As the weeks slip by, the consumer road map to recovery slowly becomes clearer.

More and more businesses are opening on a weekly basis and into July, we already know when as an example, the hospitality sector can kick start its season, albeit with restrictions in place.

Leisure centres, zoos/wildlife parks, theme parks for a nation perhaps planning more for staycation rather than European travel, will all again become options.

Businesses should therefore be planning their promotional messages to existing and prospective customers and users now to ensure they hit the ground running.

All of these business sectors (and more) are existing users of door drops as an intrusive and engaging medium, so for a possibly digitally fatigued public, a bright, colourful, well targeted leaflet with incentives landing on the doormat could be very welcome by its recipients.

Royal Mail door to door have in response overhauled their entire booking process, updated and improved their incentive schemes and are already open for business.

Key changes to the process are best summarised as :

Minimum spend – There is now no minimum spend and clients can book just one postal sector if required, with the charge per thousand calculated according to rate card, details upon application.

Booking lead times – Subject to agreement by Royal Mail, bookings can now be made with one week’s notice with no additional charge and the surcharge on two-week bookings will be waived.

Seasonal incentives (the summer incentive is available NOW) – The minimum incremental spend threshold has been removed and all incremental volume in excess of previous year’s activity will now be subject to a 20% discount. Customers booking in specific weeks within July and August for the first time, will have a discounted rate applied to their entire volume.

Late Sales – The service is now extended to new users on their first activity. In addition to the discounted rate a new user already accesses, postal sectors may be booked through Late Sales, with a further discount applied.

Long term lapsed or potential large users – To enable long-term lapsed or potential large volume customers to trial the Door to Door service and prove the effectiveness of the channel versus other media, heavily discounted rates are available.

Incentive for growth schemes – The minimum incremental requirement has been reduced to 100,000 items.

Existing clients and new users should seek experienced guidance of how to maximise the potential value these opportunities present.

Approved resellers of the Royal Mail D2D service such as ourselves are perfectly placed to provide guidance on how to navigate the planning and booking process to help clients achieve promotional objectives using door drops.

We can be contacted at www.letterboxconsultancy.com or on 01992 637333 to discuss this package in more detail.

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Ian Lacey, Business Development Director at Filmology, shares his thoughts on the value of cinema lead promotions to drive sales.

Everyone loves cinema!

Okay, that might be a bit of a sweeping statement; but there’s no denying that a trip to the cinema can be an exciting and enthralling experience. Plus, with just about every cinema around the country upgrading to state-of-the-art digital technology, the lure of the big screen has become an even more immersive experience for everyone.

And let’s not forget the small matter of the whopping 177 million admissions in 2018 alone (Mintel) and the fact that cinema appeals to all age groups – lots of ticks in the boxes for those savvy marketers out there looking for an ideal promotional partner!

So, taking these statements into account, is cinema relevant in the world of promotional marketing? Obviously, I would argue of course – yes! Surely delivering a successful sales promotion relies on a prize that people actually want, and if over 170m admissions a year is to go by, then yup, I certainly think there’s a strong case…

But there’s a big caveat here: and that’s the promotional world does seem to be leaning more towards gifts with purchase.

For example, Pepperami’s “Terrify a Friend for Free” promotion (a 2 for 1 for Merlin Park Entry) did well at the recent IPM awards. But you can’t simply be giving away a £10 cinema ticket for a £2.75 pack of Pepperami (Source: Tesco). The consumer would certainly be happy, but the brand would be bankrupted!

Therefore, I would argue the promotional methodology is key to success.

Instead of a 2-1 offer or ‘free ticket’ promotion, consider a collector scheme that everyone has the chance to win. Perhaps even look at a risk-based promotion, or even mix this up further with other prizes so that everyone can still win (i.e. non-winners of a cinema incentive win a money off coupon or even the dreaded 2 for 1 entry to a theme park… a personal view I might add!).

