Brands are needing to communicate their brand stories with more authenticity than ever to meet the demands of ever-changing consumer behaviour, says Ceri Gravelle of eventeem

Telling the brand’s story has never been so key in the experiential industry. With consumers becoming more and more savvy to commercialism, promotional staff are needing to communicate product information and the brand’s story to the tiniest of detail at experiential events.

Consumers want to know if a product is gluten free, vegan, cruelty free, recyclable, organic and along with this, they want an authentic brand story that they can believe in.

Ensuring promotional staff have strong knowledge and clear passion for the product is so important in order to win over the consumer. That means employing promotional staff who are the right fit for the brand is vital.

They need to be able to demonstrate genuine knowledge of the product – for instance, if what’s being promoted is an organic and gluten free product, you need staff who are passionate about organic foods or eat gluten free products themselves, so they can offer genuine interaction with the consumer.

As always, consumers need to ‘buy’ the person before they buy the brand.

Over the past couple of years, clients have been putting more creative thought into the way they communicate brand’s stories to meet the changing behaviour of consumers. One of the key trends has been bringing individuals involved in the production of the product to the sampling events – for example, for the Rachel’s Organic Yoghurt brand, the Welsh dairy farmers who supply the organic milk for ‘Rachel’s’ came along to sampling events.

With the consumers being able to interact with the people involved in the production first-hand, the brand story becomes more reliable and trustworthy, and the customer is more likely to become invested in the product.

Not all clients are able to provide this kind of interaction, but for those that can, it creates a level of authenticity that consumers buy into and that resonates, driving more loyalty, sales and increased brand affinity in the long run.

Another emerging trend over the past year or so is the amount of thought being put into the times of day and the location of an experiential event. If you are promoting a breakfast product, for example, then organising sampling in the mornings around busy commuter areas like train stations will give people on their way to work the chance to try it at breakfast time.

By sampling a product where and when it’s supposed to be used like this, the consumer is better educated and the product becomes so much more useful and relevant to them. Even if you’re running these events in locations with lower footfall, if your activity mirrors the consumer’s real life behaviour, it will have a bigger impact.

Historically, measuring the success of an experiential food or drink sampling campaign has been difficult. The usual protocol is to measure how many products have been distributed, how many people interacted with the staff, and the customer feedback.

But marketing and brand managers are becoming more accountable for their budgets, so they’re having to provide evidence of campaign success in more detail than ever before — and this includes how the consumer’s behaviour has been affected by the campaign and the Return on Investment (ROI) from live engagements.

The industry is trying to tackle the issue of ROI measurement in experiential – so the Institute of Promotional Marketing (IPM) is developing on a new model to evaluate the effectiveness of experiential which explains how behavioural change of consumers by live engagement should and can be measured. The IPM has put together key principles and a step-by-step approach to how this can work, for pop-up retail, creative sampling, gamification live stunts and performances, to name a few.

This new model will be rolling out over the next 12 to 24 months and will be a huge benefit to those in the experiential industry looking to emphasise the worth of sampling. I know we at eventeem will definitely be looking to utilise it to evaluate our sampling success.

Ceri Gravelle is Managing Director and founder of promotional staffing and experiential agency, eventeem, which specialises in the organisation and staffing of sampling events.

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The IPM’s 30 Under 30 programme, sponsored by Sodexo, is aimed at identifying some of the brightest and best young talent in the UK promotional marketing industry. The 30 successful candidates are then offered access to a an extensive professional development programme to enhance their capabilities and to provide them with skills and knowledge which they can share with their colleagues in the organisations they work for.

Every year, IPM Members are invited to submit the names of suitable candidates. They can be from any role, any level – as long as the person concerned is under the age of 30 before the closing date of entry and works for an IPM Member.

Submissions are then assessed by a panel of independent professionals and senior IPM Members, who select the 30 successful candidates who are then offered access to a suite of learning experiences to enhance their capabilities and to provide them with skills and knowledge which they can share with their colleagues in the organisations they work for.

Over the next few months, www.promomarketing.info will be featuring comment from selected members of the 2018 30 Under 30 programme on a range of topics relevant to promotional marketing. The first topic is the impact of digital marketing and online shopping on the traditional retail industry…

Alice Hennell

Alice Hennell is client manager at secure digital voucher system provider, i-movo

In this connected, digital age it is true to say that the impact of digital on the shopper journey has been incredibly disruptive. What is less certain, however, is exactly how this disruption will play out in the retail sector in the long term.

