Incentive Today articles from October 2003

Incentive Today archives from October 2003

EU digs its own grave?(Editor's note)(Editorial)
October 1, 2003... If the rationale behind the Government's "wait and see" policy on the single currency is that, given time, the EU will implode or become utterly unpalatable to the UK populus (thus removing the need for a referendum), it is looking increasingly...

In defence of mega-money prizes.(Letter of the month)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2003... Isn't Nigel Ashdown in the wrong industry if he considers that the public view mega-money prizes with cynicism (IT September 2003, page 18)? It is a mistake to compare the public's perception of sales promotions to their relationship with the...

Gift vouchers: an alternative perspective.(Comment/Editor's note, letters & diary)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2003... As the UK market leader in vouchers we were interested to read the article in your July/August issue (page 36). Our expertise suggests that retailers want innovative proposals to grow the sales and profitability of vouchers as a key...

Diary.(Comment)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
October 1, 2003... 28-29 October Brand Licensing Biggest ever UK licensing show, featuring entertainment, fashion, sport and much more Venue: Earls Court 2 Organiser: Advanstar Tel: 020 8987 0936 www.brandlicensingexpo.com 30 October...

Marlow International.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Marlow International has won a contract from world football authority FIFA to act as preferred premium supplier for the 2006 World Cup Finals tournament, to be held in Germany. The company will work with 15 sponsors of the tournament to supply...

I Want One of Those.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... I Want One of Those has been highly commended at the Small & Medium Sized Business Awards--part of the National Business Awards, which were described by Chancellor Gordon Brown as "the Oscars of the business community". The owner-operated...

Macmillan Children's Books.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Macmillan Children's Books teamed up with Flytxt to launch a mobile marketing campaign to promote the release of 'The Princess Diaries' mark five. Activity aimed to raise awareness of the new series amongst existing text club members and the...

The Royal Bank of Scotland.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The Royal Bank of Scotland has become one of the first to use a new programme of free flights from TLC Marketing, selecting the promotion to target its student client base. The incentive product offers "unconditional" free return flights to 10...

Pink Ribbon.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Pink Ribbon magazine gave away a souvenir goodie-bag made from Jute supplied by Canby as part of its charity fundraising launch party at the end of September. The 'Night of Fashion' event, which was sponsored by Gossard, is understood to have...

Mercedes.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Mercedes is offering selected tradesmen 50 [pounds sterling] cash as an incentive to take a test drive of new Vito model, in a campaign devised by Maher Bird. A specially designed mailer went out in September to raise awareness of the offer...

Fulham Football Club.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Fulham Football Club has launched a revamped website (www.fulhamfc.com) designed to increase sales and traffic through onsite promotions and targeted EDM. The site was redesigned by Liquorice on a payment-by-results basis, and sells a range of...

EU ban on SP activity moves one step closer.(European Promotional Marketing Alliance hopes of passing sales promotion legislation)(Brief article)
October 1, 2003... The European Promotional Marketing Alliance's (EPMA) quest to secure liberalisation of sales promotion legislation across the EU is hanging by a thread this Autumn. This follows the failure of the outgoing Greek presidency to secure a...

Kids see red in impulse outlets.(News)
October 1, 2003... Tizer is inviting its customers to 'Get Caught Red Handed' with a promotion through Blue Chip Marketing featuring both consumer and trade incentives designed to boost sales within impulse outlets. The campaign, which runs throughout...

KitKat opts for SMS to promote Kubes launch.(News)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Nestle teamed up with Aerodeon for the second time this year to launch a teaser SMS sampling campaign to create anticipation around the launch of the latest KitKat brand extension, KitKat Kubes. Activity was scheduled to coincide with the...

Kingsmill puts its dough into CRM.(News)(Customer relationship management)
October 1, 2003... Kingsmill aims to reach the UK's sport-playing population of 29 million with a 15 million [pounds sterling] cause related marketing effort through Dialogue, which has been billed as the bakery sector's biggest ever on-pack campaign. The...

Lunchables promotes positioning with choice prizes.(News)(Kraft uses the services of Billington Cartmell to launch Simpsons campaign)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Kraft Foods has tapped into the popularity of one of TV's favourite families with a nationwide The Simpsons-themed instant win campaign to promote its Diarylea Lunchables brand to mums and kids during the key 'back to school' period. ...

