Wednesday, March 25, 2009

He's a vicious little bugger when it comes to being fed

I have been a member of Fly Buys for one good reason. The rewards were never worth the information I was imparting. The kind of information that people casually hand over for feeble bounties continually surprises me. This kind of consumer information is marketing gold. Yet when it comes to pay-offs, the advertisers get the long lunches while the consumers get fodder.

Take, for example, the allegedly free bag of Purina One advertised on the current batch of Shutup Kitty food. Dolled up as the 30 Day Performance Challenge, the reward dangled for participation is a 510 gram bag of cat bikkies, worth approximately $5. All the questions that followed were compulsory.

OK, first screen asks for name and email address. Fair enough, they have to send the voucher somewhere. How many dogs and cats? What are their names? What?? What do their names matter? Are you trying to hack my internet banking or what?

Couple of screens later, we're onto slightly more relevant health questions, such as how often the cat poos and what they look like. As if I look for these things. It's enough I have to find mouse guts from under the bed and the fossilised skinks from behind the bookcase without enquiring into his toilet. Next screen, where and what I purchase for the fussy bugger.

Then things a lot more personal. Birth date? Why do the fuck do you want my birthdate? This is not worth $5 of tucker. And there goes the close window button. I wonder if he likes Hills? Time to find out.