However, promotional marketing is not just about selling sticks of meat. What about the White Goods sector? After all, this sector is seemingly wedded to their cashback promotions – dull, dull, dull.

How about mixing up the consumer incentive and offering 6 months-worth of cinema tickets if you buy the latest washing machine of your dreams? Okay, it’s true very few of us like spending our hard-earned cash on such things, but if it meant we could go to the cinema after the spin dry, then perhaps this makes the purchase all that more enticing.

Of course, when considering cinema as a prize, we always think of cinema tickets to the latest blockbuster, right? At Filmology, we can be a tad bit more creative than that…

Think about annual passes, 6 months of free cinema, free popcorn and drink etc. And it doesn’t stop there – win a private cinema screening for you and your friends, win a half day to take your Xbox to your local Odeon and hold a FIFA tournament on the large screen. You hopefully get my point!

If you work with an expert like Fimology, we can generate innovative ideas that sells products.  We can even source a film inspired holiday – live like James Bond for the week, for example (yes, we’ve done it!).

Cinema of course is reliant on the film slate – what’s coming up? Well, the rest of 2019 has a whole host of huge films on the horizon – The Lion King, Terminator: Dark Fate, Frozen 2 and of course Star Wars in December. 2020 will also have some equally great films (Top Gun Maverick & Bond 25 being just two highlights – need I say more?)

Hopefully this article has inspired you to think about cinema and when you’re next scratching your head about a killer incentive to drive sales for your client. Consider the world of film and cinema: there’s more to life than cashback and the 2 for 1’s you know…

If you would like to find out how Filmology can help you, get in contact with Ian Lacey at ian.lacey@sodexo.com

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Alex Agertoft, Sales and Marketing Executive at Black Tomato Agency shares his insight on how brands and agencies can create the best travel incentives. 

The best incentives aren’t just about the destination. They’re about finding the right angles to make that destination a motivator, irrespective of personal interests. They’re about maximising engagement, creating intrigue and excitement and most importantly, they’re about getting the most bang for your buck.

Couple this with the ever-increasing impact of Millennials and now Gen-Z on the workplace, it’s clear that today’s incentive travel attendees are more comfortable than ever to stand out from the crowd, seek out authentic experiences and celebrate what makes them unique. A one-size-fits-all mindset just won’t cut it.

Take Morocco for example; the gateway to Africa, it occupies the ‘Goldilocks’ zone. Close enough to make it onto any Euro-focused shortlist, exotic enough to get your attendees out of their comfort zone, affordable enough to be accessible, and intrepid enough to offer excitement at every turn.

For the human connection

Morocco’s capital of chic and one of the most stimulating cities in the world – Marrakech is a constant source of inspiration to its inhabitants and visitors alike. Over 2 million tourists a year visit the Red City so we work hard to continually reinvent and ensure we offer once-in-a-lifetime experiences that are unachievable from personal travel.

Whether you’re seeking design inspiration or looking to bring a dash of creative flair to your business, we look beyond Marrakech’s medina to connect you with the designers, artisans and entrepreneurs at the heart of the city’s creative community. It’s these local connections and human interaction that provide you with a new perspective and ensure you return home with more than just a tan.

For the digital detox

Visitors come to Morocco as much to relax and get away from it all as for the adventure on offer. Whether you’re rising early for sun salutations and yogic breathing at a surf camp in Taghazout or partying into the night at your own private camp in the Agafay desert—give yourself over to the feeling of freedom brought about by patchy Wi-Fi and no 4G.

You might never have opened yourself up to the idea of wellness, but it’s hard not to feel a shift in perspective when you’re existing beneath the sheer majesty of North Africa’s greatest mountain range.

For the adrenaline junkies

For those burning to go beyond the edge, Morocco is the ultimate adventure playground. Beneath the snow-capped jagged peaks of the High Atlas, you’ll be roaring through the Agafay desert in a selection of high-octane off-road vehicles.

