American Eagle Outfitters Inc. is giving away smartphones to customers who try on jeans between July 21 and August 3. No purchase required.
Upon exiting the dressing room (or checking out online), customers will receive an access code to search online for more than 40 free phones, including the BlackBerry Curve 8520, BlackBerry Bold, Motorola Backflip, LG Ally and HTC Aria. In order to receive the phone, they must agree to a two-year contract with either AT&T, Sprint-Nextel, T-Mobile or Verizon. In addition to the phone, they'll receive a $25 AE Money Card good towards online or in-store purchases.
"It's one of the smartest strategic moves that any U.S. teen, tween or specialty-store retailer has ever initiated," analyst Burt P. Flickinger III told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He noted that with many teens unemployed, school budgets are particularly tight this year.
"American Eagle Outfitters wants to send our customers back-to-school in style with new denim and a new phone," said Fred Grover, executive vice president of marketing, American Eagle Outfitters, in a statement. "This promotion adds a level of excitement and fun to our customers' shopping experience, as well as making a powerful statement about our confidence in the denim collection."
American Eagle has given away movie tickets and T-shirts in prior back-to-school promotions, spokeswoman Jani Strand told the Tribune-Review.
The popular iPhone is not included. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the promotion is being handled through a third-party firm, and apparently no iPhones are available.
Discussion Question: What do you think of American Eagle's free smartphone promotion?