Incentive Today articles from February 2004

Incentive Today archives from February 2004

Lies, damned lies and statistics.(Editor's note)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... A year ago, the promotions sector faced a tough time. Reports showed money was being diverted into above-the-line advertising and other marketing activities. But the latest Bellwether survey, featured on page 16, confirms that SP budgets...

SP industry must act now to influence Gambling Bill.(Letter of the month)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... 2004 will see what is arguably the biggest-ever legislative challenge to promotional marketing. That challenge comes in the form of the Gambling Bill which will sweep away the existing law on prize promotions and usher in a new regulatory...

Agencies are jumping on brand experience bandwagon.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2004... I have been working in brand experience since 1992, so I'd hardly call it a new spin-off for agencies (Incentive Today, October 2003)--unless something that started over a decade ago can be described as "new". Who is jumping on whose bandwagon?...

Events.(diary)(Calendar)
February 1, 2004... 24-26 February Confex Exhibition and conference for the incentive travel and conference sector Venue: Earls Court 1, London Organiser: CMP Tel: 020 7921 8081 www.international-confex.com 9 March The Voucher...

Uncle Ben.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Uncle Ben's rice and cooking sauces was among food brands to launch promotions to mark the start of the Chinese year on January 22. It is running competitions for trips to New York, San Francisco and Hong Kong, while soy sauce company Kikkoman...

Britvic's AquaLibra.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Britvic's AquaLibra adult soft drink has teamed up with toiletries brand The Sanctuary to offer free product for detoxing in January and February. The campaign, devised by Triangle Communications, is featured on-pack and in magazines Red and...

Algar and Promotional Mailing Services, both in the sales promotion and corporate incentives sector, have merged to create The PMS Group.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Algar and Promotional Mailing Services, both in the sales promotion and corporate incentives sector, have merged to create The PMS Group. The combined businesses will provide e commerce solutions, sales promotions, fulfilment, storage and...

The Brit music awards'.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The Brit music awards' organisers are offering incentives to 02 mobile phone users to vote via SMS for their favourite artists this year. The communications group is providing interactive mobile services such as picture messaging, exclusive...

The Children's Mutual.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The Children's Mutual, the financial services firm, is producing an antenatal care pack, including nappies and literature on child development, to target its savings products at expectant mothers. A pack will be sent out after a woman has had...

Cadbury under attack over new promotion.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Cadbury has come under attack from an MP who campaigns on children's issues because of a promotion offering free trips to family attractions in return for chocolate wrappings. Debra Shipley MP claims the offer, due to be launched in spring,...

WKD offers students traffic cones and gnomes.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Beverage Brands is driving sales of its ready-to-drink brand, WKD, among college and university students by giving them the trophies they normally steal. The promotion, called Win It Don't Nick It, offers drinkers the chance to win...

Charity links up with Clangers to raise funds.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The Alzheimer's Society is to use cult children's TV characters, the Clangers, in a pin badge campaign in shops. The exclusive products feature members of the Clangers family, such as Granny Clanger (pictured). The Big Badge Company, a...

Buy and Fly! to share new partner with rival.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Buy and Fly!, the points-based travel reward programme, now shares a partner with rival programme, AirMiles, after signing a deal with motoring organisation RAC. Buy and Fly! members can now earn 150 points when they take out RAC Roadside...

Dog owners offered prizes for neutering pets.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Animal welfare charity Dogs Trust is offering households a chance to win 1,000 [pounds sterling] in a prize draw if they get their pets neutered. The "Save your dog's life for just 25 [pounds sterling]" campaign aims to reduce the number...

Snappy Snaps develops Valentine's promotion.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... High street photo developer Snappy Snaps is promoting its range of products and services through a link-up with chocolate company Lindt to mark Valentine's Day. It is offering a free box of Lindor chocolate truffles to every customer who...

Dynamo Marketing.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Dynamo Marketing is actively seeking brands interested in leveraging new releases and back catalogue titles for Paramount Home Entertainment UK. It will be responsible for third-party promotions as part of a deal to develop promotional activity...

HMV.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... HMV is promoting its e-commerce website by giving away a CD-sized mobile content pack with every purchase. It is a collaboration with MonsterMob, which provides mobile content such as video on demand and high-resolution personalised graphics....

Which?(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Which?, the consumer group, gave away wrapped-up bin bags to passers-by in central London to mark the launch of a campaign to highlight how much money people lose each year by not switching to the best mortgage. The campaign was devised and...

Comic Relief.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Comic Relief is to run promotions to raise funds for its campaign in March 2004 through mobile technology provider Flytxt. The charity first awarded a contract to Flytxt in 2002 to run a premium-rate SMS campaign for Sport Relief. To date, more...

