Marketing of loyalty programmes must always include the information necessary from the standpoint of a consumer's financial safety.
Marketing of a loyalty programme contract must mention the requirements for receiving benefits, such as any membership fees and/or use of the consumer's personal data. In addition, it must indicate how and where one may review complete information about the loyalty programme contract.
Since all the terms of a loyalty programme cannot be presented in marketing, it is important to ensure that the information given does not create a misleading picture.
It is not necessary to provide detailed information about a loyalty programme in the case of corporate image marketing or a mere mention that an advertiser or benefit is part of a loyalty programme.
Advertising that compares loyalty schemes can easily become misleading. One should be especially careful in comparative marketing of broad loyalty programmes: in practice, it may be nearly impossible to carry out the comparison without misleading consumers.
It is misleading to market a benefit given to all customers as if it is a loyalty programme benefit.
Loyalty programme benefits must not dominate marketing of products and services that is aimed at all consumers.
The price that consumers are generally charged for a product is the main pricing information. This general price must be clearly and simply presented in marketing material with at least as much emphasis as the price for loyalty programme members. The price for loyalty programme members can be dominant in marketing only if it is aimed solely at the members of the programme.
Adequate and unambiguous pricing information must be provided about partner services. If it is possible to increase the benefits of a loyalty programme by entering into a long-term service agreement with an entrepreneur in a different business area, clear and adequate pricing information about these services must be provided in the marketing.
Bonuses must not dominate marketing, regardless of whether the marketing is aimed at loyalty programme members or all consumers.
Bonuses must not be presented in a misleading way. If specific claims about bonus amounts are presented, the conditions attached to receiving the benefit must be described at the same time. A typical example may also be used to illustrate the benefit.
When individual products are marketed to members of loyalty programmes, the price charged to members can be left unmentioned in exceptional cases only. In these cases, a price may be given as a percentage or a benefit amount in euro.
Members of loyalty programmes who buy on credit may not be offered better member benefits than those that are offered to customers who pay with cash.
In addition to advertisers, all parties for whom marketing takes place are responsible for ensuring that the marketing complies with the law.
Guidelines for Consumer Protection:
Loyalty marketing and loyalty programmes