Prize packages need to be relevant to brands and consumers, says Justine Clement of The Happy Prize Company

A typical FMCG brand’s customer retention strategy relies upon ‘buying’ loyalty with rewards, rebates and discounts.

However, in this new era of digital-based competition and customer control, customers are increasingly buying products because of a brand’s relevance to their values and needs in any given moment. So what does this mean for the future of promotional marketing?

In a rapidly evolving world, where the global marketplace is both setting the agenda and simultaneously struggling to keep up with the pace of changing behaviour, relevance and purpose are becoming the No.1 criteria from the customer’s perspective.

A (big) shift is required

Broadly speaking, what citizens crave is identity and purpose in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world.

Brands that try to use a bolt-on approach to ethics in an insincere or tokenistic way in this new environment just won’t stand the test of time. It’s both a fascinating and yet a hugely stressful topic for those in the industry, simply because the solutions and the parameters shift almost daily.

Consider this quote, for example:

“Public expectations of your company have never been greater. Society is demanding that companies, both public and private, serve a social purpose… [customers] are demanding that companies exercise leadership on a broader range of issues. Companies must ask themselves: What role do we play in the community?” Larry Fink, CEO, Black Rock

What we’re really talking about is authenticity. Yet committing to our values is actually pretty hard work because the nature of being human means we’re flawed. We all know we need to do better, but we get sidelined and often opt for the short-term, quick fix approach.

The opportunity

People’s attention spans have become more and more limited. Negative news is digested 24/7 and it’s not good for our wellbeing.

Many people now can feel like they’re losing themselves, caught up in a cycle of keeping up. They find themselves getting heavily addicted to things that take them away from the stress, alleviate the symptoms and help them forget their troubles.

So without sounding mercenary, that’s a good opportunity, isn’t it? And if we can marry authenticity with opportunity, we’re onto something.

When it comes to prize promotions, in a world that has shifted dramatically in the past few years, what’s going to help brands connect when it comes to purpose and relevance?

Up until now, options have broadly consisted of cash, vouchers, holidays, cars, experiences and even farms.

Winning cash is undoubtedly appealing, but what has always worked on a more intrinsically motivating level is connecting brand to customer using unique experiences, either as incentives to purchase or to stand out on shelf.

These must tie in with the brand’s ethos and audience appeal, be relevant, professionally delivered, high quality and align with the theme of the campaign itself. Yet in this new era of heightened consumer awareness, offering experiences that help people navigate and deal with an altogether different kind of life could be what’s required.

Just consider; many of us may still be active at 102! It’s a scary thought to some, but with personalised medicine and smart lifestyle choices, it’s a realistic and potentially exciting one, too.

Tapping into this idea through promotional marketing, it’s time see more brands designing prizes that affirm life, purpose and values beyond ego.

Experiences for living. Ones that enhance people’s lives and that reaffirm a brand’s ethos of caring for their customers and the world around them. Ones that demonstrate brands really do give a damn, and that can be the seeds of stories remembered for life.

Holidays and breaks are incredibly generous prizes. They create joy and spread happiness. But what if we took this one stage further and combined them with the potential to change someone’s life?

Brands on board

PepsiCo’s Naked Juice brand recently offered a series of wellbeing experiences that included a yoga retreat on the Isle of Wight. One of the winners told PepsiCo

“Winning this Yoga with Awareness retreat with Naked has made me extremely excited about how potentially life-changing this experience could be for me at this point in my life… The whole experience has given me a new thirst for life and I shall be eternally grateful to Naked.”

Today’s world provides an invitation to discuss something just a little bit different – an opportunity for a deeper connection to purpose and beyond.

While there are brands that change people’s day, there are many, too, who can change lives. There are some incredible examples of the good that can be achieved with on-pack campaigns that tap into more life-affirming concepts.

Persil’s “Dirt is Good” campaign is one. It encouraged kids to get out and get dirty doing activities in nature to stimulate their minds and get them being more active (and it encouraged parents to let them!).