You could argue that the prevalence of digital is proving detrimental to our traditional bricks-and-mortar retail industry. Shopping Amazon from your office desk with an abundance of choice and free shipping to your home address is an easy option for most consumers, and it’s one that doesn’t make bracing the high-street on a chilly December evening the most appealing alternative. But the impact of digital on the shopper journey has also resulted in opportunity and growth for retailers, and it is this that I find incredibly exciting.

The grocery convenience market is vast: over 60,000 stores across the UK trade as independent businesses, providing access to essential products for communities. These convenience stores aren’t listed on Amazon, the majority don’t have an online presence or use e-commerce platforms, and a marketing budget is not a common allocation of business funds.

Yet from my viewpoint, the ever-increasing impact of digital on the shopper journey can be leveraged to the advantage of these convenience retailers, leading to increased footfall, basket spend and, overall, profit margin.

In the FMCG sector, brands are increasingly using digital channels to serve consumers with promotional offers and vouchers, and it is this brand behaviour which will support and grow traditional smaller retailers in the foreseeable future.

Digital promotions can drive in-store visits, offering a life-line to sectors like the grocery convenience model, where innovation is required to stay competitive in the ever-changing retail landscape. A free chocolate bar voucher can be the trigger to getting a consumer to visit their local grocery store — and this is the point retailers can use to their advantage.

Publications like Retail Newsagent report on a weekly basis the innovations that independent retailers are employing to delight and retain the customers that visit their stores.

Customer service is key, as is following customer-led demand, driving the creation of extensive ranges of food-to-go, fresh produce and quality frozen meals. Cross-merchandising is another favoured technique for up-selling, while stand-alone services like coffee, fresh juice and ice cream machines are becoming more regular within a convenience store setting. Retailers are adapting to the changing climate and focusing on a more customer-centric approach.

What may seem at first seem like a one-time promotional voucher for an FMCG product can in fact lead to long-term shopper loyalty not just for the brand being promoted, but also for the retailer fulfilling the promotion.

As long as retailers can be agile in their responses to their market’s needs, there is scope for both bricks and mortar and e-commerce retail environments to thrive.

The impact of digital on the shopper journey may be substantial; but with the right strategy, it can actually aid retailers, both on and off the web.

Amber Morin-Farraway

Amber Morin-Farraway is a planner with agency whynot! thinkpeople

There’s a reason why people have been driven to online retailers; with convenience at its heart, it’s a tempting, straightforward path to purchase that you can complete in the comfort of your own home.

This shift from bricks and mortar to online purchases, as well as the rise and spread of social media, has meant that the traditional shopper journey has gained many more touch points throughout the years.

Digital has given us a wonderful and fun opportunity to speak to consumers across a new platform, allowing us to add value along the way by creating content built around the customer experience that supports the physical retail environment.

Bridging the gap between these offline and online worlds is of course our mobile.

It can function as a seamless link between multiple touch points, acting as the glue that holds it all together. It has the potential to be the hub for multiple functions, such as data collection, product availability, in-store experiences, purchases, payment, loyalty schemes etc. Encouragingly, a recent report from Mindshare titled Future of Retail CX, stated that 65% of consumers could see themselves using mobile more in the future to improve their in-store experiences. Therefore, it is vital for retailers to understand at which touch points they can utilize and optimize mobile for the best shopping experience possible.

And let’s not forget the prospect of personalisation.

Although shoppers are visiting a general store environment, there are opportunities throughout to take all of the data points collected and make something truly useful and personalized for shoppers.

Imagine a couple walks into a store, and floor staff is armed with their personal details.

Do they have any un-purchased items in their online basket that you can provide information for? Can you offer advice or guide them to relevant areas or brands based on their previous browsing history? Can smart shelves be utilized to deliver real-time information to their in-store location? Or perhaps to tell what items they have picked up in order to offer personalised incentives to purchase?

Such an integrated system can only offer more exciting and tailored shopping experiences in store, helping to create a richer and more immersive experience.

In my opinion, disruption, evolution and adaptation will continue to drive the shopper journey forward, becoming a frictionless and rewarding experience for the individual, whether making their full purchase online, in store, or a combination of both.

As Trevor Edwards, president of Nike brand, recently stated: “undifferentiated, mediocre retail won’t survive.”