In the nearby mountains, Terres D’Amanar offers you a veritable smorgasbord of adventure activities including mountain biking, zip-lining and horse riding. And if those don’t whet your appetite, then we can put together a crack team of mountain guides, sherpas and cooks to keep you in relative luxury on hikes of varying degrees of difficulty.

Morocco’s coastline offers plenty of adventure too. Blessed with year-round sunshine and amazing waves, the laid-back fishing village of Taghazout has emerged as the country’s surfing mecca. Whether you’re in search of barrelling point breaks or prefer to seek solace in the white water, there’s a wave for all abilities.

For the real local experience

We don’t offer formulaic city tours to tourist traps for ten-a-penny generic postcard photos. We want you to glimpse the heart of Fez’s intricate old town. A truly local experience, just the right amount outside your comfort zone.

Setting foot on the riotous streets of Fez medina can be a disorientating experience for the uninitiated. Fear not. Led by the best-connected guides in the country, you’ll see the city the way only a local can. They’ll have you dodging trolleys that hurtle down steep old town alleyways, take you off the beaten track for a quiet moment amidst the mosques and expertly navigate you through bustling local markets with some bartering tips and tasting sessions thrown in along the way (we drew a firm line at the plate of sheep brain though).

For the bucket list

It’s a human need to explore; to discover new and unseen destinations. But sometimes the reality of getting off the beaten track can be overwhelming, not least because of the levels of organisation required to do something for the first time. The good news is, this isn’t our first camel train.

We encourage you to go beyond the limits of your imagination for experiences that will live long in your memory. Heading into the vast expanse of the Sahara might feel like a leap into the unknown, but creating your own Blink camp in the shadow of the towering dunes of Erg Chebbi will surpass even your wildest desert dreams. What these desert camps lack in the way of marble bathrooms and infinity pools, they more than make up for with the true modern luxuries of silence and space.

For some social responsibility

Increasingly employees are expecting more out of their job than a payslip at the end of each month and consumers prefer to do business with corporations and brands they see as socially responsible. If you want to engage, develop and retain the best talent out there, then the creation of a culture of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to match the core values of your socially-minded workforce is an unmissable opportunity.

In Morocco, you can play a small part in helping the local community. 0.5% of the total price of your trip is donated to support the Centre Fiers et Fort; a centre that supports underprivileged children in the village of Tamesloht. It might not sound like a huge amount but it’s quite a sum when you add it up over the thousands of guests we’ve sent to Morocco over the years.

If you would like to get personally involved then contact Alex Agertoft on alex@blacktomatoagency.com 

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Juliet Caswell, Product and Proposition Director at CR Worldwide, details the importance of incentivised learning to help create brand ambassadors out of staff.

When your brand uses a sales channel to sell its offering, it needs to stand out from the competition. But as your channel staff sometimes sell products or services for other brands which are similar to yours, this can be easier said than done.

Making sure your sales channel staff know and understand your brand and keep it front of mind is fundamental to standing out. They should also adapt the right attitude to want to do more for you, over your competitors. Behavioural change is key to your channel staff achieving these things. And this where the idea of incentivised learning can help.

Learning with incentive

Incentivised learning takes the concept of e-learning and brings it into a reward system, such as for a sales channel incentive scheme. By doing this, it builds upon the idea of online learning, as a way to help upskill your staff, but also encourages employees to behave and perform in the way you desire.

With traditional e-learning, an employer will give their employees some online training to complete in relation to an area of their job. While research shows this form of training, which is growing in popularity, can help upskill staff, the approach of just giving employees the training creates the idea that a business expects their employees to complete it. Knowing the purpose of the training is to benefit the wider business, the employee might also wonder, what’s in it for them?

Rewarding the employee for successfully completing said training can help overcome this hurdle. It takes away the idea that staff are just expected to do the training without question, and instead, shows that the employer values and appreciates them and the time and effort they have put into it. It also helps communicate the importance an employer places on completing the training successfully.

Learning that changes channel behaviours

So how does all this help your brand help your sales channel staff achieve behavioural change?