Carlsberg.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Carlsberg has created a campaign through Billington Cartmell to leverage the brand's sponsorship of Liverpool Football Club and reach existing and potential drinkers. Activity will run across a number of countries and includes on and off-trade...

Hellmann's Snack Sauces.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Hellmann's Snack Sauces is running sampling and POS activity to raise awareness of its new range of four takeaway flavour variants. The themed campaign was designed by Dialogue Marketing to reflect the brown paper bags used by many takeaway...

Yoplait Dairy Crest.(Toucan has designed the Fimbles Fruit Finders campaign for this license)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Yoplait Dairy Crest has secured the rights to the characters of BBC TV series The Fimbles for promotional and packaging activity for its chilled yogurts and deserts. Toucan has designed the Fimbles Fruit Finders campaign to leverage this...

Game.(Parallel Promotions appointed as retail agency to develop promotions)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Game--the specialist video game retailer with 340 outlets in the UK and Eire, has appointed Parallel Promotions as its retailed agency to develop promotions with third party partners. The objective will be to enhance Game's brand, and drive...

The Direct Marketing Association.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has voiced its concern over the Department of Trade & Industry's (DTI) announcement that it will allow companies to register with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) from mid-2004. The announcement...

P&MM.(Product and Marketing Manager)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... P&MM has launched a new range of holiday vouchers called Round the World Holiday Cheques, designed for consumer-focused promotional campaigns. A range of discounted holiday offers are available under the brand umbrella.

Pilkington.(marketing drive for self-cleaning glass)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Pilkington--the glass manufacturer, appointed FDS to launch a field marketing drive to boost sales of its self-cleaning glass, Pilkington Activ. The campaign targets 1500 UK window companies initially via a 10-day telemarketing push offering a...

Siemens Mobile looks to superheroes for super Christmas sales.(News / Promotion of the month)
October 1, 2003... Siemens Mobile is unleashing the power of the X-Men to drive sales of its MC60 prepay handset in the crucial pre-Christmas period. Consumers buying an MC60 at branches of Morrisons, Asda, Index, Comet, Woolworths and Blockbuster between...

Time called on over-indulgence.(ISP Perspective)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... There is no doubt that the Government is now seriously thinking of curbing advertising and promotional activity in the areas of alcohol and junk food. The ISP's view is that the "if" has now turned to "when". Both issues can be easily...

M&S launches voucher-based loyalty programme.(News)(Marks and Spencer PLC)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Marks & Spencer has completed the reinvention of its marketing strategy with the launch of its first customer loyalty programme. The retailer--whose recent marketing renaissance has been responsible for a dramatic improvement in its...

Loyalty schemes fail at communication, says Argos research.(News)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Loyalty programmes are failing to maximise their effectiveness because of poor communication. This is the chief conclusion of a study into UK customer loyalty by Argos Business Solutions, which found that a quarter of programme members fail to...

Nectar hits first year targets and is poised for further growth.(News)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Loyalty programme Nectar is celebrating its first birthday with the news that it has achieved its target of signing up 50 percent of all UK households--totalling 12 million. According to Loyalty Management UK (LMUK) which runs Nectar, there...

Brylcreem gels with SMS for first time.(News)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Sara Lee has made its first foray into mobile marketing with a text-based sampling campaign for Brylcreem to support the launch of Ultragel, a new range of male hair-styling products. The promotion through Aerodeon, which aims to encourage...

Palmolive adopts a sensible strategy to push new products.(News)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Palmolive has taken an olfactory approach to promoting the latest addition to its Aromatherapy range, Palmolive Aromatherapy Shower Mousse. The brand owner has teamed up with The Aroma Co to enable consumers to experience the Anti- Stress...

Air Miles.(House of Fraser launch supported by Air Miles)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Air Miles helped to support the launch of the new House of Fraser store in the City of London last month by offering customers the chance to win a three-night trip for two to Now York on one of Concorde's last flights. Shoppers using their...

GBL International.(GBL International Ltd.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... GBL International has launched a field marketing campaign for VK Vodka Kick, which represents the first step of a major drive to raise awareness of the brand at street level across Scotland. Ten Hackney taxis were emblazoned with VK pep-art in...

Touch Incentive Marketing BV.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Touch Incentive Marketing BV--the European loyalty programme provider--has developed a joint venture with TLC Marketing which will allow it to offer consumer incentives to its clients on the continent. In return TLC will have a platform to...