Therefore, digital will not be the death of retail, but second-rate offerings will be its ultimate demise. No matter the platform, we should always be trying to create the feeling of a meaningful relationship between buyer and brand. In the end, the digital and physical environments can live independently from one another; however, when they’re used together, you’ll find you’ve hit your sweet spot.

Fiona Tindall

Fiona Tindall is Head of Domestic Retail at staffing solutions, travel retail and experiential specialist Blackjack Promotions.

The rapid rise of online retail and the continued growth of digital technologies had many people predicting the rapid demise of the high-street store. But like the years before, 2017 proved that this was far from the case. Bricks and mortar stores are likely to be more important than ever this year, as more and more online retailers get physical. The flip side is that high street outlets will increasingly embrace digital technology as they learn more and more from online retailers.

The explosion of online retail has resulted in a rush to create increasingly personal experiences for consumers as each strives for that key point of differentiation to help it stand out from the crowd. Key to this is mining customer data to help retailers get to know their audiences as deeply as possible to better understand their needs and preferences. This is also being used by physical stores to deliver more immersive and engaging in-store experiences.

Meanwhile, consumers are now carrying multiple smart devices which they are increasingly using to conduct their own price comparisons in-store with the likes of Google and Amazon. These are key lessons for physical retailers when creating in-store customer experiences and trying to push the ‘value’ message.

More and more, retailers are also thinking not only about how to create bespoke brand interactions in the physical space, but also how to reach out to consumers through their own devices in the digital space and how to bring the physical and digital worlds together.

Something few experts would have envisaged is digital retailers invading the physical world, yet this trend grew in 2017 and will continue to flourish this year. Amazon’s Christmas truck sent shockwaves through high street brands this Christmas as it set up (mobile) shop in the real world. But, of course, this was just one example of the increasingly popular pop-up retail outlet.

Although used by brands that don’t traditionally have their own retail outlets, as the year goes on, we will see more and more online retailers using them to deliver a physical experience to consumers to create a greater point of differentiation by immersing people more deeply in their brand.

Online beauty retailer Birchbox, for example, opened its first pop-up in London on the famous Carnaby Street not so long ago. Its mission has always been to “offer women a personalised way to shop for beauty” and the brand feels connecting with them face to face will help deliver further on this promise. This followed the opening of two permanent Birchbox stores in New York and Paris earlier in 2017.

What’s interesting is that Birchbox’s stores mirror the online experience putting a more intuitive twist on the traditional store environment, which predominantly physical retailers can learn from. Online retailers’ invasion of the high street – both temporarily through pop-ups and via permanent stores – will continue.

To keep shoppers coming back in a digital world, physical retailers will increasingly turn to presenting real theatre in store. The more advanced ones will lose some of their shelving and convert it to experiential space where brand ambassadors engage with shoppers. Racks of products are becoming less important than telling an engaging brand story and allowing people to experience it.

Furthermore, one of the biggest trends in retail at the moment is instant personalisation, with brand ambassadors actually creating something unique while the shopper waits. At Christmas, for example, you’ll see an outbreak of customised Christmas stockings, names engraved on perfume bottles, even consumers’ own personal messages on food or drink packaging. This makes consumers part of the brand and will be a growing trend.

To further improve the physical experience, this could be the year that augmented reality starts to realise its full in-store potential. Increasingly, customers will be able to use AR to scan a product in a high street outlet using their smart phone, then select the product they want to buy and place the order online. Apps, such as IKEA Place, will grow in popularity, and as AR technology matures, more retailers will explore ways to use it.

Robots are also on the rise. As more consumers embrace instant messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, both online and bricks-and-mortar retailers will use these platforms to talk to customers and streamline communications. For instance, if a shopper wants to track their order, they can just “ask” the retailer on Messenger, and a chatbot can automatically retrieve the shipment information. The use of chatbots will develop further, with retailers widening their use. Victoria’s Secret, for example, is already using chatbots to showcase its product lines.

It’s going to be some time yet, however, before robots replace people in stores – if it ever happens at all. Nothing can offer a more personal service than an actual person. The rise in retail theatre and the growth of pop-up stores means brand ambassadors who truly represent and embrace both retailers and the products they stock will be more important than ever this year.

So from data, chatbots and AR to pop-ups, retail theatre and brand ambassadors, 2018 will see the line between the physical and digital retail world becoming more blurred than ever before.

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The Institute of Promotional Marketing, the UK industry body for promotional marketing, has just celebrated the latest graduates on its key training courses, the IPM Foundation Certificate, the IPM Diploma and the IPM Incentive & Motivation Diploma.

