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thedrifter
06-24-03, 06:05 AM
Merchants thank military with array of special deals


By Michael Stetz
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

June 23, 2003

Men and women in uniform, America loves you. You're hot. And little wonder: You went halfway around the world, sacrificed for months, living on ships, sleeping in foxholes, eating cold MREs.

Now people everywhere are lining up to thank you.

Look at the deals:

If you serve in the military, you can see Shamu on the cheap, because SeaWorld is offering free admission.

Want a brand-new car or truck? Several automakers are offering a special rebate of $750 off.

American Airlines will let you fly at reduced rates.

Those are just some of the offers local businesses and big corporations are doling out for military men and women.

Like many Americans of late, members of the business community are feeling mushy about the red, white and blue. And they want to show their appreciation for the efforts made by the men and women in uniform, they say.

But these deals make good business sense, as well. The firms earn good will and create the opportunity to build product loyalty with a relatively young and gainfully employed customer base, experts note.

"It does a couple things," said Jim Cain, a spokesman for the Ford Motor Co., of a $750 rebate available from the car maker only to those who serve.

"First of all, it's a way of saying thank you. And there's a business rationale as well. When we attract customers, they tend to stay with Ford."

Ford originally planned to offer the rebate deal only through Memorial Day, but decided to extend it to July 9. The company president made the announcement recently when visiting San Diego.

GM's deal runs until September and also was fueled by a desire to say thanks, said Deborah Silverman, GM's manager of public relations. It normally offers $500 rebates for military personnel, but increased it to honor the sacrifice made in Iraq, she said.

Gaining customers is an incentive, too, she noted. "Oh, sure, that's always the strategy. We want to attract quality customers to GM products."

Such special deals are big in this region, home to huge military installations and tens of thousands of active duty personnel.

At SeaWorld, the free-admission offer is good for active-duty personnel and as many as four direct dependents.

A local McDonald's offered 10 percent off meals for a time.

Then there are the – um – somewhat unusual tokens of appreciation for a job well done. A Nevada brothel was reportedly offering free sex to troops returning from the war against Iraq.

For some businesses, this is not new. SeaWorld offered special deals for military personnel after the Gulf War in 1991 and after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

SeaWorld's owner, beer-maker Anheuser-Busch, has offered corporate assistance to the military since World War I, said Dave Payne, senior director of global military sales for the company.

The free admission is good not only at SeaWorld, but all the theme parks the corporation owns. In addition, Anheuser-Busch is establishing a $1 million scholarship fund to assist spouses and children of those killed in the war in Iraq, he said.

Why do this?

The company wants to show its appreciation for the sacrifices made by the troops and their families, Payne said.

That's the same reason American Airlines gave for creating a special fare reduction plan for service personnel, announced in May.

"These men and women have been in the news a lot," said Carlo Bertolino, an airline spokesman. "Obviously, they've made a lot of sacrifices."

By and large, military personnel make a great target market, said Stephen Hoch, a professor of marketing at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Young, with solid educations, they have significant disposable income, he said.

Those who have been in Iraq have not had the opportunity to spend much money. And service in the war zone means they received a boost in salary in the form of hazardous-duty pay.

These are consumers you want to nurture and keep, Hoch said. If they opt to spend a career with the military, they get a pension, something a dwindling number of Americans are receiving, he noted.

Those returning from war are given instructions on how to handle their money. While most businesses are on the up and up when it comes to these deals, a few unscrupulous ones look to take advantage.

Younger military personnel are particularly vulnerable, noted Theresa Misenko, a deployment specialist with the Navy's Fleet and Family Support.

She and other financial experts visit returning ships to give advice to sailors eager to get back to life at home.

"There's a temptation to have everything, right now," she said of those coming home.

Military people are no different from civilians when it comes to having money problems, she said. Normally, maturity helps. Single sailors may make a purchase they can't afford – such as a splashy car or truck.

Married sailors with children may get into a credit crunch.

Some have earned a decent amount of change while away. And they've sacrificed and, quite naturally, feel they've earned the right to splurge. "We tell them that they have worked very, very hard and they deserve to treat themselves. But we also tell them, all things in moderation," Misenko said.

Petty Officer Rell Angton, who serves on the aircraft carrier Constellation, which recently returned after seven months at sea, said he and other sailors are taught by the Navy to be careful.

The deals are sweet and nice, but you have to be prudent, he said.

"You come back, you're loaded with money. You figure you might as well go buy something."



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Michael Stetz: (619) 542-4570; michael.stetz@uniontrib.com


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Sempers,

Roger
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