Demand Media Realizing Demand Deals Unpopularity?

By Brian Matthews, Demand Studios Review Writer

Posted On 9/27/11

It appears as if this may finally be happening, as Demand Media sent out a survey yesterday asking their freelancers to supply feedback on the Demand Deals program.

I took mine today and answered the following three questions:

1. Have you taken advantage of Demand Deals?

2. Do you want Demand Media to continue offering Demand Deals?

3. What other benefits or perks would you like us to offer?

Disclaimer, that’s from memory and probably isn’t verbatim. I’m guessing that if you have used Demand Deals and answered yes to that first question there were follow-ups. But those were the only three questions I saw since I, no surprise, haven’t “taken advantage” of the program.

Demand Media introduced Demand Deals back in May and while it was initially met with mostly enthusiasm, it quickly became unpopular when Demand Studios freelancers realized what it was really all about.

Demand Deals are offered through a program called Corporate Perks. So, the companies offering deals through Corporate Perks get sales and Demand Media gets the appearance of offering a perk to their freelancers without having to spend any money. The Demand Studios freelance writer, editor or filmmaker has their information opted in automatically. They then get a bunch of spamish emails.

Wow, what a deal.

The actual deals themselves seem to leave people wanting, as well. The big discounts are advertised to the gills, but there are very few of those to go around. Like the classic black Friday bait and switch approach, those who log in usually find lesser deals.

Some of the offers, like the two movie tickets for the price of one deal, required you to first pay full price and then wait to have the discount credited back to your credit card within 1-2 billing cycles.

I hope I’m right in my estimation that most Demand Studios freelancers aren’t fans of Demand Deals and that the survey bears that out. Then the whole thing can go the way of their not-really-health-insurance Demand Studios health insurance program.

Except, wait, I got an email some months back reminding me that I’m eligible to sign up for that catastrophe of a plan. Maybe Demand Deals is destined to hang on like the Demand Studios health care, but I’m at least guardedly pleased to see them taking the pulse of the freelancers. Whether or not it will come to anything remains to be seen. Updates if they become available.

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