Johnny Walker’s “Joy Will Take You further” was based on insights which showed how success is viewed by people today. It brought to life the idea that joy can be a catalyst to the progress we seek in our lives. The campaign achieved a reach of 50 countries and over 270 million consumers around the world in the first weeks of launch.

McVitie’s recently moved into the purpose arena too, with its ‘Sweeter Together’ campaign, focusing on the issue of loneliness.

Examples like this showcase the potential power mainstream brands have when it comes to creating positive shifts in behaviour.

Brands and mainstream media can undoubtedly achieve powerful, positive shifts in behaviour and create significant legacies. And if people are going to live long, fulfilling and adventurous lives in a world that’s fit for purpose, it’s incumbent on brands to get involved.

So what does your brand want? To be remembered for a day – or for life?

Justine Clement has created and managed many award-winning prize promotions in her 18-year career in the industry. Former CEO of Unmissable, she is now founder of creative prize management agency, The Happy Prize Company. Working with progressive brands in the UK and Europe, the company have handled strategy and prize management for many high-profile on-pack campaigns in recent years. A longer version of this article can be found on the company’s website.

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For brands and agencies today, the opportunities offered by prize promotions and incentives are truly greater than ever before, says Chris Pearson of Element London

Prize promotions are as old as the hills. From cereal-box toys to Caribbean holidays, the idea of a brand driving sales and engagement through prizes and rewards has been around for decades. However, while prize promotions and competitions are a regular component of annual marketing budgets for many FMCG brands, they have traditionally been a ‘bridesmaid’, playing a supporting role to above-the-line advertising campaigns and creative concepts. From social media giveaways to retailer overlays, prize-led activations reliably drive sales, engagement and loyalty among key target markets without necessarily being a core focus in themselves.

But that may be changing. Prize activity has been at the very forefront of Coca-Cola’s 2017 positioning across Europe, with their ‘Win a Dream Holiday’ competition taking the place of ‘Share a Coke’ across bottles throughout the summer, supported by considerable above-the-line marketing spend. Recent promotions from brands including Weetabix, Carling and Danone have taken similarly prominent roles in advertising creative.

The profile of such promotions is further multiplied by greater press coverage and, increasingly, by greater levels of attention and engagement on social media. Brands and agencies are rightly fearful of the backlash which can erupt on Facebook and Twitter when competitions are badly managed – either at the entry or fulfilment stage – but this is just one side of the coin. An innovative, original competition with aspirational prizes and an engaging entry mechanic can be great social content: fun, shareable and aesthetically attractive.

Spreading the word

While some of this social media sharing will be organic and spontaneous, there are also ways to maximise the social reach generated by competitions and promotions. Whether competitions are run on social media sites or via a dedicated promotional microsite, you can prompt consumers to share their entries on their social feeds, driving further traffic and engagement from their peers.

The entry mechanic has a vital role to play here. Asking consumers to enter via a ‘like’ for a Facebook post, or by inputting their email address on a microsite, has an appealing simplicity that is likely to drive high entry rates. But asking people to tag an Instagram photograph or upload a video can be much more valuable, in terms of creating interesting personalised content. Entry rates may be lower, but there’s the potential for your brand’s messaging to be shared and spread much more widely.

Crucially, however, the prize needs to be right. Whether it’s an on-trend destination, a hot ticket event, a quirky or unique activity, or even a bundle of designer goods, the prize needs to fit the brand’s target audience. It also needs to have the cultural cachet – by virtue of being fashionable or aspirational – to make people want to associate with it. If a person’s social media profile is the face they want to present to the world, your prize needs to fit with that face. As well as being something your target market wants, it must also be something they are happy being seen to want.

Creating content

One failsafe way to make sure your prize passes this test is by putting the choice in the hands of the consumer. From Nutella and Kleenex to Budweiser and Glenfiddich, we’ve worked on a range of promotions where winners have designed their own prizes. Ask entrants to describe their perfect day/weekend/holiday/birthday/summer – in words, pictures or video – and reward the winner by turning their entry into a reality.

