Finally, cleaners get some
“credit”
American Express uses a positive
adaptation of a phrase many cleaners hate to hear in this
advertising mailer. “Take us to the cleaners
— and the florist, the grocers, the pharmacy, the shoe
store, the gas station, the jewelers…” the credit
card company urges.
Two major credit card companies are
featuring drycleaning prominently in their major national
advertising campaigns.
American Express recently unleashed a $100
million “Make life rewarding” TV and print campaign
that encourages consumers to take part in the company’s
Membership Rewards program, including a direct mail ad that
features the words “Take us to the cleaners” in
large type beside a picture of a drycleaning hanger that boasts
the message: “We ™ Our Customers.”
The ad recommends that shoppers use their
American Express card to make purchases at the drycleaners, the
florist, the grocers, the pharmacy and various other places in
order to earn points for the program. Consumers can earn a
point for each dollar spent and accrue enough points to redeem
them for free goods and services offered in the program.
In another ad campaign, Citibank has
teamed up with MasterCard to offer a new AAdvantage debit card
that allows users to receive frequent flyer miles for American
Airlines for qualified signature-required debit
purchases,including drycleaning.
Citibank-Mastercard ad message, however,
isn’t as positive for the industry as the American
Express ad. One ad for the card displays a woman holding
tangled thin clothes hangers in one hand and a bag of
drycleaning in the other beneath the words: “What if you
got something else from the dry cleaners besides those crummy
hangers?”
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