Incentive Today articles from January 2005

Incentive Today archives from January 2005

Changes in incentives market offer new opportunities.(Editor's note)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
January 1, 2005... Reports of the demise of this year's Incentive World exhibition and the failure of several promotional marketing companies may not be the best start to the new year. We must hope that the closures of high-profile agencies and suppliers...

Promoters must wake up to responsibilities.(Letter of the month)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... I was saddened, but not surprised, by the letters on fulfilment and non-compliance in your November/December issue. The Institute of Sales Promotion is increasingly alarmed by the lack of Code compliance and attention to consumer expectations...

More focus needed in incentive shows.(Letter of the month)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... I was disappointed but not overly surprised at the demise of the Incentive World show (see page 5). The show was one of the longest running of its kind, and over the years more or less everything must have been tried to give it a new look...

Exhibition organisers must find out what companies want out of shows.(Letter of the month)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... The cancellation of this year's Incentive World is very disappointing news but no surprise (see page 5). In my view, Incentive World 2004 burnt out last year due to lack of visitors and keeping up with industry trends. The majority of...

Staff want cash, not vouchers or incentives.(Letter of the month)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... I was not surprised to read that the voucher companies want bosses to use their products to incentivise staff across companies and not just in the sales department (Incentive Today, November/December 2004). As Mandy Rice Davies would say, they...

Promota UK.(Appointment)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Promota UK has appointed a new secretariat to run the trade association under the helm of secretary Lesley Reid. She takes over from Charles Wade who is retiring after four years. Reid has been involved in trade association management for 16...

National Pub Football Week.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... National Pub Football Week, held in May last year, helped licensees to increase sales during Euro 2004, according to a survey by the promotion's organiser, Lords Consultancy & Marketing. Cider sales were as much as 21 per cent higher in some...

Aim Solutions.(Leisure Visa )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Aim Solutions, the sales promotion company, has launched Leisure Visa, an incentive product providing a range of leisure and travel savings totalling over 7,000 [pounds sterling]. Offers include half-price holidays and leisure breaks as well as...

Protravel.(electronic game card )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Protravel, which provides travel, leisure and entertainment incentives, has launched a business-to-business campaign using a new interactive electronic game card. Based on the theme of a treasure island, it uses the XOGO GameCard supplied by...

The Worshipful Company of Marketors.(launched think tank )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The Worshipful Company of Marketors has launched a think tank composed of marketing practitioners to look at ways to raise the profile of marketing within the corporate environment. The initiative will debate opinions on current marketing...

Dowlis Group and Corporate Solutions UK.(merger)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Dowlis Group and Corporate Solutions UK have merged to create a new distributor of promotional merchandise, Dowlis Corporate Solutions, with forecast sales of 25m [pounds sterling] for 2005. With a combined workforce of 135 people serving over...

Lastminute.com.(marketing )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Lastminute.com linked up with retail chains Muji, Ellis Brigham and Debenhams and salon group Toni & Guy for promotions linked to its gifts and winter travel. The campaigns, which included prizes of holidays and shopping trips, were put...

Farmers get bullish over wine incentives.(News)
January 1, 2005... Wine incentives have provided an uplift in sales for one of the UK's leading suppliers of bull semen. Semex UK has just completed its annual wine promotion through Direct Wines for Business, aimed at rewarding its customer base of dairy...

Kingfisher dives in with Goldfish.(News)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Kingfisher Gift Voucher (KGV) has been signed as a points partner for the Goldfish credit card loyalty programme, allowing members to spend points at B&Q, Comet, MVC, Woolworths and Big W. Goldfish's head of loyalty programmes, Carol Lane,...

Call for crackdown on bogus prizes.(News)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Telecoms regulator Ofcom has called for a clampdown on premium-rate phone services, including bogus competitions. It has recommended higher fines for those that break the rules and to make it easier for people to obtain refunds when they...

Evian offers purity for new year detox.(News)(sales promotion)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Evian is running a promotion encouraging consumers to "take the path to purity" by collecting points to exchange for free beauty or fitness treatments. The promotion, developed by below-the-line agency SMP, was due to go live this month on...

Luxury incentives on offer from private bank.(News)(Courts & Co)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Courts & Co, the private bank, is offering the ultimate incentives and experiences to win customers for its new "super-premium" charge card. By signing up to the Coutts World card, customers gain access to a range of luxury goods and...

Incentive World show axed after 10 years.(News)
January 1, 2005... Reed Exhibitions claims there is scope for only one major exhibition for the incentives industry after deciding to axe Incentive World. Just before Christmas, Reed announced that the show--due to take place from February 22 to 24 at Earl's...