In our experience, the entries make for fascinating reading. From touching stories submitted by people who want to make a dream come true for a family member, to hilariously weird and wonderful ideas about what constitutes the perfect holiday, a gallery of entries can constitute superbly entertaining content. The prizes we’ve organised for promotions of this kind range from month-long American road trips and Icelandic whale watching holidays to school trips, village fetes and even a wedding day!

In the case of winning entries, of course, the potential for social activity is huge. Having selected an interesting and engaging story to bring to life, a brand can use social media to document the whole prize experience. From the reaction on winning through to trip preparations, and finally the experience itself, why not harness the power of Facebook and Instagram to get the biggest possible reach for your prize budget? Written testimonials and photographs are great. If you can include a GoPro as part of the prize, and encourage winners to film a fun video diary, that’s even better.

Indeed, if you’re offering a prize with real novelty or entertainment value, it might even be worth enlisting a professional camera crew. Whether it’s a celebrity meet-and-greet, an adrenaline-fuelled action break or a wacky road trip adventure, a promotional video can often pay for itself. After all, we’re talking about genuine, unscripted footage of a delighted customer interacting with your brand while enjoying the experience of a lifetime. What better brand advertisement could there be?

Power and influence

With Instagram influencers and bloggers enjoying an ever-increasing profile and credibility as brand ambassadors, influencer marketing offers another interesting route to maximising the reach and visibility of your sales promotion. From fashion and food to tech and travel, if you’re offering an amazing experience for competition winners, why not reserve a space on the trip for a prominent blogger? Plenty of advance publicity while the promotion is running, live updates throughout the trip, and lots of interesting post-event content: it’s a win-win situation. Plus, with a well-matched influencer adding to the prestige and buzz around the prize experience you’re offering (particularly for youth focused brands), there’s no better way to drive engagement and excitement.

All of this can be summed up in three words: make it count. Whether it’s a limited edition product or a once-in-a-lifetime experience, a great prize promotion gives lucky customers something amazing, something to cherish and remember. So shout about it.

Chris Pearson is an Account Director at specialist prize and incentive agency Element London, which has over 30 years’ experience in delivering travel prizes, incentives, winner management and fulfilment to a range of global clients.

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Andrew Rae of incentives, rewards and prize management company The Black Tomato Agency argues for the value of rolling out the red carpet to attract and retain key customers.

There are relatively few great mysteries left unsolved in the world today. We know how the pyramids were built, we’re pretty sure that the Loch Ness Monster doesn’t want to be found and we are certain that the retention of clients is paramount to business success.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the FMCG sector, where the sheer volume of available options means that brands have to do their utmost to achieve two crucially important goals: the first is to immediately, at the point of purchase, distinguish themselves from their competitors. The second is to do what you can, at all costs, to foster brand loyalty. Account teams across the land are constantly set the challenge of turning a consumer into a fan.

In the incentive and rewards industry, we are regularly asked the same two questions: “what can we do to retain our customers?” and “how can we stand out from the crowd?”

The second question is relatively simple for us to answer; the former is more of a complex beast. Does brand loyalty still play a part in your customer’s purchasing decision? Are customers too cynical and time-poor to be swayed by incentives?

Reward to Retain

The conventional offers or rewards that are given to new customers are in general fairly similar and, dare we say it, not particularly engaging. The desire to keep on directing the customer back to the product with a voucher or money-off coupon is almost too alluring to move away from.  And in the right space, it is the perfect incentive.

But the question remains, if everyone is employing the same tactic, are you offering your customer the right incentive to choose and stay with you?

If you are confident that your product is the best around (which I’m sure you are, and I agree!), then make sure that confidence comes through in the sales funnel and reward the loyal with unique and remarkable experiences instead.

