UAL’s Email Gaffe Provides Valuable Lesson for Golf Course Owners #Unit

What’s wrong with the email from United? It is the same mistake that golf course owners make very frequently, and it is very preventable.

United Airlines is failing to segment their database by type of customer and frequency of travel in cueing an email for distribution. As a 2.8-million-mile flyer, I am guaranteed for life Premier Platinum status. There is absolutely no need for me to purchase premier qualifying miles or premier qualifying segments. United also has a PQD (Premier Qualifying Dollars) benchmark to qualify for premier status. You are required to spend $12,500 based on United’s determination of the fair market value of the ticket purchased which is usually a lot less than the actual dollars spent.

Further, if one looks at the email closely, one would note that I have already exceeded the premier qualifying mile and segments targets.

Golf courses do the same thing. Frequently, I get an email from a golf course offering me $10 9-hole green fees and a glass of wine on LADIES NIGHT. Will receive information for adult beginner lesson, junior summer school programs, leagues, tournaments or outings that I have no interest in.

Here is the very simple thing we would recommend you consider implementing.

A golf course would be wise to segment its database by gender, playing frequency, dollars spent annually and cumulatively, as well as my individual preferences. Email should be targeted to the specific customer interest rather than blasted broadly to all within the database.

That is what I think? More importantly, what do you think? Please comment below.