New incentives guide published.(News)
January 1, 2005... The Incentive Today Buyer's Guide for 2005 has been published, providing a vital reference guide to the incentives industry. It contains details of products from over 1,200 suppliers, divided into over 500 categories from AV production to...

Strong start for experiential marketing body.(News)(Live Brand Experience Association )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Membership is taking off for the Live Brand Experience Association (LBEA) after it was formed to raise the profile of experiential marketing. Launched in November, it aims to appeal to organisations such as brand owners, suppliers, venues...

Star Alliance wins award for 'stealing' passengers.(News)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... A campaign by loyalty programme Star Alliance to "steal" frequent-flyer customers from airline BA's rival scheme picked up the top award at the Direct Marketing Association awards. The experiential campaign involved the creation of massage...

Britvic.(marketing of Britvic Soft Drinks Ltd.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Britvic has sent out hit squads into bars and pubs to reward licensees who stock all four flavours of its soft drink brand, J20. Any outlet that qualifies can spin a "wheel of fortune" giving them the chance to win cash, new product or a trip...

Odeon.(promotional vouchers )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Odeon is giving away promotional vouchers enabling people to take a friend or partner on Eurostar to Paris for free in a promotion for the movie, Phantom of the Opera. The offer, launched last month, is available for anyone booking two or more...

Cafedirect.(partnerships)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Cafedirect, the Fairtrade drinks company, has partnered with cafetiere maker Bodum for a sampling tour of supermarkets to promote its roast and ground coffee range and its new single-origin organic coffee. A mobile care bar offers live...

Gillette.(marketing)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Gillette has used a vibrating tip-on ad on the cover of this month's FHM magazine to promote its latest M3 micro-pulsating razor. It is offering a range of M3 Power prizes plus a chance to win a weekend emulating the lifestyle of the brand's...

Logistix.(partnerships)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Logistix, the agency that specialises in family marketing and 3D premiums, has joined forces with Megaprint, which specialises in paper and board-engineered 2D premiums, after Megaprint was acquired by Logistix's US parent, EMAK Worldwide. The...

Kellogg's Frosties.(marketing)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Kellogg's Frosties has become the latest brand to join SwapitShop, the web-based auction marketplace that allows children to sell items using the unique Swapits currency. The cereal company will tie in with an online football skills challenge...

Sony PlayStation.(marketing)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Sony PlayStation is offering the chance to win a limited-edition PlayStation2 along with a free yearlong subscription to BT Broadband so winners can play games online. It is being promoted through a mailing to 140,000 registered gamers in a...

High Street Gift Vouchers.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... High Street Gift Vouchers enjoyed a 17.7 percent upturn in corporate sales year-on-year, according to owner Park Group. In the travel and voucher group's results for the six months to the end of September, the "cash savings" business--which...

It won't go away: sales promotion is here to stay.(ISP perspective: the latest views from the Institute of Sales Promotion)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... There has been a plethora of articles in the marketing press recently announcing the death of sales promotion. Is it a dead discipline? Has it outlived its usefulness? Defined as adding value to a brand proposition or making the horse...

Deals follow failure of promotions companies.(News)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The promotional marketing industry has been hit by a string of high-profile business failures and closures despite reports of an upturn in the sector. Leading integrated agency Mercier Gray, which was founded by Rob Gray and Anton Mercier,...

Spa prizes support organic fruit campaign.(News)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Organic fruit supplier Chingfords is driving sales of its Pink Lady apples through an on-pack promotion offering luxury spa experiences. The campaign, running exclusively in Sainsbury's, gave customers a chance to win one of 40 spa visits...

Product exhibition looks at future trends.(News)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Seminars on future trends in product design are among the features of next month's Spring Fair, which this year promises to offer access to 4,000 companies. The show at Birmingham NEC from February 6 to 10 features gifts, toys, jewellery,...

UK loyalty schemes 'flawed', says Maritz.(News)(Loyalty programs (Marketing))(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Many existing British loyalty programmes are flawed because they fail to engage with customers, according to the team behind a newcomer to the market. Maritz Loyalty Marketing (MLM) has been established to bring the US-based group's...

Sales take off for travel promotions companies.(News)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Two of the UK's leading travel incentives and promotions suppliers have started the year with rising sales and profits plus plans for new products. Landround turned in "satisfactory" end-of-year results last month after a disappointing...

Fish and chips are down in vinegar promotion.(News)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Premier Foods is preparing to launch a major promotion for its vinegar brand, Sarson's, to tie in with next month's National Chip Week. Every 150ml bottle will offer the consumer a chance to send off for a voucher entitling them to claim a...

