Posted on Tuesday, November 3, 2009
by Josh
I've had this one sitting in my inbox forever, but wanted to pass it along as an example that it's ok to err - just have a reasonable plan to make up for it when you do.
As you've read in this space before, I love the Dunkin' Donuts brand and especially their email. They're well-designed, read well and actually have a point behind them. (Imagine that!) Earlier in October, they sent out an email via their DD Perks Rewards program about a specific promo featuring a chance to play a pick-up game with the Boston Celtics. This great-looking email is below:
Only problem? The email was sent on October 12th and the contest ran until October 10th. Oops...they sent out the wrong promo. What to do? Easy...that's what email is for! I got this email just after 6 pm. Within a few hours at 11:41 PM, I got the following:
A brand-new offer and the only mention of the mishap was in the subject line with the added word CORRECTION. That's it. No need for a drawn-out affair or long explanation...just a simple word: CORRECTION. They've built up enough brand cache that there was no fallout or need for panic. They responded quickly and made it easy to figure out what the issue was. Done, end of story, game over.
What you should learn from this: Everyone makes mistakes, even great email marketers. It's how you respond after making an error that really will make the difference.