So after just receiving an email from Johnnie Walker to participate in a local event they are having to promote their hooch, I decided I’d check out the site. First thing I notice: age related “filter” to keep out the youngsters (although I’ve never heard of an under-21 year old dumb enough not to know how to figure out how to get around this…). Anyway, this gave me an idea: why don’t these alcohol companies use this data to customize the output of their sites? So if you’re in the coveted 21-25 year age group, you’re more likely to drink X type of alcohol, so why not customize the site to appeal to your current visitor?
This baffles me as to why they aren’t doing this already (and if they are, then kudos to you web team at big booze company). They could also use this technique to pitch new products aimed at that demographic. Now imagine they take it one step further, and figure someone from a zipcode in Alabama in the 30-40 age range is likely to drink Jim Beam instead of Blue Label Johnnie (fair assumption, no offense), now you’ve got an entirely new level of targetting. Anyway, I’m not going to rant much more on what is essentially A/B testing and optimizing their ROI, but it would be a wise decision.
P.S. if you’re from any of these companies, my contact info is on the site, feel free to send me a case of….