TLC Marketing.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... TLC Marketing has relaunched a promotion that retailers can use to offer consumers free passes or cut-price joining fees for more than 500 health and fitness clubs. The vouchers for chains such as Fitness First, Topnotch and Marriott Health...

Cannon clubs join Nectar as Debenhams reviews future.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Cannons Health & Fitness has become the latest redemption partner in the Nectar programme while the future involvement of Debenhams remains in doubt. From last month, Nectar cardholders were able to redeem points for a day, weekend or...

Lambrini offers 'ultimate girls' night-out'.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Halewood International's perry, Lambrini, is being targeted at women through a promotion offering "the ultimate girls' night-out". This month, it launched an on-pack promotion, running across 3 million bottles of Lambrini, supported by...

Express hopes to top rivals with weekend breaks.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The Daily Express and Sunday Express have acted to increasing competition in the national newspaper sector with a promotion to give away free weekend breaks to European cities. After the success of a free-flight promotion last year, it...

Belgium aims to jazz up 'grey' image.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Dynamo Marketing plans to join forces with Jazz FM for the first stage of a new three-year promotional campaign for the Belgian Tourist Office for Brussels and Wallonia. Activity in 2004 will centre on music, highlighting the diversity of...

Rum campaign targets UK's Afro-Caribbeans.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Field marketers will be going out into barbers, butchers' shops and parks to target Britain's Afro-Caribbean community in a new promotion for Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum. They will be handing out samples and collecting data from...

Women offered pampering for launch of Skinny Cow.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Women aged from 25 to 50 are being targeted with free "pampering" products by low-fat frozen dessert brand Skinny Cow after its launch in the UK last month. Richmond Ice Cream has linked up with Asda to start selling the dessert after...

Free Scenic to promote scenic Wales.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... A Renault Scenic is being offered in a competition to support a new direct-response campaign that promotes the scenic qualities of Wales. HHCL/Red Cell has developed activity for the Wales Tourist Board to prompt holidays and short-breaks...

Charity seeks funding boom boom.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The Children's Society is exploiting the appeal of the much-loved television character, Basil Brush, in a new promotion to raise funds and boost its profile. The Big Badge Company, part of Louis Kennedy, is producing pin badges and...

Caffe Nero brews up Dutch movie tie-in.(Promotion of the month)(Cover Story)
February 1, 2004... The Incentive Today promotion of the month is sponsored by buy and fly! The winners receive 1000 buy and fly! points--sufficient for two flights to Paris. Caffe Nero has teamed up with a film distributor and an overseas tourism office for...

Good promotion, shame about the admin.(ISP perspective: the latest views from the Institute of Sales Promotion)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The recent ASA compliance report examined randomly selected on-pack sales promotions for adherence to the British Code of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing (the CAP Code). Its findings come as no surprise to the Institute of...

First-timers join growing list at Incentive World.(News)
February 1, 2004... Leading firms from across the motivation and sales promotion sectors have opted to take space at this year's Incentive World exhibition for the first time. More manufacturers, distributors and agencies from the marketing and motivation sectors...

Supermarket turns over new leaf to promote own-label cereals.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Supermarket giant Tesco has linked up with a publisher of educational books for a new campaign to drive its own-label cereals. PMA Marketing has developed the on-pack promotion for a range of books on English and maths for five to...

Chocolate brand links up with Oxfam.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Organic chocolate maker Green & Black's is joining forces with Oxfam for an in-store sampling campaign to promote its Maya Gold bar in March. Sampling kits, including free chocolate and leaflets, will be supplied to 150 of the charity's...

Bank hopes for 'no catches' image from ticket give-away.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Bank ING Direct has handed out free tickets to film, theatre and ballet, supported by branded products, to give out the message that its services have "no catches". Hicklin Slade & Partners produced the campaign, Spotlight on Savings,...

Jacob's targets gyms with new Thai snack.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Jacob's is launching a new variant to its Thai Bites range of rice crackers by offering sampling in gyms to highlight how the product can be "a healthy alternative to potato and corn-based snacks. The new Mild Thai flavour will also be...

SMS activity supports health club promotion.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Holmes Place is using a new SMS-based mobile service to boost its promotional offer of a free two-hour session with a personal trainer. The promotion, designed by Total Media and executed by Flytxt, supports the gym chain's broader new year...

New game links up with motocross community.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Tickets to a motocross championship and biking products are among the top prizes in a promotion to support the release of motocross game MX Unleashed this month. In a campaign devised by Grasshopper, games company THQ is using the...

Tango and games retailer link up to target young consumers.(News)
February 1, 2004... Britvic has built up links between its Tango brand and retail group Game to drive forward its Game On activity targeted at 16 to 24-year-olds. At the end of January, the partners launched an online instant-redemption campaign through the...