The way incentivised learning works means brands can use it to reward sales channel staff for building knowledge of everything from their latest products and core services to their company history and business objectives. Incentives could include points that staff can collect to claim a bigger reward, like a personal gift or experience. Staff can also be set goals to help put into practice what they have learnt in their training, such as using their new knowledge to sell a brand’s latest product to a new customer.

By creating sales channel staff who know your brand well, you can achieve behavioural change – that is, the ideal behaviour you want staff to embody to become an effective salesperson for your brand. For instance, how they perform, how well they can sell your products, and how they view your brand over your competitors.

There are different ways incentivised learning could be used to help achieve this behavioural change.

Building mindshare

By providing training that comes with an incentive, you can encourage staff to want to learn more. They know that there is a reward each time they complete training, so there is an incentive to keep building their knowledge. Moreover, the more learning programs they complete, the higher that knowledge can become. As a result, you can create staff with greater mindshare of your brand that can more effectively help sell your offering and convert more customers.

Keeping your brand front of mind

Using incentives to encourage staff to complete training across your business can constantly remind them of your brand, helping to increase brand awareness. For instance, they could associate the rewards they win with your brand, making it feel more prominent than your competitors and helping to keep it front of mind. In doing this, while sales channel staff will have targets to hit, selling for your brand might feel like a priority.

Creating brand ambassadors

Over time, your channel sales staff can become proud experts on your brand. This, paired with the right knowledge, mindset and attitude, will encourage employees to feel loyalty towards it, enough to become a brand ambassador – embodying your brand and everything it stands for. They will speak highly of your brand, not just in their daily job, but outside of their working hours, like in their social circles, at company events and on social media.

Ideal employees to further your brand

Adding a strong learning program to your sales channel can only be a good thing when aiming to build brand awareness and team knowledge. When an incentive is attached to that learning, it doesn’t just help create highly skilled staff, who are better equipped to sell in your sales channel. It helps those staff achieve behavioural change, becoming the ideal employees to take your brand further.

Established in 2002, CR Worldwide helps companies grow by enabling them to reward best behaviours from the people most valuable to their success – employees, customers and partners. In creating award-winning recognition, incentive and event programs, the company’s solutions help companies to engage these people and improve performance.

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Travel can help engage consumers by putting unusual and unexpected incentives at the heart of marketing campaigns, says Amy Nield, Head of Prize at Sodexo

The world’s a crowded place, isn’t it?

Think about it. What was your last trip really like? What really stood out for you? It may have been the giant cruise ship that suddenly sailed into town, emptying its hold of minions armed with selfie sticks, cluttering up cafés and restaurants in their wake.

It may have been the daily fight for a sunbed by the pool.

Or it may have been a seemingly endless traffic jam to nowhere. Too much? Well, it seems UK holidaymakers are putting busy touristy destinations behind them and looking closer to home for more bespoke travel experiences. And they’ve got one thing in common: they want a great experience.

We’ve just published a report –  our ‘2018 Sodexo UK Exploring Travel’ e-book – which reveals that promotional marketing expectations are at an all-time high and the competition for consumer attention is fiercer than ever before. It’s up to marketers to deliver on these expectations to create maximum stand out.

If you put experiences at the heart of your campaign, you can engage consumers and truly take your brand places.

In fact, ‘experience’ is driving customer engagement in brand marketing like never before. For this reason, travel promotions can give marketers the edge they need to help their offering stand out in an increasingly noisy and saturated world. But they need to be unique and they need to be immersive.

So how can you beat the crowds and take your consumers on a brand journey they’re unlikely to forget in a hurry?

Unexpected experiences a marketing necessity

According to the British Tourism and Travel Show, not only do “33% of consumers put ‘exploring new places’ as their main motivator for travelling,” but “93% of Destination Marketing Officers consider experiences ‘important’ or ‘vital’ to consumer decisions.”

It’s not enough for UK travellers to want to go to see a new city. They want to book an experience to shout about while they’re there, too.