Students on all three courses collected their certificates at a graduation ceremony at the House of Commons on Thursday 8th February 2018 from IPM President Lord Black and Chairman John Sylvester and in front of an audience of 120 people, including fellow students, family, friends and colleagues and course markers and mentors.

In his welcoming address, IPM Chairman John Sylvester congratulated all the graduating students on their achievements and also stressed the importance of a solid grounding in all aspects of the promotional marketing industry.

Sylvester said: “For marketers, expertise and professionalism have never been as important as they are today. Gaining one of our qualifications means you truly understand your subject and you have the right skills and grounding in the law, regulatory system and best practice to promote your clients and their brands effectively. It also means that you are qualified to invest their money in activities that should engage their target audiences and grow their brands.”

The IPM Diploma is seen as the best possible grounding for anyone responsible for running promotions within the UK and mainland Europe. The course involves a series of assignments and a set brief that has to be completed within a six-month period.

Candidates leave the course with a foundation knowledge of promotional marketing necessary to understand the discipline’s role within integrated communications campaigns, including planning, instigating and managing effective promotional marketing concepts with confidence.

The IPM Incentive & Motivation Diploma is a qualification specifically designed for the reward and recognition industry. It takes the form of a distance learning programme with a range of modules covering different specialisations and a set brief, all of which have to be completed over a five-month period.

It provides a thorough understanding of incentive and motivation techniques and is widely recognised within the industry as the benchmark for best practice, ensuring that candidates are able to confidently plan, instigate and manage Incentive & Motivation campaigns.

The IPM Foundation Certificate is an entry-level qualification which has been designed to give candidates as complete an introduction to and grounding in the Promotional Marketing industry as possible. It is aimed particularly at those at the beginning of their Promotional Marketing careers.

Full details of the IPM’s training and education programme can be found on the IPM website.

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Former Managing Director of specialist experiential and staffing agency Blackjack Promotions, Sally Alington, has launched a new global consultancy, Ethos Farm, which aims to help companies transform their approach to the customer experience.

“Business leaders across the globe undervalue service. Yet it can deliver real differentiation in an increasingly commoditised world,” said Sally Alington, Founder and CEO, Ethos Farm. “Companies talk about having a customer-facing workforce but what’s actually needed is staff who fully understand the corporate values and business objectives. Only then can they deliver exceptional service levels that meet both customer and company needs.”

The idea behind the Ethos Farm name is about positively transforming attitudes and corporate cultures, supporting the development of a successful company ethos in which workforces become advocates of the company.

“We help organisations to do this by combining best practice in employee learning and training with the latest communications technologies to transform workforces into brand custodians,” Alington explained.

Alington has brought together a team of globally-recognised experts with in-depth understanding of the latest management practice and training theories, coupled with years of real-world experience at rolling out service improvement programmes for some of the world’s best-known companies, brands and organisations, including Heathrow and Dubai Airport, the BBC and Westfield, to name a few.

She says that at Ethos Farm’s heart is a unique ‘Customer Service Architecture and Engineering’ concept.

Architecture refers to the company’s Consultancy team, headed by Alington, which helps companies develop a blueprint for customer service to align workforces with their values and aspirations.

Engineering relates to the Learning Development and Technology teams, led by Josie Barton and Mat Garner respectively. These provide the building blocks to make the new service blueprint a reality and transform the customer experience.

Alington is a former Director of Retail and Experiential Services at OmniServ and Managing Director of staffing solutions and experiential marketing agency Blackjack Promotions. She has a deep knowledge of designing and implementing customer services solutions and brand ambassador training.

Josie Barton is former Head of Operations, Finance and Planning at the BBC. From building competency frameworks for British Airways to playing a key role in relocating 2,000 BBC staff to BBC Media City in Salford, Barton has 25 years’ experience of people and corporate development, including designing and managing apprenticeship strategies. She also helped set up the BBC’s first ever joint venture outside of the UK – the Media City in Abu Dhabi.

Mat Garner is former Operations and Customer Services Director of a 2,000-strong operation at Heathrow, ex-Head of Commercial for Manchester Airport Group and Passenger Services Director at Stansted Airport, and is highly experienced at designing and developing technology solutions that are built with the end-user in mind.