Train operator gets on track with Hamleys.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Train operator First Great Western is collaborating with the internet shopping arm of retailer Hamleys for a promotion that "enhances the synergy between the two brands". Passengers can enter a competition on the rail company's website to...

Fotorama's E-redeem brings rewards to consumers.(New media file)
February 1, 2004... I am sure many of you have been involved in running complicated collector schemes or reward-based promotions in the past with or without a supportive handling house in tow. They are not only a chore to set up and administer but can be...

Spend on promotions set for 'modest rise'.(News)
February 1, 2004... Spending on sales promotion increased last year while media advertising remained unchanged, according to new research. Money was allocated into SP away from above-the-line campaigns in 2003 because companies were seeking "to boost sales...

Sampling supports Cup A Soup ad blitz.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Free sachets of Batchelors Cup A Soup are to be delivered to homes and offices across the UK in February and March to support an above-the-line advertising blitz. The sampling campaign was developed by marketing agency bd-ntwk for...

Mr Men to encourage children to eat more fruit.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Stickers showing pictures of the Mr Men and Little Misses characters are being given away with organic fruit to encourage children to buy the products and have a more healthy, balanced diet. Labels and packaging company Leading Edge has...

Vouchers to tackle annual bookings downturn.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Top London hotel The Landmark has doubled the rewards available to people booking conferences and meetings during February to boost business during a traditionally quiet period. Its standard Book to Shop incentive gives bookers a chance to...

Survey to identify need for body to represent motivation.(Motivation)
February 1, 2004... Research is to be carried out into what kind of representative body is needed for the motivation sector and what it should set out to achieve. The survey is being organised by a working party which met last month to lay the groundwork for...

BI boss quits for non-executive role.(Motivation)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The managing director of business improvement agency BI is stepping aside into a part-time role as non-executive chairman. David Tonnison will continue to advise the company but is making way for a new managing director, who is expected to...

HR bosses say motivating is for all.(Motivation)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Nearly all human resources managers and executives believe that they should not be the only people responsible for staff motivation. Two thirds of organisations responding to a new survey said that they already operated an employee...

Vouchers target 'diverse' audience.(Motivation)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Boots has reported that a link-up with Capital Incentives & Motivation (CI&M) succeeded in helping it target its gift vouchers at "a diverse audience in a highly effective way". The retail chain gave recipients of CI&M's Capital Bonds the...

New arrival to find new solutions.(Motivation)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... BI is to "actively research and develop" new solutions for business improvement in the hands of a new account director. Marina Banusic has been appointed to the company's performance improvement division, reporting directly to the director...

Employees demotivated and ready to quit, say reports.(Motivation)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Employers have been given a warning by a series of new reports on the need to take action to motivate and retain staff. A survey of 1,000 people by awards body Foundation Degree found that more than one in four workers intended to quit...

Staff want more time with friends and family.(Motivation)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Eight in 10 employees say they would be more motivated at work if they could spend more time with friends and family, says a new survey from the Department of Trade and Industry DTI. Seven in 10 said that they would like to pursue interest...

Lifestyle goes online.(Motivation)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... P&MM has developed an online version of its employee benefits programme, Lifestyle, which allows participants to buy goods and services at preferential rates. The new solution allows them to view the offers available and place their...

More training needed in comms, says report.(Motivation)(communications)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Ninety per cent of managers in Scotland believe that internal communications across departments is "vital to the success of meeting business objectives", according to a survey by consultancy Carter Rae. Despite this, nearly a third of...

Scratchcard offers rollercoaster ride.(Motivation)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Capital Incentives & Motivation (CI&M) has launched a scratchcard that can enhance reward schemes by bringing an element of chance. The new Rollercoaster scratchcard involves rubbing off latex patches along a rollercoaster ride until...

Have travel vouchers had their day?(Opinion / Travel vouchers)
February 1, 2004... Each year sees an increase in the number of Britons travelling abroad for holidays. According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, Britons made a record 59.4 million trips abroad in 2002 a two per cent increase on the...

Creativity on the rise for supermarket own-brands: the rise of the own-brand range has been a key factor in a renaissance in the way that supermarkets use promotional techniques.(Supermarkets)
February 1, 2004... Rivalry between the UK's giant grocery retailers has never been fiercer, with the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda battling for a larger share of the UK's multibillion-pound annual shopping basket. Marketing is the front line of this war,...

Hitting the right note: the universal, emotive qualities of music and its many digestible forms make it a firm favourite with marketers. Jo Ellsworth considers how brands and promoters are making the most of them.(Music)
February 1, 2004... Music has the power to lift our spirits, calm our nerves and chill us out. It is often the first thing we hear when we wake up in the morning and the last thing we listen to before going to bed. "It's an integral part of our lives," says Rob...

