With so many tales this past year of fraud, thievery, greed, duplicity, conflict and controversy, you might be forgiven for concluding that coupons are a dirty business and those who use them are gluttonous cheaters who would trade their own grandmother for a deal.
And in the worst of times, you might be right.
But that’s not what this story is about. It’s the holiday season, after all, so this is no time for cynicism.
With that in mind, online coupon code site RetailMeNot decided to pay a visit to the tiny village of Coupon, Pennsylvania, in a promotional stunt that turned out to be better and more heartwarming than they anticipated (watch the video above).
Unlike the towns in recent years that renamed themselves Google, or Dish, to impress a company and get themselves on the map, the town of Coupon is no marketing gimmick. Originally known as Delaney, the coal mining town situated about 90 miles due east of Pittsburgh acquired its current name back in 1893. The owner of the company store, who also happened to be the postmaster, changed the name in reference to the fact that the miners were paid with “coupons” that they would redeem in his store.
Nowadays, residents of Coupon are more likely to redeem coupons at the local Shop ‘n Save, Martin’s or Weis Markets grocery store – or, perhaps, while shopping online.
And that’s what brought RetailMeNot representatives to town, knocking on doors to introduce themselves to Coupon’s entire population of 73 residents.
“Being that we are a brand that loves, lives and breathes helping consumers save money when they shop with coupons, we knew we had to discover more about the town of Coupon, Pennsylvania,” explained Marissa Tarleton, RetailMeNot’s chief marketing officer. They were pleased to find that Coupon was willing to play along – and even more pleased to find that the community was filled with “incredibly humble, kind and giving residents.”
The reason for RetailMeNot’s visit was to promote its yearlong Save It Forward campaign, in which shoppers are encouraged “to take just a portion of their RetailMeNot savings and use it to make someone else’s day.” The plan was to give residents of Coupon a gift from their holiday wish list.
But as if on cue, embracing the Save It Forward spirit of helping others, “each resident insisted on helping a neighbor, friend or family member instead of listing off what they wanted for themselves,” RetailMeNot said.
So RetailMeNot went shopping, bedecked a local resident’s house with lights and held a holiday celebration to deliver the Couponers’ gifts – a new refrigerator, electronics, gift cards, a porch swing, even a trip to Disney World for two lucky girls.
“This little town… embodies an altruistic spirit that binds the community,” RetailMeNot said in announcing the results of its visit.
Heartwarming, indeed. And watching the video, with its heartfelt stories, stirring music and feel-good vibe, might make you want to go buy things to help others as well.
So it’s a good thing that RetailMeNot has a dedicated page to help you do so. “Want to get in on the next chapter of the Save It Forward campaign?” the company asks at the end of a slideshow depicting its visit to Coupon. “We invite you to shop a selection of Macy’s toys on this page. We will then donate 4 percent of every purchase to Toys for Tots.”
Want to help RetailMeNot help others? Then shop on RetailMeNot! This is a coupon company, after all, engaged in commerce. So maybe its visit to Coupon, and its Save it Forward campaign, were not entirely altruistic.
Plus, some Coupon residents complained online that all was not exactly as it seemed in the video. Not everyone was invited to participate in the gift exchange, or even knew that the celebration was happening, and the holiday light show went dark as soon as RetailMeNot left town.
But that would be an awfully grinchy way to end this story. So we’ll let RetailMeNot get the last word.
“We were honored to help good people demonstrate the importance of how this season is all about neighbors helping neighbors live better lives,” RetailMeNot concluded after its visit to Coupon.
So Merry Christmas to all – and a happy couponing new year.