Wizard win for Camelot in licensing deal.(News)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Camelot's first link-up between its range of Lotto scratchcards and a major film earned an award in the UK Licensing Excellence Awards. Licensing trade association LIMA and Advanstar, organisers of last October's Brand Licensing Show,...

Stellar win in BPMA awards.(News)(Stellar Promotions )(British Promotional Merchandise Association)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Supplier Stellar Promotions has picked up an award for its role in supporting a national sporting promotion for the Daily Mirror to mark last year's Euro 2004 tournament. Ulla Cowen, who founded the company, collected the award for "most...

Events.(News)(Calendar)
January 1, 2005... January January 21 ITMA Awards Disneyland Resort Paris Organised by ITMA Tel: 01737 779928 Email: awards@itma-online.org www.ibna-online.org January 27-30 Toy Fair ExCel, London Organised by...

Cadbury Dairy Milk kicks off 100-year birthday celebration.(Promotion of the month)
January 1, 2005... Cadbury Trebor Bassett is this month launching a major on-pack promotion for Cadbury Dairy Milk at the start of a multi-million-pound campaign to mark the chocolate brand's centenary. It is offering consumers a chance to "Win 2 Seats at the...

Boost for cause-related marketing campaigns.(News)
January 1, 2005... A leading agency has signalled the growing importance of cause-related marketing (CRM) by setting up a division dedicated to the discipline. Iris has already picked up its first piece of business for the newly formed I-care, with a brief...

Squeezing the most out of promotions online: Nik Margolis, managing director of agency Squeeze Digital, on how best to engage audiences with online promotions.(Opinion)(Column)
January 1, 2005... Nowhere is the difference between email marketing and digital direct marketing more apparent than in promotional marketing. I've received emails that have incentivised data capture by using holidays, Red Letter Days and the ubiquitous iPod....

Retailers ready to go live with Pure Card.(News)(Grass Roots Group)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Leading high street retailers are ready to go live as redemption partners for the Grass Roots Group's stored-value bonus card, the Pure Card. Argos is due to link to the card's private debit circuit in March, with Sainsbury's, Homebase and...

Harrods plans online solution for gift card.(News)(electronic gift card )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Harrods has launched an electronic gift card for shopping in its world-famous Knightsbridge store, with plans to make it redeemable online later this year. It has been developed by card solution specialist ValueLink and can be loaded with...

New motivation boss at BI.(News)(Appointment)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Mike Davies has quit his role as group director for incentives at Maritz for a top job at rival motivation company BI. He has taken over as director of performance improvement, replacing Amy Bisek who is moving to BI's headquarters in...

Long-service awards evade the law.(News)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Long-service awards have escaped being outlawed by proposed new legislation on age discrimination after lobbying by the motivation industry. The government has conceded that the awards relate to employees' loyalty rather than their age and...

New diploma launched for motivation sector.(News)
January 1, 2005... A major new qualification has been launched for people working in rewards and motivation, backed by leading industry figures. The diploma in motivation, which is being provided through the Institute of Sales Promotion and supported by...

B2B Initiatives gives BigThanx.(News)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... B2B Initiatives has launched a new software package that allows companies to create and manage incentive programmes for staff and third parties. Called BigThanx, it is an online application that can track points, email participants and...

Virgin added to employee benefits scheme.(News)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Bring Me, the employee benefits programme, has added Virgin Experience Days to its offering to make fun and "aspirational" products available at a discount. It means that staff enrolled on the Bring Me scheme can select from a portfolio of...

Holiday voucher offers charity donations.(News)(Charity Gift Voucher Marketing)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... A new voucher has been launched to allow companies to donate cash to charity while rewarding staff or customers with money towards holiday packages. The product has been developed through a joint venture between Superbreak Mini-Holidays...

ExperienceMore.(Incentive services)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... ExperienceMore has added new experiences to its portfolio for the incentives market, including the only Lamborghini driving experience available in the UK. Other new offers include a submarine exploration dive to look at marine life and an...

Classic Car Club.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Classic Car Club is targeting the incentives market by offering companies a chance to reward customers and staff with a drive in one of its 130 vehicles. Its fleet includes Ferraris, Porsches, Aston Martins, Bentleys and Jaguars. It has bases...

Norwich Union.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Norwich Union sent 140 mini cardboard sports cars to its five UK call centres to be used as an eye-catching and memorable pot for drawing out prize-winners' names in a sales incentive scheme. The models, which had a removable lid, were created...