Ethos Farm Learning and Development is designed to inspire the highest levels of performance from teams using a range of next-generation training tools and techniques. These include specially developed ‘Performance Rooms’, where the Ethos Farm team can deliver immersive training experiences.

The latest state-of-the-art technology will play a vital role in supporting the efficient and effective delivery of Ethos Farm’s customer service design and development concepts. This includes both bespoke and ‘templated’ solutions to drive enhanced service levels and colleague engagement from frontline workforces, as well as providing data analysis to drive insights into staff behaviours and avoid service problems.

“Using a range of tools, we will guide clients and their teams to develop the insights and approaches that will ensure they stay close to their customers and are able to adapt and thrive in an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world,” adds Alington. “Our role is simply to help clients find the unique formula that will inspire the highest levels of performance from their people.”

The fourth member of Ethos Farm’s founding team is Lauren Walsh, who heads up the company’s operation in the Americas, based out of New York. Walsh is former Global Head of Client Services at Blackjack Promotions, and was previously Travel Retail Regional Manager, L’Oréal Luxe UK for YSL and Biotherm.

The new venture has already secured backing from global facilities solutions provider ABM, with Andy Donnell, Group Managing Director of ABM UK, joining the company’s Board of Directors. ABM is the current parent company of Blackjack.

For UK clients, Ethos Farm is able to advise companies on the complexities of the new Apprenticeship Levy and will soon be accredited as an approved Apprentice Training Provider.

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The Institute of Promotional Marketing, the UK industry body for promotional marketing, has just celebrated the latest graduates on its key training courses, the IPM Certificate in Promotional Marketing, the IPM Diploma in Promotional Marketing and the IPM Incentive & Motivation Diploma.

Students on all three courses collected their certificates at a graduation ceremony at the House of Commons on Wednesday February 1^st 2017 from IPM President Lord Black of Brentwood and IPM Chairman John Sylvester in front of an audience of 120 people, including fellow students, family, friends and colleagues and course markers and mentors.

In her welcoming address, IPM Managing Director Carey Trevill stressed how important it is that marketers are fully grounded in all the skills, disciplines and mechanics that can be deployed in promotional campaigns.

Trevill said: “An IPM Diploma means expert. It means specialist. It means you understand your subject like no other and you have the right skills and grounding in the law, regulatory system and best practice to promote your clients and their brands effectively. It means that you are qualified to invest their money in activities that will grow their brands.”

In his speech, John Sylvester pointed out that the graduation was taking place on the same day as the historic vote in the House of Commons to trigger the Brexit process. “For marketers, expertise and professionalism have never been as important as they are in these historic times.”

The IPM Diploma is seen as the best possible grounding for anyone responsible for running promotions within the UK and mainland Europe. The course involves a series of assignments and a set brief that has to be completed within a six-month period.

Candidates leave the course with a foundation knowledge of promotional marketing necessary to understand the discipline’s role within integrated communications campaigns, including planning, instigating and managing effective promotional marketing concepts with confidence.

The IPM Incentive & Motivation Diploma is a qualification specifically designed for the reward and recognition industry. It takes the form of a distance learning programme with a range of modules covering different specialisations and a set brief, all of which have to be completed over a five-month period.

It provides a thorough understanding of incentive and motivation techniques and is widely recognised within the industry as the benchmark for best practice, ensuring that candidates are able to confidently plan, instigate and manage Incentive & Motivation campaigns.

The post IPM graduation 2017 appeared first on IPM Bitesize.

Carey Trevill, Managing Director of the Institute of Promotional Marketing, says: “Amongst our Membership, we see emerging talent that creates success and innovation at every point. And we’re not just talking financial success – we’re talking about teams being built, lives shaped and hearts won in the pursuit of promotional expertise. Recognising this next generation of leaders is crucial to the creativity, success and tempo of the promotional marketing industry.”

The chosen candidates will now be officially welcomed to the 30 Under 30 2017 programme at an event to be held on December 8th 2016 at The Hospital Club in Covent Garden.

The IPM 30 Under 30 2017 programme was launched on September 27th 2016, with a call for entries from IPM member companies. Candidates could be of any level and any role, so long as they were under the age of 30 before the closing date of entry, which was 23.59 hours on Friday October 28^th 2016. They also had to work for an IPM member.

The IPM is dedicated to championing professional development for the up-and-coming in the promotional marketing industry. Candidates were asked to state clear reasons why their inclusion on the programme would make a difference to their professional and personal development, together with evidence and endorsements.

