Incentive Today articles from June 2004

Incentive Today archives from June 2004

Hoover continues to haunt marketers.(Editor's note)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... It is 10 years since the owners of Hoover realised that their free-flight offer was backfiring, putting them 48 million [pounds sterling] out of pocket. BT's current offer of free flights shows that many marketers now take a more cautious...

Creative future for SMS coupons.(Letter of the month)
June 1, 2004... We've always known that the promotions industry is pushing forward in terms of new technology, but recently in the office we really feel we're part of history. The SMS coupon/voucher is an exciting prospect even for us at the unglamorous end of...

Lessons of Hoover 'fiasco'.(Letter of the month)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... For the TV documentary Trouble at the Top on Hoovergate [see page 11], we went with the BBC back to Maytag HQ [which owned Hoover Europe at the time] in Newton, Iowa. On advice, I was booked into my hotel room under an alias, only a...

Nutrinnovator.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Nutrinnovator, the health food and drink business, has carded out its first-ever live sampling campaign for the launch of its Altu bar. ID, the live brand experience agency, gave out 60,000 bars in city centres last month, communicating its...

Ocado.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Ocado, the online supermarket, has partnered with health drink company Carpe Diem to give away 10,000 samples of its herbal tea-based Kombucha drink. Ocado customers, who regularly get product samples in link-ups with other brands, receive the...

Selfridges.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Selfridges transformed its London store and the surrounding area for a month-long Brazilian experience in May. The Brazil 40 Degrees campaign featured the installation of a cinema in-store for a Brazilian film festival as well as musicians,...

Carrs Foods.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Carrs Foods carried out a nationwide promotional campaign in May for its Dee Wap buns and chocolate crepes through Manchester-based Oz Promotions. It included promotional stands, product sampling, give-aways competitions and spot prizes in over...

GFM.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... GFM has formed a partnership with ScreenSelect.co.uk, the online DVD rental operator, to create joint marketing relationships with leading high street, FMCG and media brands. The agency created the first promotion for ScreenSelect.co.uk in the...

Firebox.com.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Firebox.com, the gadget, games and gifts supplier, is promoting its new spring/summer catalogue with a 3.5 million [pounds sterling] interactive voucher give away. Each catalogue contains a unique voucher code that can be checked on the Firebox...

Marlow Foods.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Marlow Foods has appointed Fenix to handle its below-the-line marketing for its meat-free brand Quom. It will carry out activity over the summer that highlights the "choice and versatility" of the range.

Brands take cause-related marketing to heart.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Red flashing lights hidden in packs of Shredded Wheat offer an instant-win prize of a car as part of the brand's support for Heart Week. Cereal Partners UK has replaced the brand's traditional yellow packaging with red to highlight the...

Credit card prepares Buy and Fly! for growth.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The Buy and Fly! points-based travel reward programme is expected to attract new partners after agreeing a link-up with global finance giant Morgan Stanley. The banking group's UK credit card operation has revealed that it is to start...

Penguin spins link with Spiderman.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... United Biscuits UK and Sony Pictures have launched a promotional tie-up with the new Spiderman 2 movie across the McVitie's Penguin brand. The campaign features on special packs of Penguin biscuit and cake products from the start of this...

Shopping in style for Lux relaunch.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Women have the chance to appear as a magazine covergirl as part of an experiential and sampling campaign to relaunch Lux. The Lux Star Quality Tour is at the heart of a below-the-line campaign developed by Dynamo for the cleansing brand's...

Avon tackles ding-dong over phone promotion.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Beauty giant Avon has been trying to rebuild relationships with its customers after a promotion offering a free mobile phone backfired. Consumers who spent 15 [pounds sterling] or more on Avon's Anew range of skincare products were offered...

MP calls for crackdown on baby food promotions.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Marketers could face tougher rules on promotions for baby food to parents alter the launch of a new lobbying campaign. MP Lynne Jones has called on the government to tighten up codes on the advertising and marketing of breastmilk...

Chorion builds on success of Noddy.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The success of Enid Blyton's Noddy has prompted the property's owner, Chorion, to look at developing licensing opportunities for more of the author's creations. The Toytown character, who first appeared 55 years ago, continues to be...

Aussie wine goes on tour with 'barbies'.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Australian wine brand Banrock Station is to run a barbecue themed summer sampling campaign through RPM designed to build on the brand's sponsorship of National BBQ Week. Starting in early July, the Banrock Station Experience will tour 36...