Playing the field: the massive growth and diversification of video gaming have opened the floodgates to promotional activity from publishers, retailers and brands. As more consumers succumb to addiction, Jo Ellsworth considers how gaming-related promotions are being used to get their attention.(Gaming)
February 1, 2004... Geeky teenage boys and time-rich kids have traditionally been perceived as the gaming industry's bread and butter. But as the sector has matured, so too has the average gamer. What's more, he is now part of a global community worth $30 billion,...

Netting rewards online: the days of mailing out reward catalogues and filling in sales forms may soon be a thing of the past. Mark Ludmon looks at the growing popularity of online solutions for delivering motivation programmes.(New media)
February 1, 2004... Nearly two-thirds of Britons are now going online, whether at home or at work, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), and this is prompting increasing numbers of motivation programmes to leave paper behind in favour of the web....

Good things come in small packages: motivating a whole company to work together need not be just for large organisations. They can target rewards at individual staff and be open-minded enough to try something different. Could it be that the size of small and medium-sized businesses gives them the best of all motivational worlds?(Small businesses)
February 1, 2004... Motivating staff within a small organisation, where the employees all know each other and where they tend to work as a homogenous unit, seems to be very different to how it is done within an international corporation employing thousands of...

Rowan drives up safety with Argos: oil and gas exploration specialist Rowan Drilling works with Argos Business Solutions to run motivation activity designed to minimise health and safety risks for staff in hazardous working environments such as offshore rigs.(Case study)
February 1, 2004... Rowan Drilling UK is the UK-based oil and gas exploration division of Rowan Companies Inc, a major international offshore and land-drilling contractor. The company's employees work on offshore oil platforms in the North Sea, as well as across...

Choc full of good ideas: despite headlines about obesity and bad diets, confectionery holds its own as a motivational or reward gift. Catherine Chetwynd looks at the many and varied options and finds that versatility is the key to confectionery.(Confectionery)
February 1, 2004... Of all confectionery, chocolate is the most emotive. It melts at body temperature and is therefore a sensuous experience. It crosses all barriers--age, sex, socio-economics. And packaged correctly, it can speak volumes about the good taste and...

Getting canned.(Showcase!)
February 1, 2004... It may be wet and cold now, but summer is only a few months away--with the promise of picnics and other outdoor events. Special EFX has come up with a portable mini-cooler in the shape of a large silver drinks can with a carrying handle like a...

Sexy spaghetti.(Showcase!)
February 1, 2004... One-size-fits-all baggy T-shirts are no longer the norm for promotional clothing, so manufacturers try to react to high street fashions. JT's, which already offers tailored promotional clothes for women, has come up with a "spaghetti dress"...

Holding on to customers.(Showcase!)
February 1, 2004... Manufacturers of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals can make sure their customers see their brands first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Using a suction pad, Phillips Plastic's Loyalty Holsters can be fixed to bathroom tiles and hold...

Smart mat for smart mice.(Showcase!)
February 1, 2004... Mouse mats are a familiar tool for keeping a brand permanently on consumers' desks whenever they use their computers. However, Firebrand Promotions believes its new mat will have a point of difference through a new "ultra precise" tracking...

Sweet dreams from LAX.(Showcase!)
February 1, 2004... Sick of sitting through long flights unable to sleep because your eye mask lets in light, presses on the lids and, if you're a lady, smudges your make-up? British manufacturer Clear Prospects has come up with an alternative design as part of a...

Always take the weather with you.(Showcase!)
February 1, 2004... No longer do we have to tap the barometer on the wall to find out what the local weather is going to be. With the new high-tech Meteo Vision, TV weather girls could be a thing of the past. With a 3.8in LCD display screen, Oregon Scientific's...

Kitsch corner.(Backside)(how to market Clackers toy)
February 1, 2004... Why were Clackers such a blinding toy? It was all down to the "fear factor". Were you man enough to play with a girl's toy? You had to hold the ring and let the balls dangle below (oh, come on...!). You then lifted and lowered your...

Starbucks offers coffee breaks.(Backside)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Customers at Starbucks in the US are being offered a chance to be entered into a competition--to win a trip to one of the company's coffee shops. This prize draw may not sound very grand--even though the winner can take along three...

Muffin the dog has his day.(Backside)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Marketers have won a battle against a retired couple and their pet dachshund, Muffin. Gordon and Susan Musselwhite took Safeway to court last month, claiming that their dog was paralysed when he jumped up to grab a promotional leaflet...

Q&A.(Backside)(sales promotions)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... What is your favourite promotion? BA world's biggest giveaway... ah, those were the days... What was your greatest mistake? All my mistakes are great. It would be impossible to rank them. What was your lucky break? ...