The judging panel consisted of  Chris Baldwin, Director of Consumer Programmes at Fotorama; Victoria Walsh, Founder, The Believe Consultancy; Richard Pink, PinkKey Consulting; Hina Parmar, Legal Counsel AB InBev; and Sam Jones, Founder, TwentySomeone.

They sifted through a massive number of submissions to find the winners and their choices can now be viewed on the IPM website.

The candidates chosen for the programme will now be offered the chance to participate in a range of learning experiences to enhance their capabilities and to provide them with skills and knowledge which they can take away and share with their colleagues in the organisations they work for.

The next call for entries, for the 30 Under 30 2018 programme, will open in September 2017. If you are an IPM Member and would like to register interest for the next intake, please contact the IPM team.

The IPM 30 Under 30 2017 programme is sponsored by Fotorama, part of the Sodexo Family.

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How to measure and improve the effectiveness of experiential marketing was the focus of an event run by the IPM Experiential Council as part of the IPM’s contribution to Effectiveness Week at the beginning of November 2016.

Chaired by Carey Trevill, the IPM’s Managing Director, and Jessica Hargreaves, Managing Director of agency Pretty Green and Chair of the IPM’s Experiential Council, the event presented the five key principles that the IPM are advocating as the basis for measuring experiential impact.

These key principles are built around the absolute belief that the purpose of experiential marketing is to affect the behaviour of the target audience and that this can and should be measured.

It covered five main areas:

• KPIs: It is critical to define the business challenge experiential is solving at the start of a campaign through setting SMART KPIs;
• TERMS AND DEFINITIONS: The use of industry common language for measurement (e.g. contacts, interactions, engagement, reach, amplification);
• BENCHMARKING: Where possible, activity should adopt a best practice of assessing past data and benchmark ‘what good looks like’, in order to build robust activity;
• ROBUST METHODOLOGY: To ensure the accuracy, consistency and validity of results regardless of the sector, category, brand and agency, the IPM advocates minimum standards required for measurement methodology;
• EFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT: A common approach to effective measurement and evaluation which should focus on Reach, Impact and Return on Investment.

The IPM has a model to support these principles and is calling for agencies and brands to join forces to test it. For more information on building effectiveness in experiential marketing, contact Carey Trevill, Managing Director of the IPM – Carey.Trevill@theipm.org.uk – or Jessica Hargreaves, Chair of the IPM Experiential Council – Jessica@itsprettygreen.com

Effectiveness Week (http://www.effectivenessweek.com/) was launched by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising and is backed by UK advertising and marketing industry trade bodies including the Institute of Promotional Marketing (IPM).

The objective of Effectiveness Week is “To create and promote a shared Effectiveness Culture by building an unrivalled evidence base for how marketing and communications activity delivers value and by equipping clients (and agencies) with the tools and techniques to put into practice everyday.”

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With Effectiveness Week 2016 starting on Monday, 31st October, Alan Lewis of PHL explores what goes into creating an effective promotion

Effectiveness is described as the degree to which something is successful in producing the desired result. In the world of marketing, and, in particular, promotions, this means making a difference to sales or customers perception when building a brand.

A promotional campaign that can appeal to a consumer’s sense of a good deal or value for money will generally be effective. If the outcome of this is combined with increased loyalty or a greater uptake of the product, the promotion could become legendary.

So what is it that makes a campaign effective and how best to achieve the desired outcome? A goal to increase sales needs to be more specific – i.e. how many, over what time period and what about repeat business and the legacy of the promotion? Ensure that you fully understand why you are running the promotion.

Objectives and targets

Of course, we all know a successful campaign should have a clear set of objectives and targets; but also consider the activity in the context of modern consumers and competitors. Is the activity too wild, too boring, and too traditional or off message? Have similar campaigns over or under delivered? What is the competition planning?

Don’t underestimate the challenger brands and what are they doing that could lead to industry disruption. How can you use technology to stream-line and simplify the campaign for consumers? Ask your partners what they have seen work and what trends they have noticed in the industry.

Today, Social Media can affect the uptake of a promotion enormously – how do you broadcast to inspire participation and amplify the activity? As always, expect the unexpected; if the campaign goes viral the uptake could increase enormously. Can you apply a brake if this happens or do you have contingency budget to take advantage of the momentum?

