Banana Republic and LinkedIn joined together this month and created a sweepstakes that offers anyone who updates their LinkedIn profile the chance to win 1 of 25 $1,000 Banana Republic Wardrobes. Any update to your profile spurs a pop up of the promotion that also includes a 25% off coupon to print out and take to the retail stores. Side banner ads on your profile page mirror the offer.
It’s a match that helps LinkedIn keep members using the application, which only enhances the power of its brand, the network. For Banana Republic, it’s an unprecedented way to reach 30 million professionals using LinkedIn.
It's a great direct marketing idea and the information both brands are achieving in terms of audience demographics could be historical. But for now, the question is, how many of these types of promotional ads will users be willing to accept.