AirMiles Travel Company.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... AirMiles Travel Company is to run promotions with its partners in its new quarterly interactive magazine on CD-Rom, BeyondTravel, which has been launched in the UK. The first issue features a skills-based competition for a seven-night Kenya...

Odeon.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Odeon is offering cinema-goers an exclusive DVD about the making of the movie, The Day After Tomorrow, if they go online to buy a pair of tickets to see it. The promotion is a partnership with 20th Century Fox, which released the film on May...

The Chartered Institute of Marketing.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The Chartered Institute of Marketing has launched an online source of marketing information, the Knowledge Hub, as part of its new membership benefits package. It features business journals, market reports, periodicals and company profiles. ...

Video Networks.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Video Networks has appointed RPM to run a face-to-face campaign to promote the reliability of its Homechoice broadband and digital TV package. The brand experience agency sent teams into shopping centres and railway stations last month with...

BBC Magazines.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... BBC Magazines has chosen Flytxt as its exclusive mobile partner for promotions in its teen titles, Top of the Pops Magazine, It's Hot! and Dare. It intends to increase the interactivity of editorial, including competitions, and use data to...

Mediaedge:cia.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Mediaedge:cia has published a survey that shows that three-quarters of consumers claim that word of mouth is their main influence when deciding on what to buy. Only 15 per cent of people put advertising in first place. Mediaedge:cia suggested...

The Marketing Communications Consultants Association.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The Marketing Communications Consultants Association has promoted its director, Scott Knox, to the title of managing director. Scott has led the body's development over the past 18 months after joining from the Institute of Sales Promotion,...

Virgin Holidays.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Virgin Holidays is set to appoint integrated agency Kitcatt Nohr as sole agency for its 3 million [pounds sterling] above and below-the-line account, unifying advertising and marketing that were previously handled by four different agencies.

'Fruit police' create theatre for product launch.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... "Fruit police" dressed in bright lime green suits and armed with truncheons are generating "noise and fun" to promote a new chewy sweet, Fruittella Juice Wave. Field marketers from Reload Marketing aim to turn the brand sampling activity...

Duracell powers up with holiday give-away.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Duracell is to run a text-to-win promotion offering "colour-themed" holidays to highlight its newly introduced coding for batteries. There will be five prizes, each reflecting the colours that help consumers to select the correct battery...

Western Union builds loyalty with cash prizes.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Money transfer company Western Union Financial Services is offering cash prizes in a promotion aimed at building loyalty among customers in the UK. Fifty people will get the chance to win 1,000 [pounds sterling] each with secondary prizes...

Castrol promises passion of Grand Prix.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Castrol is running an on-pack promotion on its lubrication products in markets around the globe to exploit its sponsorship of the BMW Williams Formula 1 Team. The Join The Pit Crew promotion has been developed by Dialogue to "communicate...

Arc wheels in top cyclist for European promotion.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Performance bike supplier Trek Bicycle Corporation is running an in-store promotion offering the chance to take to the road with top cyclist Lance Armstrong. Arc Marketing has developed a pan-European campaign to take in 11 different...

Text flirting first for Cornetto Love Potions.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Wall's is using new mobile phone technology in a text promotion to support the launch of six new Cornetto Love Potions flavours. The "Txt-A-Tease" campaign involves phone users sending flirtatious messages to their friends along with a...

SP begins summer of press promotions.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... SP Partnerships put together a package of free products and discount offers to support Loaded magazine's aim to give readers the "Summer of Your Life". The polybagged June issue, which came out last month, provided a "Passport to...

Bank rewards customers with party events.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... ING Direct is marking its first birthday by giving its customers a chance to win tickets to a series of exclusive events throughout the summer. Devised by marketing communications agency Hicklin Slade & Partners, the campaign includes...

Events.(News)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
June 1, 2004... June June 18 ITMA SummeRun Battersea Park, London Organised by ITMA 01737 779928 www.itma-online.org June 22 Seminar on crisis and risk management London Organised by ITMA 01737 779928 ...

Penguin gives books sex appeal.(Promotions of the month)
June 1, 2004... Penguin Books has partnered with major retailers to drive sales among young men by telling them they will increase their chances of meeting women if they pick up a book. Marketing agency Angel has created a programme of promotional...