Timing is key to effectiveness

Timing is essential so make sure all suppliers understand the importance of dates and build in flexibility. Keep this up your sleeve, however! Let suppliers know of potential penalties if they fail to deliver on time and who will bear these additional costs. Clearly state key dates and how performance will be measured throughout the promotion; a Critical Timing Plan would work well to inform all parties involved.

Clear, unrestricted communication should be your goal when working with third party suppliers, so set up short conference calls with a clear agenda to review the promotion at regular intervals. Should something go wrong remain calm. Most issues can be rectified so don’t shoot from the hip scattering blame – find the solution with your promotional partners.

How can the promotion make a real difference and was the desired effect achieved – how do you plan the desired effect? Before launching a promotion are you totally clear on the desired outcome and how it will make a difference? Have you investigated the result of similar pieces of work – is the campaign a new cutting edge idea, a rehash of past work or perhaps a good old standard?

Test and test again

Consider testing, see through the consumers’ eyes, listen, be prepared to change or enhance the activity if a great suggestion comes to light and it is affordable. In summary, don’t leave it to conjecture, to assumptions and to what YOU think will happen.

To that effect, consider the key message of the promotion and the brand being built or sustained. Is the message on-brand? Again, test this with consumers where possible. A clear, simple communication will help consumers understand and engage with the offer. If it reinforces the brand story, then it will be doubly impactful.

When organising promotions, marketers are often advised you to involve their supplier partners early – but why is that? Just to help them or to really make the spend count? The answer is that it should immeasurably improve the quality of the promotion.

Working as a team

Your handling house should work with you as your partner as well as a service provider. Talk to them initially so they can gain an understanding of the promotional mechanic. Then share ideas and think about what is really needed to work together. Remember, most service partners have seen many campaigns, both successful and unsuccessful. Ask them for their input and considerations based on their knowledge and understanding of consumers.

Plan key dates, such as arrival of stock; set a target to turn around applications; set out how to respond to queries.

Build in measurement and key performance indicators at the start of a campaign. This will give you agility if things go wrong, but also allows you to capitalise when things go right. A good supplier will help you implement these measures and even suggest a few you may have not considered. You can turn a negative into a positive with a responsive model, being responsive to consumer concerns efficiently.

If you are offering premiums, continuously analyse the promotion to ensure stock will last for the duration. Rushing in small top-up quantities can really eat through a budget and can lead to extended lead-times for consumers.

Consider using a fixed fee provider to protect your budget and minimise delays.

Instant gratification

The days of 28 days to supply are long gone – this is an instant world so getting premiums to consumers as quickly as Amazon does is important. Sure, save some money on shipping; but let the consumer know it is on its way – text to inform of progress or send an email saying the items shipped and giving its Estimated Time of Arrival.

Plan your key press releases and Social Media activities. Make sure staff are reviewing comments and, if any negativity appears, that a polite and informative response is quickly approved and released.

In summary, working with all elements of the supply chain will help the activity succeed. Make sure the partners have the whole picture and that they understand each other’s roles. Broadcast this information early so that your partners can offer suggestions based on their experience of previous, similar activities. Work on your budget to ensure funds are available at the critical points – i.e. if importing, VAT and other duties will be due at the dockside.

Legal, decent, honest, truthful…

Oh, and don’t forget to get your T&Cs checked by an expert, not just to ensure their legality but also to logic check that the activity cannot be inundated by applications from non-customers.

Overall, the greatest promotions are win-win. The consumer gets a good deal, the brand benefits and everyone in the supply chain wants to repeat the experience.

With planning, open and timely communication and encouraging feedback from all partners, your promotional activity will have the greatest chance of success!

Alan Lewis is Managing Director at handling and fulfilment company Promotional Handling Ltd.

Effectiveness Week is a not-for-profit initiative with the goal of educating, inspiring and galvanising change within the marketing industry. A collaborative programme encompassing the scope and knowledge of 13 industry associations (AMEC, BCMA, CIMA, CMA, DMA, IAB, ICCO, IPA, ISBA, MRS, ESA, IPM and the Marketing Society) and their respective memberships, this year will see 50 different events across five days. A full list of what’s going on is available on the Effectiveness Week website at www.effectivenessweek.com/.

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More than that, the IPM’s 30 Under 30 2017 initiative – proudly sponsored by Fotorama, part of the Sodexo family, without whose support it could not take place – offers the chance for the 30 successful candidates to enhance their capabilities even further, with a range of tailored learning experiences over the course of 2017.