The Voucher Association.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The Voucher Association has revealed that the size of the voucher market in the UK has grown to a record 1.38bn [pounds sterling]. According to its latest research, the market has increased by 5.8 per cent year on year, with sales up by 6.2 per...

Red Letter Days.(Allen Carr Smoking Clinic)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Red Letter Days has launched a timely "experience" to help people give up smoking for the new year. The 199 [pounds sterling] package involves spending four-and-a-half hours at a specialist Allen Carr Smoking Clinic, with two follow-up sessions...

Rockingham racing circuit.(Incentive services )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Rockingham racing circuit is set to increase its share of the corporate entertainment market this year with the launch of new driving packages. For the first time, customers can choose from cars that are unique to Rockingham include the new BMW...

Thresher Group.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Thresher Group has launched a new-look gift voucher, offering extra redemption opportunities outside of the food and drinks products in its stores. It has teamed up with Warner Holidays, experiences supplier Exhilaration and Ramada Jarvis...

Armed forces enjoy revival of Christmas gift boxes.(News)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... For the first time since World War One, British forces overseas enjoyed boxes full of gifts this Christmas thanks to a programme devised by supplier Far-Side Marketing. Far-Side sourced and packaged 18,000 boxes within five weeks, filling...

Scrooqe bosses face bleak new year.(News)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Companies that axed their Christmas parties could be starting the new year with less motivated staff, according to new research. Motivation company BI found that non-cash incentives, including the annual seasonal get-together, generated...

Suppliers rewarded for delivering best service.(Grass Roots Group, Dixons Group Business Services, Direct Wines, Procurement International )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Suppliers in the motivation sector have picked up awards from one of their customers, the Grass Roots Group, because of their high standards of service. The motivation agency rewarded the companies at an event last month. Winners included...

Holiday club goes online.(Thomas Cook Staff Holiday Club)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Thomas Cook has enhanced the appeal of its Staff Holiday Club offer with its first fully transactional website. The holiday club rewards employees with savings, including a six per cent cash discount on top of any discounted deals offered...

Arcadia plans switch from paper vouchers to plastic.(News)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Anew multi-brand gift card has been launched in the retail market by Arcadia Group, which is likely to consider extending it to the corporate sector later this year. The Arcadia multi-channel card is available in Top Shop, Top Man, Burton,...

New identity for garden voucher.(News)(National Garden Gift Vouchers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... National Garden Gift Vouchers have undergone a revamp to "revitalise" their appeal for promotions and incentives. The Horticultural Trades Association has launched a new brand identity and marketing campaign for its vouchers, highlighting...

Stream sails in with online rewards.(News)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Stream, a full-service agency specialising in motivation programmes, has launched an online "department store" of incentive products. Called The Reward Store, it offers leading brands and other merchandise, experiences, sports, travel and...

My life-changing experience of an Arctic challenge.(Experience profile)
January 1, 2005... Looking around the other members of the party I was not alone in feeling somewhat frightened. None of us had experienced such an awesome display of Mother Nature's power. One minute the weather was calm, sunny, albeit incredibly cold but...

Rewarding network: Claire Marlowe and Sharon Papworth tell Mark Ludmon how they came to set up Re-source, a new professional network for people working in employee recognition and incentives.(People)(www.resource.me.uk)
January 1, 2005... Sharon Papworth admits that she never planned to pursue a career in employee recognition and incentives. She has worked within the railway industry for 22 years, initially in various front-line roles, but it was only about four years ago that...

Sourcing Team.(Moves)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The Sourcing Team, which sources products for marketing and events, has recruited Debbie Millis as new business manager, joining from Virgin where she worked for 13 years, most recently in developing new accounts. It has also appointed...

SP Partnership.(Moves)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... SP Partnership has strengthened its operational structure with four new team members. Cathy Boxall has taken on the role of senior promotions manager, moving from publisher HarperCollins where she was sales promotion manager. Stuart Sankey has...

Euro RSCG KLP.(Moves)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Euro RSCG KIP has appointed Caroline Wilson, pictured, to work on the account for Britvic's Robinsons brand. She was previously account manager at Carlson, where her accounts included Coca-Cola, UCG Cinemas and Jacob's Bakery.

RPM.(Moves)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Experiential marketing agency RPM has made three new appointments and two promotions after merging its two bases into one office in Shepherd's Bush, west London. It has recruited Sofia Fogelfors, who has just graduated from Stockholm University...