Brita Water Filters.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Brita Water Filters is supplying 'Stress Rescue' packs as part of a health-themed promotion running in October. The company is giving away a variety of stress-relieving tools through the campaign, including aroma-therapy candles from Yankee...

POPAI.(Point Of Purchase Advertising Inetrnational and Pia produce report)
October 1, 2003... POPAI (Point Of Purchase Advertising International) and Pia have produced what it claims is the first ever comprehensive and authoritative report on the current status of the 1 billion [pounds sterling] POP market in the UK. For more...

Bookfile.(operated by Aspect Marketing begins mailing launch for book publishers)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Bookfile--the specialist promotional mailing service for book publishers operated by Aspect Marketing Services--has kicked off a joint mailing to more than 3500 booksellers in the UK to stimulate pre-Christmas orders for publishers. Bookfile...

British Racing Drivers.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... British Racing Drivers club has implemented a card-based incentive programme for drivers at the Silverstone racing circuit in Northants, designed to encourage them to use facilities at the clubhouse. The solution was devised by Databac and...

Interfocus jumps on brand experience bandwagon.(News)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Interfocus has become the latest agency to launch a brand experience subsidiary. Called Involve, it will be headed up by Fergus Ross, who has been recruited from Evo Communications, to manage a team of four. Involve has two launch clients: The...

Warburtons plays 'Happy Families' with customers.(News)(Blue Chip Marketing creates promotion)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Family bakers Warburtons is seeking to increase loyalty and bring in new customers with its largest ever on-pack promotion, entitled 'Happy Families'. It was devised by Blue Chip Marketing. The campaign features on 38 million promotional...

Blockbuster tours UK to capture future consumers.(News)(target marketing of students)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Blockbuster plans to bag a share of the lucrative student market with a promotional campaign through The Communications Agency scheduled to take in 40 Fresher Fairs at universities throughout the UK. Two brand ambassadors and two local...

Surf makes third attempt to clean up at multiples.(News)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Lever Faberge has completed its third consecutive experiential campaign for Surf as part of a major effort to communicate the brand's '99' stain promise and drive up sales. The Surf Who's Been Stained?' initiative followed on from the...

BITC throws down the CRM gauntlet to agencies.(News)(Business in the Community)(cause related marketing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Business in the Community (BITC) is to challenge agencies to raise the bar in cause related marketing (CRM) at its annual conference on October 30th. The conference agenda for 2003 is designed to illustrate the key role which agencies play in...

Online gooner.(New media file)
October 1, 2003... Football really isn't my bag. It was a combination of my boyfriend's allegiance to Arsenal and being at a loss as to what to give him for his birthday, which led me to visit the Arsenal website for the first time. It was during this visit,...

A new era for coupons? Brands are set to take advantage of the UK's obsession with SMS and growing web-literacy for their couponing activities, reinvigorating this most traditional of promotional tools and slashing misredemption. Joel Harrison investigates.(Promotions / Coupons)
October 1, 2003... The coupon may appear to the uninitiated to be a primitive, unsophisticated and even downright tacky form of promotional marketing that came out of the ark, but it remains highly effective and intensively used. Around five billion coupons were...

A license to thrill: worth $178 billion worldwide but only 7 million [pounds sterling] in the UK, there is enormous potential for licensing in Britain. But just as the opportunities are huge, so are some of the pitfalls.(Promotions / Licensing)
October 1, 2003... Successfully bucking the general economic trend, licensing is one of the fastest growing marketing phenomena in the UK. Once an industry focusing primarily on entertainment, licensing is expanding to include lifestyles, trademarks and corporate...

AstraZeneca takes sales motivation online with I Love Incentives.(Motivation / News & Comment)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca has signed up to use online motivation solution Azpiration, developed and managed by I Love Incentives, for product launches into 2004. The solution has been used for the launch of five high-profile drug...

Voucher sales hit new heights.(Motivation / News & comment)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The size of the UK voucher market has grown to a record 1.18[pound sterling] billion, according to the latest figures from industry trade body the Voucher Association. This represents a year-or-year increase of 6.8 percent. Corporate sales...

ISP opens its doors to motivation agencies.(Motivation / News & comment)(Institute of Sales Promotion)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The Institute of Sales Promotion (ISP) is seeking to open dialogue with the growing motivation agency community, with a view to offering them trade association representation. This follows ongoing dialogue through the letters page of Incentive...