The sheer fact that your product offers the chance to win a tailored and unique experience is enough to automatically give you shelf appeal and set you apart from the crowd.

We recently handled prize creation and prize management for a client who was launching a product with a ‘Fire and Ice’ theme and wanted to create an experience intrinsically linked to the campaign messaging.

The objectives were, firstly, to set them apart from the crowd and, secondly, to reward their existing, loyal customers.

We created an experience where the winner was flown to Iceland to stay in the ION Adventure Hotel, and rode in a private helicopter over a live volcano before transferring by Super Jeep to another (dormant this time) volcano where a bespoke private dinner was laid out – within the magma chamber…

The effect was immediate and the impact tangible. By engaging with their customers in such a unique and remarkable way, their loyalty was rewarded and their custom retained.

However, sometimes the old methods are just as important – which is why we took the step of leaving a hamper of branded goodies in the guests’ room as a welcome gift. With a personal message included, it reaffirmed the brand message and reminded them of why they were there in a unique, personal and engaging way.

This method of rewarding or engaging customers by offering the chance to win experiences can be seen in a variety of different industries, not just FMCG.

Take Harley Davidson for example; they are currently offering potential customers the chance to win ‘The Tour of a Lifetime’ if they take a test drive. Now, more than ever, brands are seeing the benefit of experiences as incentives for customer acquisition and retention.

Creating a VIP Community

Moving on from the world of rewarding the individual, there is an increasing interest in the value of VIP community events and the opportunity for an elite few to share an experience with others in a similarly prestigious position.

In the same way that a private members club creates a sense of intrigue that sparks interest in those on the outside and pride from those within, a private VIP member’s community in the FMCG market can have an incredible impact on loyalty.

Many luxury brands have already taken this approach to rewarding VIP customers including Bentley, Rolls Royce and Johnnie Walker. They are increasingly using group experiences rather than more traditional gifting initiatives.

An event offers a brand an incredible opportunity to amplify its values and core message through creative and well-curated experiences helping the members identify with the lifestyle association of the brand.  What’s more, a reward that is shared by a community brings into play a unique dynamic that focuses on the human need to share experiences with others and a sense of pride in being recognised as one of an elite group by their peers.

Through effective pre- and post-event, as well as on-site, communications, the value of any event can have far wider reach and offers an incredible opportunity to create a legacy and drive significant longevity for each experience, thereby maximising Return on Investment.

Collateral such as images, videos and sound bites from these events can be repurposed to give those aspiring to be in the VIP club a glimpse into this exclusive world (and thereby encourage them to work towards this).

The combined budget of a group event can allow for otherwise unachievable experiences to be accessed and created.  The buying power of pooled reward budgets can often enable a group to negotiate the very best deals and open doors otherwise closed to the general public.

For a VIP group event, the challenge is always to create a ‘money-can’t-buy’ experience that is quite literally a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunity.  In recent years, we have organised everything from a complete buyout of Richard Branson’s Necker Island for a VIP group to camping in Alaska in search of bears and a supercar rally through the UAE.

So whether you are looking for a prize promotion to influence the purchasing decision at the point of sale, or thinking of engaging with a community of loyal brand advocates, always think of how you can Reward to Retain.

Andrew Rae is Head of Promotional Marketing at The Black Tomato Agency, which designs and manages award-winning experiences that engage with customers.

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Prize promotion specialist The Black Tomato Agency has added another new hire to bolster its team with the appointment of Ellie Clarke as Fulfilment Manager.

Andrew Rae, Head of Promotional Marketing at The Black Tomato Agency, says: “Winner fulfilment is at the very core of our service offering. The hard work initially invested in a campaign from a plethora of different agencies, all responsible for varying touchpoints of the promotion, can be undone with anything but perfect winner fulfilment.”

Clarke joins the team with years of experience already under her belt, gained from working in Melbourne for corporate events and leisure specialists Encore Journeys and, prior to that, in consumer insight. Rae says that her knowledge of how to deliver intricate, group experiences as well as tangible ROI reflects the kind of brief that Black Tomato are more regularly delivering.

