Everything's got a price. How much are you willing to pay?
FREE.
Is there any sweeter word? Its promise of something for nothing, and its underlying connotation of liberation, put a spring in the step and make the world seem a better place.
But lately, free isn't what it used to be, especially on the Internet, whose very history and technology are based on the notion that information and pretty much everything else online want to be free. Web giveaways increasingly come at a steep price, in the form of computer glitches, frustration and loss of privacy and security -- not to mention the threat of expensive lawsuits for large-scale music downloaders.
As consumers, we know that "free" does not mean free. So why do we forget those lessons as marketers?
Clearly, the costs include more than just money:
The free mobile phone requires a 2-years contract. Obviously the cost of the phone is built into the monthly fee.
Waiting in line to get a free ticket to an event requires an opportunity cost (the value of your time while waiting), and therefore the ticket is not free.
The free mobile phone requires a 2-years contract. Obviously the cost of the phone is built into the monthly fee.
Waiting in line to get a free ticket to an event requires an opportunity cost (the value of your time while waiting), and therefore the ticket is not free.
(Credit: https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/2012/06/when-free-is-not-free.html)