Green shoots of recovery?(ISP perspective: the latest views from the Institute of Sales Promotion)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The promotional marketing industry has suffered since 9/11. The events of 2001 had an immediate effect on the marketing world in general. Promotional budget slashing was severe and immediate, but it concentrated minds on action. For some it was...

Pringles brings in top footballers for Euro 2004.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Procter & Gamble is exploiting the link between snacking and watching football on TV with an on-pack promotion on its Pringles brand. It is giving consumers a chance to win a day with players from its own selected 11-strong Dream Team of...

Fruit drinks endorse healthy lifestyles.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Belvoir Fruit Farms has launched on-pack promotions linking its pure fruit cordials and Presse brands with healthy outdoor activities such as tennis. Consumers can use one proof of purchase of the cordials to claim a voucher that will...

Carling extends consumer campaign to trade.(News)(Carling Brewing Co.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Carling is taking its Love Football consumer promotion into cash and carry outlets this summer to incentivise its trade customers. Brand owner Coors Brewers has partnered with Booker to offer the chance to win one of 100 special Carling...

Video games get stuck in.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Games company Electronic Arts (EA)is promoting its official licensed products for the Euro 2004 tournament through a link-up with Panini sticker albums. The deal involves a feature on EA's official Euro 2004 video game in the centre of the...

Marketers reminded to beware the 'Hoover effect'.(News)
June 1, 2004... A new TV documentary on the disastrous Hoover free flights give-away has reminded marketers how they can be caught out if promotions turn out to be too popular. BBC2's Trouble at the Top traced how Hoover Europe, then owned by US giant...

BT avoids Hoover-style fiasco.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... BT has learnt lessons from the Hoover fiasco by taking measures to minimise any risk from its current offer of a free flight for anyone buying its broadband products. Anyone signing up to one of the packages before June 20 receives a...

Nectar give-away highlights partners.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Rewards programme Nectar is launching a nationwide summer campaign giving consumers the chance to win one of more than 10,000 prizes. The promotion, developed by Dynamo Marketing, involves 13 sponsors and aims to highlight the range of...

New loyalty card heats up UK market.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... A new loyalty card solution has been launched in the UK which uses heat-activated technology to display how many points have been earned. Visible Results is marketing its "thermo-chromic" card at retailers to allow them to reward customers...

Spending on SP set to rise further.(News)(Sales Promotion)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Spending on sales promotion is set to rise over the next 12 months as part of an overall revival in companies' marketing budgets. The quarterly Bellwether Report revealed that sales promotion budgets have been revised upwards across all...

Agencies predict upturn in income.(News)(Marketing Communication Consultants Association)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Marketing agencies expect an upturn in income this year after they reported an increase in client budgets. The CAF Agency Barometer for the first three months of this year showed that 51 per cent of respondents reported an increase in...

New service to link UK promoters with USA.(News)(United Kingdom)(United States of America)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... A new partnering programme will help members of the British Promotional Merchandise Association (BPMA) to meet US buyers. The initiative aims to help them to establish their products in North America and represent American companies in the...

Celebrity sells by Hamish Pringle.(Book Review)
June 1, 2004... Whether it's a chance to go shopping with Trinny and Susannah or an opportunity to play football with David Beckham, the lure of fame has been at the heart of many sales promotions. In his new book, Celebrity Sells, Hamish Pringle, director...

US motivation giant enters UK.(News)
June 1, 2004... OC Tanner, one of the world's leading players in employee motivation, has gained a foothold in the UK with the acquisition of B2B Initiatives. The takeover will also support the growth and development of the Hertfordshire-based business,...

Brands reach bar staff through new tool.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Food and drinks brands are being offered a new marketing channel for incentivising staff working in bars and pubs. Lock-in is a product accessed through 4,000 networked Itbox games terminals that are already in place in outlets across the...

Reward managers 'highest paid in HR'.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The value of motivation programmes to British companies means that reward managers have the best-paid jobs in the personnel profession, according new research. Croner Reward, which compiles pay and benefits data, found that managers...

Cottrills grows with new client and incentive solution.(News)
June 1, 2004... Thresher Group, which operates 2,000 off-licences across the UK, has introduced a motivation scheme for its 13,000 employees to reward long service. It has appointed Cottrills to supply and manage the programme which recognises 10, 25 and...

