There’s nothing like a dozen roses and a free copy of SpySweeper to make your sweetie’s Valentine’s day extra special, right? Apparently, that’s what FTD.com thinks because they’ve partnered with CNet’s Download.com to offer free software with every floral purchase. (At least, that’s the way it appears. See below for the rest of the story.)

Aside from the fact the two products seem to be a real mismatch, it might actually be a good promotion. I mean, geeks have to get flowers from somewhere. Why not from a site they (I should say “we”) visit frequently. However, there is a catch.

What you don’t know until you select your software and press the “submit” button is that you’ll be presented with a veritable panoply of offers, 21 of which are Valentine’s related, but many of which are not. These include everything from Lifelock subscriptions to auto insurance to a credit card offer (imagine that). In fact, the Valentines FTD.com promotion is not the most prominent. It’s like they put you on a scent trail, then derail you from it. Needless to say, I chose to get my flowers elsewhere and abandoned the site.

Perhaps the best explanation for this is that it appears a company called TrialPay actually put the promotion together, not FTD or CNet. They’re TrialPay merchant partners. Still, if TrialPay wants you to buy flowers, it would seem that’s the offer you’d be presented with, doesn’t it? Somebody should tell them that. (Oh, yea. I just did.)

Hat tip to Adrants

Filed under: Advertising, Campaign Critiques, Personal Opinions