sense to offer millionaires free garbage collection. The offer will not attract enough people and will not resonate with the audience.

Because people's attention varies, the cash discount is the most primitive form of using points. Often a discount is given to someone who could do just fine without it. Sometimes the discount is too small to get a profitable prospect to buy from you for the first time.

Because points are applied at many levels, and as they become more and more valuable as a means of attracting attention, they overcome barriers , resulting from cash discounts and intrusive TV advertising.

The points program is a flexible method of rewarding consumers for attention or purchase. With its help, it is quite easy to track acquisitions and then reward the client. Even the ice cream shop in my hometown offers a card where after the tenth purchase you can get one ice cream cone for free. By composting the card on every visit, they can pinpoint repeat customers, encourage frequent shopping, and build loyalty.

Rewarding customers for attention, however, is not easy. It's hard to make sure an individual gets their attention, especially if the consumer audience is large. Worst of all, the promotion method provides a loophole for fraud. If you can earn points by keeping your TV on or by simply clicking a mouse button, then it won't be too hard to crack a system with big rewards.

When I started creating the concept of Permission Marketing, I took my own advice and created a these practices online. Yoyodyne's marketing is based entirely on point-based programs that reward customers for their attention. By offering extra points on the way to the grand prize, Yoyodyne is able to capture and manage customer attention.

The great thing is that a single point is worth almost nothing. By creating a "currency" that has value for consumers and very low cost for marketers, we have found a way to save attention.

The results are not surprising. Upon receiving permission from the client, Yoyodyne responds with a series of emails, with the main focus of these messages is information from the sponsor.

The response rate to our emails is 36% on average, with some messages being answered by more than 60% clients. Compare these figures with the results of a typical direct mail campaign (where you have to purchase envelopes, printers and stamps!): a result of about 2% is considered excellent.

How can something as simple as using points lead to to improve response rates by 1800%? How can unremarkable prizes and instant lotteries influence and change consumer behavior so much?

The answer offered by most critics is that points programs don't really work. They argue that paying for attention or participation in events can sometimes work, but more often these programs encourage people to cheat, that is, people read advertisements, but for completely different reasons.

At first glance, it is logical but actually it is wrong. After several verified studies and parallel tests, we were able to show that our customers are willing to purchase goods in virtual stores and in some cases even more willing to do so than customers attracted by traditional advertising media.

How get rid of "gentlemen of fortune": everyone wants to win

Perhaps the most serious criticism I've heard about permissive marketing is attracting the storm of all marketers, "gentlemen of fortune". Of course, we are all looking for profit. However, for the direct marketing of "Gentlemen