Getting something for nothing
天下没有免费的午餐
Everybody likes to get a freebie - something given to you to try for free. On my commute to work today I was offered a complimentary sample of washing powder and a bottle of new mineral water. Lucky me eh? Well it's not necessarily down to luck - where you can grab a freebie depends on a number of factors.
每个人喜欢赠品——供试用的免费物品。我今天在上班路上获赠了一袋免费的试用装洗衣粉和一瓶新品牌矿泉水。我好幸运，嗯？其实这也不是幸不幸运的事——能不能得到赠品取决于很多因素。
For businesses, giving out something for nothing is an important marketing technique. We might not give it much thought but they are keen to see our reaction and hear our feedback and ultimately make us buy more. But who they hear from is very crucial. They want to target the so-called trendsetters and influencers, in the hope that they will speak positively about the product and then sell more.
对商家来说，免费赠送是一种营销手段。我们可能不会想那么多，但商家却渴望看到我们对产品的反应和使用后的反馈，最终促成更大单的生意。但他们很看重给出反馈的顾客的身份。他们希望那些所谓的引领潮流者和具有影响力的人对产品给出积极评价，这样一来产品销量就会更好。
In the UK, the makers of an upmarket popcorn brand gave out free packets at London's Fashion Week to create a buzz about their product by fashionable people. A spokesman said "It's less about immediate increase in sales, and more about getting our product in the hands of people who will excitedly and personally engage in our brand and story."
英国的一家著名爆米花品牌在伦敦时装周上免费发放爆米花，以此在时尚界人物当中造势。该品牌发言人表示：“这不会立马就提升我们的销量，但我们的产品品牌和故事就能借这些人之手广泛流传开来。”
Living in a capital city certainly improves your chances of getting a freebie. Not only is the population larger but these places are often considered the trendsetter for retail purchases. So if you live in London, Paris or Beijing you'll probably see a new promotional campaign launched there first. The hope is that the fashionable city dwellers will try and like the new item and endorse it on social media. Eventually everyone around the country will know about it.
住在首都城市的话能提升获取赠品的几率。首都城市不仅人口多，而且这里商家多。所以，如果你住在伦敦，巴黎或者北京，就可能会首先遇到新的促销活动。商家们希望这些能跟上时代潮流的居民来尝试并且喜欢自己的新产品，从而在社交媒体上推广。这样一来，这个品牌就能最终享誉全国。
How businesses give away freebies is also of interest. According to behavioural economist Enrico Trevisan, they have three different approaches: "future selling, cross-selling and up-selling". The first is about giving something away assuming we will like it and buy more later. "With cross-selling, the company tries to gain new clients through an entrance product, with the intention of selling them additional products during their life cycle" and 'up-selling' happens when a basic version is given away for free but charges a client for more advanced and complete versions. Maybe you've experienced one of these approaches?
商家发放赠品的方式也很有趣。据行为经济学家恩里科特·雷维桑所说，一共有三种发放方式：“远期销售，交叉销售和追加销售”。第一种方式是指先发放，并假设顾客喜欢从而购买更多。交叉销售指商家试图用产品开路以获取更多的顾客，目的在于销售额外的产品。追加销售指的是商家免费发放基础版本的产品，但借此销售更高端和完善的产品。或许你也遇到过这其中一种销售方式吧？
Of course a freebie is not actually free - someone has to pay for it and this usually comes from a firm's marketing budget which is funded by the products we buy - so the expression 'there's no such thing as a free lunch' could be true!
当然，赠品并不是真正免费的——总会有人需要为此买单，而商家用于发放赠品的市场预算就来源于此——所以“天下没有免费的午餐”这句话所言非虚！
词汇表
a freebie
赠品，免费品
complimentary
（公司）免费赠送的
marketing
销售，营销
feedback
反馈意见
trendsetter
引领潮流的人
influencer
（营销）具有影响力的人
upmarket
高档的，高端的
brand
品牌
create a buzz
制造话题
engage in
参与到……中
retail
零售
promotional campaign
促销推广活动
endorse
宣传，推荐（产品）
future selling
远期销售
cross-selling
交叉销售
up-selling
追加销售
client
客户
budget
预算
there's no such thing as a free lunch'
“天下没有免费的午餐”，即世上没有不劳而获的事情