Freetures is a subject which I first published in January but have been working on for a few years. The introduction dealt with how freetures are defined and gave examples of how they're being used to conduct business. This is the second article in the series and will address additional elements of freetures.



Freetures Further Defined

Elements

In order for a promotional give-away to qualify as a freeture, it must fit six of the following eight descriptive qualities.

A freeture must be Free

A freeture must be Realistic

A freeture must be Extra

A freeture must be Enhancing

A freeture must be Tangible

A freeture must be Unused

A freeture must be Repairable

A freeture must be Extractable

The basis for any freetured item is determined by the fact that there is no charge or cost associated with the delivery of the item which would require the recipient to pay for. It must fit the true definition of "Free".

The item must be clearly defined. For example, if it is a book, the title should be provided, the author should be identified and the category should not be in the abstract. That is our interpretation of "Real".

By definition, anything that is extra is something in addition to the already existing element defined as a product or service. A freeture is that item which is offered/given in addition to the existing product or service. It is "Extra".

Promotional give-aways are generally considered to be enhancements to the products/services being sold on the open market in order to entice more prospects to bid on or purchase those products/services. We'll abide by those generalities and will go one step further. The "Enhancement" will be evaluated based upon reasonable market value or industry standards.

Can I hold it in my hand?, Sink my teeth into it?, Put it in a DVR and play it?, Read it?, kick the tires or treat it in all the ways that a physical object can be treated? The answers to those questions should be "Yes". Otherwise it may not be a Freeture. It cannot be a promise or anything that is unidentifiable. A freeture must be "Tangible".

For all purposes applicable to products and services offered for sale on the open market, it must be new and not previously used by other persons, unless it is a recycleable item and has in-fact been recycled, in which case it would pass our new and "Unused" test.

Many products and services today are sold and delivered subject to warranties/limited warranties depending on the type of product or service. The reason for these assurances is to provide the purchaser with a certain measure of peace-of-mind in knowing that if anything goes wrong with the purchased item, the problem will be fixed at minimal or no cost. The freeture must be similarly covered, thereby rendering it replaceable or at least "Repairable".

In every instance the item being considered for freeture consideration must have the capacity to be extracted and be set apart from any package to which it is attached so that a value may be placed upon it; in and of itself. If the item cannot stand alone it does not comply with our definition of "Extractable" and therefore may not be a...

... "Freeture".