{"id":4598,"date":"2017-12-22T11:00:21","date_gmt":"2017-12-22T05:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gtm360.com\/blog\/?p=4598"},"modified":"2022-01-24T14:22:17","modified_gmt":"2022-01-24T08:52:17","slug":"feature-or-bug-facebook-tideplus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gtm360.com\/blog\/2017\/12\/22\/feature-or-bug-facebook-tideplus\/","title":{"rendered":"Feature Or Bug – Facebook & Tideplus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Uber has been making targeted offers for a long time.<\/p>\n

As I highlighted in my post titled\u00a0Mastering Targeted Offers \u2013 The Uber Way<\/a>, some people get an offer, others don’t. As a result, two cohorts of riders can see two different prices for the same ride.<\/p>\n

In the early days, the price difference was attributed to a bug. But, as customers learned that Uber makes targeted offers at the level of individual riders, they began to recognize the disparity for the feature that it really is.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As brands increasingly adopt personalization in their communications, what you see is not what I see.<\/p>\n

Then there are other types of differences like:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What you see on desktop is not what you see on mobile<\/li>\n
  2. What you see yesterday is not what you see today<\/li>\n
  3. Inconsistencies in what you see wherever and whenever<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    At first blush, it might seem that the discrepancy is caused by a bug in brand websites, apps or messages. But, if we dig deep, we might start getting the feeling that the difference is created by a deliberate action taken by the brand i.e. feature.<\/p>\n

    This post is about features that masquerade as bugs – or what I call #FeatureOrBug<\/em> events.<\/p>\n

    \n

    Since\u00a0#FeatureOrBug<\/em> is introduced by the brand owner – actively or passively – it’s likely to always favor the brand. As we’ll see shortly, benefits of #FeatureOrBug<\/em>\u00a0to a brand include increase in engagement, reduction in cost, boost in sales, etc.<\/p>\n

    When it comes to the consumer, there are three degrees of #FeatureOrBug<\/em>:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Favorable<\/li>\n
    2. Neutral<\/li>\n
    3. Unfavorable<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Consumers will probably like a first degree #FeatureOrBug<\/em>. Therefore, it boosts customer loyalty.<\/p>\n

      Consumers are indifferent to a second degree #FeatureOrBug<\/em>. In the worst case, they may be somewhat ticked off by it. But it still won’t affect their engagement with the brand in the future. Accordingly, a second degree #FeatureOrBug<\/em>\u00a0is neutral to customer loyalty.<\/p>\n

      Consumers are antagonized by a third degree\u00a0#FeatureOrBug<\/em>. As a result, it adversely impacts customer loyalty.<\/p>\n

      In this post, I’ll illustrate the three degrees of\u00a0#FeatureOrBug<\/em>\u00a0with one example of each.<\/p>\n

      #1. FACEBOOK CHECKIN – Favorable #FeatureOrBug<\/strong><\/p>\n

      I saw the following update on my Facebook Feed.<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

      If you notice the text carefully, it reads “Vikesh Mehta was drinking having breakfast…”.<\/p>\n

      Wot? Drinking<\/em> breakfast?<\/p>\n

      Tongue in cheek, I replied, “I’ve heard of “liquid lunch”. Now “liquid” has started from breakfast itself, eh?:)”.<\/p>\n

      My friend thought it was a bug, reasoning that FB had tagged the said eatery as a coffee shop, thus forcing the status to begin with “drinking”.<\/p>\n

      I wasn’t so sure.<\/p>\n

      I’ve seen many such Facebook updates in the past. I didn’t know they were called FB Checkin and I’ve never reacted to one before. Both of that changed after I read this update. By displaying it in the manner that it did on this occasion, Facebook created awareness and generated engagement for Checkin. Ergo, it was probably a feature rather than a bug. Since I was happy to learn about a new Facebook “product”, this #FeatureOrBug<\/em> was favorable to me.<\/p>\n

      #2. TIDEPLUS – Neutral #FeatureOrBug<\/strong><\/p>\n

      The leading detergent brand TIDEplus recently ran a promo. You had to locate a code on the product’s pouch and enter it on PayTM’s website to earn a cashback on your PayTM wallet.<\/p>\n

      It was hard to find the code. But I located it finally on the inner surface of the detergent’s pouch.<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

      I entered the code on PayTM’s website, only to be informed that the offer had already expired.<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

      I naturally felt shortchanged.<\/p>\n

      I inferred one of the following two things from this exercise:<\/p>\n