Comment.(Motivation / News & comment)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The motivation sector appears to be flourishing, the latest research from the Voucher Association (see below left) and the Incentive Today agency survey (pill) are to be believed. Growth in voucher sales outstripped the UK economy as a whole,...

Stateside motivation.(Motivation / news)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... A regular Look at staff motivation practice across the pond The past two years in the US incentive industry have been marked by a growth in the introduction of enterprise-wide reward and recognition programmes. This trend has even developed...

ITMA Forum focuses on the growing role of procurement.(Motivation / News)(Incentive Travel & Meetings Association)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The ITMA sought to generate greater understanding between the motivators and procurement managers through its second ITMA Forum Event, held at the M&IT Show on October 8th. The association (formerly known as the Incentive Travel & Meetings...

Capital aims to ease reward management with Synergis.(Motivation / News)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Capital Incentives has launched a management solution for companies of all sizes using vouchers to motivate staff, distributors or customers. The solution is called Synergis, and is already in use amongst a number of Capital's clients,...

Agencies support charity expedition to the bottom of the world.(Motivation / News)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Muscular Dystrophy charity Muscle Help is looking for more support from the incentives and event sectors for its Pole2pole expedition, which aims to raise money and awareness of the condition. It is the brainchild of Michael McGrath--formerly...

BT Retail rolls out Inca for two extra business units.(Motivation / News)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... BT Retail has extended it use of the Inca incentive compensation management system to four operating divisions, encompassing 2500 employees. The system, developed and installed by Practique Associates, went live at BT Indirect Channels and...

Grass Roots tops the poll as UK's biggest motivation house.(Motivation / Agency survey)
October 1, 2003... The first ever survey of motivation agencies has revealed that the sector is healthy and growing strongly, with all respondents reporting increases of 22 and 23 percent in gross profit and turnover respectively. In the same period staff numbers...

Work/life balance: is it merely spin or the new reality?(Motivation / Soapbox)
October 1, 2003... In August a national newspaper ran a feature where Government ministers lamented the fact that their duties impacted on their ability to spend holiday time with their families. In its context it was as usual a defensive strategy but no doubt...

The world beneath your feet.(Experience profile)
October 1, 2003... Supplier: Balloons Over Britain Activity: Hour and a half balloon flight Location: Balloons Over Britain is a co-operative of 11 specialist Suppliers who offer flights across the ole of the UK Cost: From 155[pound sterling] per...

P&MM simplifies motivation for Microwarehouse: IT reseller Microwarehouse wanted to consolidate various motivation campaigns from different manufacturers into a single measureable and manageable programme. It tasked agency P&MM to achieve this.(Motivation / Case study)(P&MM Ltd.)
October 1, 2003... Microwarehouse is an IT reseller that had previously received numerous vendor (manufacturer) driven incentives. Typically centred around one-off SPIF days (sales performance improvement forum) that focused on short-term results, rewarding top...

A glimpse of the future: how will organisations be motivating their staff in the year 2010? Without the luxury of a crystal ball, Jo Ellsworth crossed the palms of some key industry players to get their predictions.(Motivation / In 2010)
October 1, 2003... Just as a big brother state of the Orwellian kind failed to make an appearance in 1984, the year 2010 is unlikely to herald intelligent life in the form of floating monoliths, as depicted in Arthur C. Clarke's futuristic space story. But seven...

Service with a smile: The extremely mixed workforce, varied working hours and sometimes high staff turnover, makes the retail sector one of the most challenging environments for motivation programmes. But as Catherine Chetwynd reports, it is fundamental in ensuring customer satisfaction. (Motivation / Retail).
October 1, 2003... Motivating staff in the retail sector is a complex challenge. Targeting full and part-time staff equally is essential, since more part-time employees are taken on during peak periods; and a broad mixture of media is also required to embrace...

New voucher travels further.(Advertorial)
October 1, 2003... Travel vouchers can be used in numerous ways to motivate the workforce--as a sales incentive, a long service award to motivate or reward staff, or just to say thank you. They can also be used in sales promotion, to reward customer loyalty, to...