In addition, successful candidates will also have the opportunity to sit on the IPM’s 30 Under 30 exclusive group, which will contribute to the organisation’s future learning offerings and act as an incubator and sounding board for new IPM products and services and generally ensure the body is listening to the opinions and needs of its Generation X and Generation Y members.

Only people working for IPM member companies are eligible to be put forward for the 30 Under 30 program and they must be under the age of 30 at the closing date for entry (see here for all the details about eligibility, how to enter and the full terms and conditions).

Entries are being accepted until 23:59 on 28th October 2016. There is no charge for entry and an IPM member can put forward as many names as they want. Individuals are allowed to enter themselves, but only one entry per person is allowed. Every entry must be supported by at least one person (other than the person being put forward).

Judging will take place in November, with successful candidates for the Program informed mid-November of their success. The results will be published online no later than 28th November. Successful candidates will be invited to a private reception to be awarded ‘IPM 30 Under 30 2017′ status on the 8th December.

The Judges for the 30 Under 30 program will come from the IPM Membership and HR professionals who are experts in employment issues, staff motivation and diversity. Judging criteria are set out in the entry process.

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The IPM Diploma could be your passport to a glittering career in the promotional marketing industry, says Sophie Robertson of Spark & Fuse

Three weeks ago, I officially became an IPM Graduate.

The IPM – the Institute of Promotional Marketing – holds its graduation ceremonies at the House of Commons, where I found myself standing alongside 44 other graduates of the IPM Diploma 2015.  It was a wonderful experience – the celebration of six months hard work – made all the more so by having my Diploma presented to me by Lord Black of Brentwood, president of the IPM and executive director of the Telegraph Media Group.

My Experience?

Having recently returned from living in France for 12 years, switching language and educational approach was definitely a challenge – but one that I was more than happy to accept.  I definitely don’t regret it.

The IPM Diploma study notes and guidelines were instructive, and the tutors more than happy to help when I had any questions.  You also nominate a mentor in your workplace – usually a senior member of the organisation – and the notes they receive from the IPM coupled with your mentor’s expertise is invaluable to your studies.  Don’t ever hesitate to ask your mentor for help, as they will provide you with insights and possible solutions that you may not have thought of.

Working for Spark & Fuse in the prize promotions industry, the IPM Diploma has given me the ability to think differently and more thoroughly about the problems in front of me.  I feel more confident when it comes to devising successful promotional campaigns.  The IPM Diploma has given me the skills to know that when I’m ready, I can move into a different promotional sector.

I completed the Diploma in September 2015, receiving my results mid-December which made for a lovely Christmas break! I wasn’t the only one celebrating; the 2015 cohort produced the best results yet – nearly 60% achieved a Credit, and a further 9% a Distinction.

The Facts?

The IPM (which used to be known as the ISP –  Institute of Sales Promotion) has provided courses and qualifications for the last thirty years.

The IPM Diploma, introduced in 1984, is refreshed every year by industry experts so that what you learn is always relevant and timely.  It improves promotional marketing skills for current and future promotional marketers.  As a result, graduates have gone on to become leaders in every sector of the promotional industry.

You’ll learn about all marketing aspects, from understanding channels and audiences to strategic thinking and promotional techniques.  It’s easy to fit in around work and your personal life, as it takes the form of a six month e-learning course.

You’ll complete nine modules (six compulsory and three elective) and a Set Brief.  The Set Brief is the ultimate and most substantial part of the IPM Diploma as it’s worth a third of the marks.  A brand will provide you with a fictional brief and a budget.  This gives students the opportunity to develop and demonstrate their strategic skills, creativity and logic in their proposal.

Since 2015, the IPM have introduced three submission dates for assignments.  The first, after two months, is when you submit Modules 1&2 which you will receive feedback on a matter of weeks later.  This gives you an opportunity to understand where you need to improve, if at all.  The remaining modules are submitted five months in and you then have the last month to dedicate entirely to the Set Brief.

You’ll also be invited to an Immersion Day and a Tutorial Day – both of which are designed for candidates to meet and network with other candidates and tutors to discuss the various assignments and Set Brief.

The IPM, for 2016, have introduced the option to enrol on The IPM Diploma Supplements – a two day seminar filled opportunity to hear from industry experts in a face-to-face environment.

Considering The IPM Diploma?

The next intake for the IPM Diploma kicks off on the 14^th March – there’s still availability, so please do book here.  I have no doubt that you too will be celebrating your IPM Diploma success over the 2016 Christmas period!

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