Sounds ridiculous, right? It’s real, however. A case study involving a pizza joint in New York has shown that offering ridiculous rewards can pay off. This particular pizza joint has several “over-the-top” rewards but none as much so as the promise of a free Ferrari delivered to you with your millionth purchase. What? Let’s put this into perspective. If a person were to make one purchase per day, it would take 2,740 YEARS to earn a free Ferrari. Obviously, it’s an impossible goal. What does it accomplish then? Their program is customer-relationship based so customers earn points towards rewards based on visits, not on the amount of money spent. These rewards gain attention not only from new and existing customers, but also through word of mouth. Everyone wants a free Ferrari, right? Their program also has some reachable rewards but even those are unique and fun. Rather than simply a free pizza or drink, it includes such items as engraved plaques for tables with the customer’s name. They also rely heavily on social media marketing to spread interest in their program. People think its fun and cool. It also gets them attention and gains them new customers through new enrollees in their rewards program despite the fact that at least one of these rewards is unreachable (and the customers know it).

Pizza joints must have different laws to follow in regards to their loyalty programs as I don’t know if a car dealership could get away with such a thing. I caution any car dealership who thinks about adding an unattainable offering to their existing loyalty program such a this to run it by their legal counsel, loyalty program administration company or compliance officer first. However, there’s something to be said about adding creative, outside-the-box rewards to your loyalty program. Making your program more interesting with creative rewards could add a little excitement and fun to it. Customers today are getting so used to businesses with loyalty cards/programs that’s its not as novel as it used to be. While any customer appreciates the free oil change they earned, it’s not something they particularly strive harder to achieve.

Being different can make you stand out from the crowd and gain attention that you otherwise might not have received. It also has the ability to generate new business simply out of excitement over the rewards. It’s marketable and, because of this, people will be more likely to share information about your program with their friends and family.

What kind of rewards would excite you?