A rewarding experience, on paper: the voucher is arguably the UK's most popular incentive: but with the vast range of voucher brands available, how do motivators select the right reward for their employees? Where should they be bought from, and how should they be presented? Sharon Greaves investigates the world of vouchers.(Motivation / Buying Vouchers)
October 1, 2003... Offering vouchers as the trophy of choice has become an almost foolproof motivation tool for companies looking to either change the behaviour of employees, spur them to reach higher levels of achievement or thank them for a job well done. ...

Vouchers: looking for the ideal reward for your staff? Incentive Today's voucher listing will help you select the right brand for your needs.(Motivation / Voucher listing)(Directory)
October 1, 2003... Arcadia Vouchers Arcadia Group Limited are the biggest fashion retailer on the high street providing gift vouchers for incentive, reward and loyalty programmes. Contact: Linda Luckeeram, marketing executive Email:...

An oldie but a goodie: innovative ideas and executions put premium promotions in the forefront of sales enhancing techniques. Robin Cobb explores what keeps an aged concept popular and successful.(Product focus / Premiums)
October 1, 2003... Premium offers are among the oldest of sales promotion techniques. Nevertheless, far from becoming tired and worn out, with fresh tweaks they continue to exploit the lure of something-for-nothing. They come in many guises--as...

Playing the field: to be effective in today's working environment you need to be fit and you need to be able to relax. What better way to incentivise people than to give them something which helps them do this? Sara Goodwins investigates sports incentives.(Products focus / Sports incentives)
October 1, 2003... Nine out of ten people in the UK claim to enjoy watching or participating in sport. Most of them talk about which sports they enjoy. Marketeers tapping into such enthusiasm can use sports-related promotional rewards to appeal to most ages and...

You can keep your hat on.(Showcase!)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Promotional caps and hats are one of the most effective ways of getting your brand message across at outdoor events--where would Formula 1, in particular, be without them? However, most weren't designed to cope with the idiosyncrasies of...

Memories are made of this.(Showcase!)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Obviously all incentives must stick in the memory, and what could be more memorable than a memory stick?! Boom-boom! Sorry. But seriously, as anyone who knows anything about computers will know, memory is all-important. You are stuffed without...

A good catch.(Showcase!)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Wading in knee-height river water for hours at a time wearing a tweed cap is not what everyone regards as fun, but there are an alarming number of people in Britain who can think of few better ways to spend their spare time. They are known to...

Pop-up loved ones.(Best Buy!)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... We all like to keep pictures of loved-ones close to us, but somehow those stuffed into a wallet that get battered and dog-eared don't do them justice. A new solution is this LCD alarm clock-come-photo-frame, which allows two photos to be stored...

Animal magic.(Best Buy!)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Offices are grabby places--the amount of personal junk which people accumulate on or around their desk not only creates clutter, but prevents cleaners from giving workspaces a thorough and regular once-over. And computer screens are arguably...

The ultimate status symbol?(Best Buy!)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Luxury office products are one of the staples of the incentives industry: the prestige pen is a must-have for every high-flying company director (particularly amongst those who are so important that they no-longer have any need to do their own...

Peddling for publicity.(Backside / Q&A)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Environmentalists--and politicians eager to tap into the 'Green' sensibilities of today's voters--are often heard urging Londoners to take to their bikes to ease conjestion in the Capital. But if any had the pleasure of witnessing the recent...

Money, money, money.(Backside / Q&A)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Forget trying to win over your target with carefully selected incentives, theatrical brand experience campaigns or weird and wonderful aromas (see p.9). Incentive Today has a far superior solution: just employ the services of "The Money Man",...

Agency bullshit buzz-word(s) of the month: "Living-media".(Backside / Q&A)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Or as it is described: "Face to face or word of mouth, where messages cut through to drive sales". Source: Involve (Interfocus's new brand experience subsidiary) Backside's view: Don't give me that. It's just sampling in fancy dress....

He's behind you!(Backside / Q&A)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... In Backside's opinion, the Panto is one British tradition best left for kids who don't know any better. Each year thousands of luckless parents have to grin and bear the likes of Christopher Biggins and Bonnie Langford as they resort to an...

Q&A.(Backside / Q&A)(Brief Article)(Interview)
October 1, 2003... What is your favourite promotion? Jack Daniel's: to Celebrate Mr. Jack's birthday, the email campaign by Communicator was outstanding. What was your greatest mistake? What recently?! Writing off my Mercedes a couple of months ago...