Marketers grab a grand for giving added value.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Staff at Alcone Marketing Group are being offered a 1,000 [pounds sterling] reward every month if they have used their initiative to give clients added value. The Grab a Grand scheme encourages employees to nominate themselves or their...

'Guardian angels' tackle staff turnover.(News)(Kwik-Fit Financial Services)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... A financial services provider is offering incentives to employees in a new mentoring scheme aimed at reducing staff turnover at its call centre. Kwik-Fit Financial Services, based in Glasgow, offers people the chance to be a "guardian...

Online ordering for Capital.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Capital Incentives & Motivation has introduced an online system that allows companies to order rewards 24 hours a day. The new service for employers running incentive schemes includes opportunities to view the status of an order and look...

New player to offer experience incentives.(News)
June 1, 2004... MKM Marketing and Promotions is moving into the experience incentive market with the launch of a new business called Yippee!. The offers range from a 30 [pounds sterling] Howling Experience, where participants can get close to nature with a...

Relaxing at Champneys' urban spa.(Experience profile)
June 1, 2004... Activity: Pampering and relaxation Supplier: Champneys Health Resorts Champneys is probably the best-known name when it comes to spas. The group is now made up of four retreats, offering luxury treatments and facilities in peaceful...

Leisure trip: Jane Bristow talks to Mark Ludmon about taking over as managing director of Leisure Vouchers.(People)
June 1, 2004... Leisure has been a way of life for Jane Bristow for the past 20 years. She joined Whitbread, then a brewer and pub company, as a graduate management trainee and has stayed at the company through its transformation into a "leisure business"....

DLKW Dialogue.(Moves)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Paul Biggins has taken over as chief executive of DLKW Dialogue to spearhead the agency's move into promotional marketing. He was chief executive of Tequila\London for two years and previously set up Tequila\Manchester.

Integrated agency 141 Worldwide.(Moves)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Integrated agency 141 Worldwide has appointed William McDonald to the newly created post of managing partner to oversee its new global account Kodak EAMEA. He has joined from sister WPP agency Dialogue. Previously he ran IMP's European network...

Licensing agency Copyright Promotions Licensing Group.(Moves)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Licensing agency Copyright Promotions Licensing Group has appointed Vickie O'Malley as managing director of its UK subsidiary, Copyright Promotions. She joined the company two years ago as retail manager and was promoted to retail and sales...

Tequila\London.(Moves)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Nick Schanche has been promoted at Tequila\London to creative director to replace Sean Moore, who left in January. He joined the agency more than five years ago and was most recently deputy creative director.

SP Partnerships.(Moves)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... SP Partnerships has expanded its team with two senior marketers, Andrea Dearden and Nigel Cullen. Dearden previously handled marketing communications for Baileys, Norwich Union and 30 St Mary Axe, better known as the Gherkin. She was previously...

Maritz.(Moves)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Chantal Orlik is taking on the new role of director of UK sales at Maritz, responsible for centralising the UK company's sales effort. She currently heads Maritz's customer loyalty division, which she will combine with her new role. She was...

Solo.(Moves)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Promotional giftware supplier Solo has appointed Kelly Pearson as sales administrator. She previously worked at Special EFX.

Castelli Diaries.(Moves)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Colin Cowan, the founder director of Castelli Diaries, has moved to parent company, Italian-based Lediberg, to become chief executive for English-speaking markets, including the UK. Mark Poland has been promoted to managing director of Castelli...

Cause-Related Marketing Competition 2004.(CRM Competition)(Cover Story)
June 1, 2004... Incentive Today and the Institute of Sales Promotion (ISP) have joined forces to push for greater interest and understanding in cause-related marketing (CRM) among promotional marketing agencies. The fourth annual Cause-Related Marketing...

Campaigns with a kick: never mind the Olympics or Wimbledon, the king prawn on this year's sporting summer barbecue is Euro 2004. Ben McFarland looks at what's cooking.(Football)
June 1, 2004... If Sven-Goran Erikkson's men return to Blighty with the Euro 2004 trophy under their collective arm, the celebrations that are sure to follow will make the Rugby World Cup merriment look like a chimpanzees' tea party. That football's status has...

First contact: with consumers expecting increasing levels of customer service, call centres are coming up with sophisticated methods for motivating staff.(Call Centres)
June 1, 2004... As British industry rapidly moves towards a service-oriented environment and the focus switches from regional offices to call centre operations, there are new challenges for improving staff performance. Consumers judge a brand or a company on...