Kevin Twittey has quit his role as chairman of Triangle, the agency he co-founded, after its alignment with the Leo Burnett Group of Companies, which is also part of Publicis Groupe.(Moves)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Kevin Twittey has quit his role as chairman of Triangle, the agency he co-founded, after its alignment with the Leo Burnett Group of Companies, which is also part of Publicis Groupe. He said: "We've agreed that it will be best if Triangle's new...

BI.(Moves)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Richard Gibbs has moved from Maritz to become client services director of BI. He has over nine years' experience working on business development, also including time at P&MM. BI has also brought in Melinda Hanzlik from BI in the US and Melanie...

Institute of Practitioners.(Moves)(appointment of Tracey Brader)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising has appointed Tracey Brader as its new healthcare consultant. With 20 years' experience in the healthcare service sector, she joins from Brader Perryman, the advertising agency she co-founded.

Calling time on drinks promotions: with moves to restrict advertising of alcoholic drinks brands, Ben McFarland looks at the potential impact on promotional marketing.(News feature)
January 1, 2005... From next year, drinkers will be able to polish off a pint and drink a dram beyond midnight when the new licensing laws are finally introduced, but opinion is polarised on whether this will lead to civilised continental-style cafe culture....

Toucan takes prize for third year: top agencies battled it out for the winner's place in the fourth annual Cause-Related Marketing Competition.(CRM Competition)
January 1, 2005... Toucan Sales Promotion has been rewarded for its creativity in devising a campaign involving Noddy, a leading charity and a major retailer. For the third year running, it has won the Cause-Related Marketing Competition, which is organised by...

Hooray 4 hangers.(Cause-Related Marketing Competition )(Toucan Sales Promotion)
January 1, 2005... Toucan Sales Promotion won the Cause-Related Marketing Competition by devising a campaign, Hooray 4 Hangers, that raised money and increased exposure for Save the Children. It was given a brief to come up with ideas that would achieve this...

Hot to handle: the back-room boys (and girls) of marketing support services are vital to the success of campaigns but they are often taken for granted. Sara Goodwins looks at the changing role of response management agencies and the value they can add to promotions.(Handling)
January 1, 2005... Imagine a car manufacturer omitting wheels from his new creation. Or a premier division football team leaving their boots in the dressing room. Without the right support neither would be going anywhere. It's the same with promotional campaigns....

What the doctor ordered: Prozac is not the only way to make staff feel happy at work. Mark Ludmon probes how pharmaceutical companies motivate employees as well as doctors.(Pharmaceuticals)
January 1, 2005... Cash is still king in the pharmaceutical sector. In the UK, about 83,000 people work in the pharmaceutical industry, from research to marketing, but the bulk of the workforce is the sales forces. They travel the roads of Britain urging...

Taking values into account: the Grass Roots Group has created a recognition programme that motivates Ernst & Young employees to change their behaviour to match company values.(Case study)
January 1, 2005... Ernst & Young is one of the "Big Four" global accountancy firms, employing 110,000 people worldwide. As a service business--one based on personal advice and knowledge as opposed to any tangible product it recognises that its brand is a direct...

Caring in the community: at the start of the Year of the Volunteer, Andrew Burnyeat and Mark Ludmon look at the benefits of employees working with their communities.(Volunteering)
January 1, 2005... Volunteering is in vogue. In fact, 2005 is the Year of the Volunteer. Workers are a key target as the message spreads and the highlight of the Year will be Volunteer Week at the start of June. Coordinated by the Home Office, CSV and...

Plastic on the cards: despite the much-hyped fanfare when stored-value gift cards hit UK shores, retailers have been slow to adopt the technology, but Glynn Davis finds things are predicted to change soon.(Gift cards)
January 1, 2005... As retailers finally put the arrival of chip and PIN behind them, it is anticipated that gift cards will start to have a major impact on the UK voucher market. Craig Padley, business manager for retail at Bemrose Booth Smart Voucher, says:...

All booked up: books, maps and atlases are proving to be powerful tools in driving sales of food, newspapers and even pet shampoo.(Books)
January 1, 2005... The growth of new media has failed to blot out the book. According to the Booksellers Association, consumer sales of books have continued to rise steadily by between four and six per cent annually over the past four years. This has been...

Shoelace style.(Product Showcase)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... A unique new promotional product has been launched in the UK called Media Tagz. These shoelace badges can carry any form of media from sports clubs to licensed characters and any corporate logos. Ryan Bentley, who has launched the product...

Touch wood.(Product Showcase)(www.prodir.com)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Prodir unveiled new ideas for promotional pens at the PSI trade fair in Dusseldorf this month. It has come up with new designs for its DS5 model, adding a clip cover in buried wood and carbon look (pictured). It is also offering cardboard cases...