Rae observes: “We are seeing an increase in brands wanting to deliver more complex itineraries, multi-centre experiences and those that reward groups of people, not the standard ‘trip for two’ prizes. Ellie’s experience and contacts, and the in-house expertise The Black Tomato Agency has with its sister agencies, means we have an unparalleled access to the skills required to deliver ‘remarkable experiences that inspire’.”

The Black Tomato Agency is part of The Black Tomato Group, a collection of innovative teams – Promotions, Agency, Leisure and Studio – headquartered in Shoreditch, London. under one creative roof. The Black Tomato Agency creates, manages and fulfils prize experiences and curates and delivers ground breaking group travel experiences all over the world on behalf of some of the world’s top brands, agencies and companies. It won Gold, Silver and Bronze in the Prize and Rewards category of the 2016 COGS Awards, an industry first.

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Heineken cider brand Strongbow is offering the chance to win a ‘Make an Epic Festival Entrance’ prize package worth up to £10,000, including entrance to the selected festival for six people plus tents for accomodation.

The challenge is to come up with an imaginative way to arrive at any of the three UK festivals Strongbow is sponsoring this year — Isle of Wight, Kendal Calling and Victorious.

There are also thousands of festival-themed prizes to be won, including tents, sleeping bags, Bluetooth speakers, Pac a Macs and phone chargers.

To enter, consumers have to buy a promotional pack, then go to the website uk.strongbow.com/epicentrance/ and input the batch code from the packaging and their contact details. They then need to select: how they want to arrive at the festival (choosing from a menu of options including hovercraft, helicopter, parachute, and police car, or coming up with their own idea); how they want to be dressed (again choosing from a pre-populated list including options such as cowboy, astronaut, alien, mermaid, pirate and pumpkin – or their own suggestion); and what kind of entourage they want (bodyguards, dancers, stilt-walkers, sumo wrestlers and the like).

They then have to say in a maximum of 50 words what they would consider to be an epic festival entrance.

A draw will select 200 entries each for Kendal Calling and Victorious. A judging panel consisting of representatives of Strongbow, Initials (the agency which has created the promotion for Heineken), and the festivals will select three winners for each of these two festivals using the following criteria:

• Does this entry have what it takes to create the impact to Make an Epic Festival Entrance?
• Does this entry show the personality of the winner and their mates?
• Does this entry stand out from the crowd?

Kendal Calling takes place from July 27-30 while Victorious takes place August 25-27. The promotion actually launched in April, and two winners for the Isle of Wight festival (which takes place this weekend) have already been selected randomly.

The promotion is featured across 10-pack cans in Original, Dark Fruit and Cloudy Apple varieties, as well as across 12-pack cans and 20-pack cans in Strongbow Original.

Toby Lancaster, category and shopper marketing director at Heineken, says: “Cut-through on-pack promotions such as this give retailers the opportunity to drive excitement in the category and encourage shoppers to make the most of the summer events.”

Each Epic Festival Entrance prize is worth up to £10,000, including return transportation for the winner and five of nominated friends (all of whom must be aged 18 or over) to the festival, weekend camping tickets including three two man tents and six sleeping bags for the Isle of Wight and Victorious and a Tipi and six sleeping bags for Kendal Calling.

In addition to the eight ‘Epic Festival Entrance’ packages, five prize draws have been scheduled to take place during the promotional period. In total, the prize draw prize pool includes 100 two man tents, 150 sleeping bags, 300 Bluetooth speakers, 600 Pac a Macs and 1,000 mobile phone chargers.

‘Epic Festival Entrance’ winners and guests who are over 25 years of age and look over 25 years of age will be required to participate in publicity. The age specification is to comply with the CAP Code, the rules governing advertising and marketing in the UK, which ban people who are or who look under 25 from appearing in marketing communications which the brand controls.

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