Loyalty rewards

[Spatula]

With all the dicussion about pricing, i'd like to throw this log on the fire and see what happens:
What about giving a 'loyalty dicount' for those that have been a member for X months/years. Make it attractive enough so people aim for it - like a months free or flat-rate of $25.00 or something.

<spat sits back braces himself>

[Midnight]

I like that idea. If you have an open account you should be able to build up something like airline miles and then cash them in for certain things like....

1. Perk planes (what are these anyway?)
2. Free month of service
3. Squad leader for an upcoming special event

Each thing could have a different credit value, so you could trade them in for cheaper things (like a perk plane) or save them up for a free month.

BTW... being new, I missed when this "perk plane" idea came out. I am guessing a perk plane is one that would not be available normally in the arena. Is that accurate?


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"Wing up, Get kills, Be happy"

Midnight

[miko2d]

Spatula:
 That idea makes no business sense. You are a "loyal" customer because you like the product. You are getting a good value for your money. That is a reason you are staying. Why should company charge you less? It would have to pay less dividend to the investors and less salary to the employees.
 Investors risk their capital and enable business and employees work and bet their future on the company success.
 You do neither - you are just playing and enjoying yourself. Why should either of them subsidise you?

 A company, unless it is a nonprofit organisation, has an obligatin before it's shareholders and employees to maximize the profit. Lowering prices for no good reason goes against that obligation. Competition is a good reason, pity is not.

 And why do you use the word loyalty? You would not stay with HTC if the game was bad, but only while you liked it. That is not loyalty.

Midnight:
 The "perk" is not a good description because none will have to earn a right to fly the plane. For every hour you stay online you will accumulate points and then you can spend those points on a "perk" plane.

 That would assure the following things:
1. Everyone can fly a "perk" plane the same fraction of their time on average. Of course people who do not break their "perk" planes will be able to use them more.
2. There will be "uber" planes present in the arena creating diversity, but not too many of them as to make the other planes useless.
3. When flown, those "uber" planes will be less dangerous because a person flying it will be afraid to loose it. Someone flying a Me262 armed with 4 cannons will not go head-on all the time because it will risk his plane. If he does and loses, he will not be able to fly it again for quite a while.

 miko

[This message has been edited by miko2d (edited 11-01-2000).]

[Maverick]

So how many of you think the Osty is overmadeled and inspired by the FW190?

<blatant theft of thread in progress>
Mav  

[Spatula]

 

Originally posted by miko2d:
Spatula:
 That idea makes no business sense. You are a "loyal" customer because you like the product.

If it makes "no business sense" then why do airlines offer frequent fliers, employess bonus' for long terms of employment, why are there *so* many incentive schemes in business world?? You dont have to look very far to see thousands of schemes like this.

It *does* make sense. If you were a member of Aces High for X months just waiting for game Z to come out on the market and were intending to move as soon as the new game Z came out, then a valuable incentive scheme could persuade this person from taking his business elsewhere - ie being non-loyal (hence the name loyalty scheme...) So, HTC, theoritically, could offer this person $20/month to stay with AH, he may or may not take that offer. But without an incentive scheme he would have left anyway.

 

Originally posted by miko2d:

 Why should company charge you less?

as an incentive...

 

Originally posted by miko2d:

 It would have to pay less dividend to the investors and less salary to the employees.
 Investors risk their capital and enable business and employees work and bet their future on the company success.

Not if it keeps people here rather than in MSCFS2 or WW2OL or WB3 or whatever current competition is. Your also assuming the rewards to 'loyal' players is monetary - not so, i suggested that as an example, not asked for it.


 

Originally posted by miko2d:

 A company, unless it is a nonprofit organisation, has an obligatin before it's shareholders and employees to maximize the profit. Lowering prices for no good reason goes against that obligation. Competition is a good reason, pity is not.

Well darh...


 

Originally posted by miko2d:

 And why do you use the word loyalty? You would not stay with HTC if the game was bad, but only while you liked it. That is not loyalty.

I do like it - very much. And i am loyal, because i choose to give HTC my money, no-one else - might not be the text-book definition of loyalty, but as far as quoting my use of the word 'loyalty', it was intended as some label they (HTC) can define to mean a fixed period of time player need to have been payed up for the recieve a some sort of bonus, whether that be monetary or other.

[SC-GreyBeard]

errrr  Spat??

it ain't loyalty if yer doing it to get rewarded....

thats just being mercenary...

I signed on for $30.00 a month..
Long as I get $30.00 a month worth of pleasure from this game, I'm happy to pay it.
If they offer me a lower rate in the future,, cool,,
if not,, so what??? I'll still be getting enjoyment worth more than what I'm paying now.
Besides, when I'm flying, I'm NOT spending money taking out my girlfriend, (on a slow nite she can go through $100.00 easily) I'm also NOT being annoyed with her mindless chatter, her equally mindless family, I'm NOT turning my brain to mush watching the boob tube, (though my eyes are turning to mush trying to figure out which way that guy coming at me is actually facing)..

etc. etc.