Hotel staff go for gold: Claridge's was losing its way in the late 1990s but Savoy Group director of human resources Sara Edwards says a broad strategic programme changed behaviour and performance.(Case Study)
June 1, 2004... Claridge's in London's Mayfair is one of the world's top hotels but back in the late 1990s it was being left behind in an increasingly competitive market. Its owner, the Savoy Group, set out to change staff behaviour and performance through a...

People behind the brand: you can't build an effective brand unless your people actively support it. Andrew Burnyeat discovers how to achieve this.(Brand Building)
June 1, 2004... Two great leaders of Britain's branded pub and restaurant trade once shared a platform for a set-piece debate which neatly captured the dilemma facing employers past and present. Tim Martin, founder and chairman of JD Wetherspoon, presented the...

Getting engaged: Andrew Reid, head of creative planning at Archer Young, explains how to make sure events genuinely motivate staff.(Opinion)
June 1, 2004... Differentiating your brand, encouraging new ideas and leveraging relationships across often far-flung operations, are critical factors in gaining a competitive edge. Live events, contrary to their theatrical roots, can galvanise these powerful...

Judging a brand by its covers: calendars, diaries and books can be branded from cover to cover and can guarantee a lifespan of at least a year, providing a level of exposure that many pay millions for.(Diaries)
June 1, 2004... Practicality, versatility and staying power are all qualities associated with successful incentives. Finding them wrapped up neatly in a single product is something of a dream for buyers, but it can be a reality. Calendars and diaries tick all...

Keeping costs down at a premium: from Duracell bunnies to fly swats with a hole in, low-cost premiums and promotions are far from limited to the cheap and boring. Catherine Chetwynd uncovers a whole world of low-cost creativity.(Premiums)
June 1, 2004... As any promoter knows, cheap does not have to be nasty and it is certainly not necessary to spend an arm and a leg for a company to raise its profile. The number of small plastic figures in cereal packets is testimony to that. Ensure your...

Turn up the heat.(Product Showcase)(Firebrand Promotions)(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
June 1, 2004... USB ports on your computer are not just for linking up to printers. They can now be used for warming up your tea or coffee. Firebrand Promotions has come up with a mini hot-pad which plugs into the USB port and keeps drinks warm for longer. It...

Pen is mightier.(Product Showcase)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... A new pen has been launched in the UK that promises to be "the most significant development in traditional pen technology" since the launch of the Biro in 1945. The Yoropen has an offset nib that means pressure is exerted directly above the pen...

Ball point pen.(Product Showcase)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... A pen that doubles up as a bouncy ball has been developed by Seven Towns, the owner of the Rubik's brand. The Bounce Pen is full colour on both sides and two colours on both sides of the barrel. As the Tweenies show, left, it can be branded....

Losing your marbles.(Product Showcase)(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
June 1, 2004... Marbles are not just for kids. A new executive toy, Marble Racer, uses them for a simple but addictive racing game. It is made up of towers and track slotted together, and the competing marbles are sent on their way from a starting gate at the...

In a sweeter key.(Product Showcase)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Two-in-one products seem to be the fashion at the moment. From Belgium's Best comes a keyring that is also a container for holding about 80 mints or about 18 multi-coloured jelly beans. The tins measure 67mm by 38mm by 14mm plus a ring of 28mm...

On the ball.(Product Showcase)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... A line-up of football-related promotional items and incentive gifts have been put into play by Next Business to Business in time for the Euro 2004 tournament. An inflatable, and apparently kickable, referee is part of the range, which also...

A taste of glamour.(Product Showcase)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The vintage British Pullman carriages of the Orient Express are the venue for a new dinner and party package suitable for rewarding staff and customers. Called simply The Dinner, it is an evening trip that offers champagne cocktails and fine...

Kitsch corner.(Backside)(Biography)
June 1, 2004... Tony Aiello, creative director at the Yellow Submarine, longs for the return of Airfix figures Ah, life was so much more simple then. Society was split along simple lines of class division--upper, working and middle, but not necessarily in...

El Tel tells all for Pub Football Week.(Backside)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... It's back--bigger and better than I before!"--that was the promise on Diary's invite to the launch of National Pub Football Week, and we weren't disappointed. The idea of Lords Promotions' National Pub Football Week is a good one. Pub....