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GreyBeard, Squadron Leader
Commander, "E" Flight, Aces High
Senior Staff Council
"The Skeleton Crew"
"Fly with Honor"[/i]
"Keepin' the Faith"

[Spatula]

Ok so the word 'loyalty' perhaps aint the right choice of words. I didnt bring this up in the hope to get a cheaper rate - i have no problems paying $30 US (even if the exchange rate is killing me). I bought it up as a possible idea that HTC *may* want to consider. You guys can play on words untill the cows come home, but if it is such a non-noteworthy idea, then why is this sort of incentive scheme such a common place?

[-lynx-]

 

If it makes "no business sense" then why do airlines offer frequent fliers, employess bonus' for long terms of employment, why are there *so* many incentive schemes in business world?? You dont have to look very far to see thousands of schemes like this.

Well because there's another airline flying the same destination, the same aircraft etc. There's another supermarket selling the same products etc. But they want you to fly/shop/whatever with them - that's why all the "loyalty" schemes.

HTC is selling the product that is considered by many to be the best available.

Many of us used to fly WB, some still do both, some just pay money to iEN - why am I still paying them 10 bucks a month? Duh!   Sorry - I digressed  

Anyhow - when AH came along it offered more fun/quality for the money - people moved on. I can afford $30 month and I believe AH to be superior - no amount of "loyalty" offers would drag me back to WB. I guess it works the same for many others.

That's why it makes no business sense (as miko pointed out) for HTC to run "loyalty" schemes, they would be literally giving money away for no reason.

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lynx
13 Sqn RAF

[This message has been edited by -lynx- (edited 11-02-2000).]

[AKDejaVu]

 

If it makes "no business sense" then why do airlines offer frequent fliers, employess bonus' for long terms of employment, why are there *so* many incentive schemes in business world?? You dont have to look very far to see thousands of schemes like this.

Erm.. frequent flyer miles?  I suppose airlines offer frequent flyer miles for one very specific reason:  THE MORE YOU FLY THE MORE YOU PAY.  BY THE TIME YOU EARN ENOUGH FREQUENT FLYER MILES TO BE WORTH ANYTHING YOU'VE ALREADY PAID MORE THAN ENOUGH IN FARES TO COVER IT.

Sheesh.

I wonder if airlines would give a flat rate to customers?  One monthly fee.. no matter how much they fly... then reward them with frequent flyer miles.

AKDejaVu

[Pyro]

I think there's a lot of merit to the idea and with the right information to go implement it, it would make a lot of business sense.  It's definately worth thinking about and we do have a number of things in that area such as recruitment bonuses and bulk buying that needs our attention as well.

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Doug "Pyro" Balmos
HiTech Creations

[Eagler]

Or offer a block discount, i.e. FA where you get 6 months for $50 or $10 a month. What about 6 months for the price of 5 with a cap or T-shirt thrown in (wearing my latest FA T-shirt, the white one with the planes on the back at work now while I wait patiently for my AH con cap and T-Shirt). I realize AH isn't as big as FA thus the lack of discounts. No problem here. Perfectly happy paying $30, a dollar a day for this distraction. Dollar per hour, it's the best spent monthly expense I have  


Eagler

[Spatula]

 

Originally posted by -lynx-:

Well because there's another airline flying the same destination, the same aircraft etc. There's another supermarket selling the same products etc. But they want you to fly/shop/whatever with them - that's why all the "loyalty" schemes.

HTC is selling the product that is considered by many to be the best available.

Yes, but there *is* competition out there for Aces High.

 

Originally posted by -lynx-:

That's why it makes no business sense (as miko pointed out) for HTC to run "loyalty" schemes, they would be literally giving money away for no reason.

I disagree, and have made my points why. You also mention a waste of money - it need not be money - any incentive would work.

[Spatula]

 

Originally posted by AKDejaVu:
Erm.. frequent flyer miles?  I suppose airlines offer frequent flyer miles for one very specific reason:  THE MORE YOU FLY THE MORE YOU PAY.  BY THE TIME YOU EARN ENOUGH FREQUENT FLYER MILES TO BE WORTH ANYTHING YOU'VE ALREADY PAID MORE THAN ENOUGH IN FARES TO COVER IT.

Sheesh.

The more discount they give you the more you will fly with *that* company and not others. Ie my point all along...

Sheesh...

[Spatula]

 

Originally posted by Pyro:
I think there's a lot of merit to the idea and with the right information to go implement it, it would make a lot of business sense.  It's definately worth thinking about and we do have a number of things in that area such as recruitment bonuses and bulk buying that needs our attention as well.

Thanks Pyro. I bought this up for debate and to maybe introduce an idea that may *help* HTC, not to skimp on $5 a month or whatever.

[gatt]

Nice idea. BTW, HTC knows how to reward helping customers.