For marketers who wish to influence behaviour change, it means looking beyond the obvious. If you’re thinking about a standard giveaway that on paper seems reasonable enough, you need to look again.

It’s about doing something different, creating a promotion that reaches the right audience, at the right time, and stopping consumers in their tracks.

If you’re beginning to perspire with anticipation, please don’t fret.

An ‘unexpected’ travel prize incentive doesn’t have to break the bank. Long gone are the days when only a beautiful Caribbean beach would cut the billboard. Today’s holidaymakers are a more varied bunch.

Now it’s all about what you do, not where you do it.

The West Country – but not as you know it

Perhaps it’s down to the fact that many of us have long been accustomed to making the most of cheap no-frills air carriers, but domestic tourism is facing somewhat of a renaissance. ABTA is even reporting that UK demand is set to grow even more this year.

In fact, as Sodexo’s research reveals, “84% of people are considering, planning or have already taken a UK overnight break outside of their home county in 2018.”

Smart marketers can use this thinking to create an affordable and impactful promotional campaign that taps into our love of experiences and a desire to stay closer to home. So, where to next? Now that’s a question.

Our research reveals that while “London may be the number one UK destination for International visitors… it’s the South West of England that ranks highest for domestic tourists (Barclays).” Ah, we can almost smell the pasties.

The off-season is now the on-season, promising quieter towns, villages and roads, along with a less stressful experience for those seeking to get away from it all.

So-called summer destinations such as St Ives boasts indoor cultural treats such as The Tate St Ives; Penzance offers the all year round wild cookery school ‘Fat Hen’ and vibrant arts city Falmouth offers fantastic festivals every month of the year.

UK consumers may love the West Country, but if you can tie your travel prize incentives into latest trends coming from that part of the world, you’ll turn heads more than, say, offering a singular surfing trip in Newquay might do.

And on that note, is now a good time to mention targeting? Think about who you want to impress and you’ll find there’s a whole world of possibilities available.

All about the bragging rights

Whatever it is, it seems consumers are looking for something a bit different. They’re looking at new destinations, perhaps to beat the crowds and find their own way when it comes to holiday planning.

There’s big head-turning kudos for brands who actively engage consumers by helping them to boost those all-important bragging rights.

If you can create the feeling that your promotion is something new, something unheard of, you’ll do well to create maximum stand out.

Our report says ABTA nods to several major cultural anniversaries and events which are set to help cement the UK as the most popular destination [for Brits] overall for holidays in 2018:

• Bristol hosts the 40th anniversary of its world-famous Balloon Fiesta.
• Liverpool will mark 10 years since its successful bid to become European Capital of Culture.
• Several cities including Manchester, Oxford, London and Leeds have gallery take overs and other cultural events to mark the centenary of the Women’s Vote.

By building travel incentives in around events such as these, brands can find ways to tie their marketing ideas in via timely, eye-catching creative and thoughtful messaging.

Five go mad off the beaten track

Here are five more off-the-beaten-track UK travel ideas for weird, wacky and wonderful weekend breaks that may whet even the most seasoned traveller’s appetite and won’t burn the promotional budget – but don’t try them all at once, kids:

• Cheese Rolling in Gloucestershire

Who wouldn’t want to chase a rolling cheese wheel down a hill for a laugh? Well, maybe not all of us, but adrenaline junkies will love it. And for spectators, the event is guaranteed to be a memorable one. Just imagine the cheesy craic in the local taverns and inns afterwards.

• Oyster Festival in Whitstable

A foodie break to the seaside town of Whitstable is a mouth-watering delight. Throw in a quirky overnight stay in alternative accommodation such as the Fisherman’s Huts, and you’ve got a veritable feast for the senses.

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/whitstable/news/oyster-festival-dates-revealed-157394/

• The Highland Games, Braemar

If you can’t wait for Tokyo 2020, how about the UK’s answer to the Olympics instead? The Highland Games take place every summer – think kilts, cabers and ceilidhs. Add in a trip to a whisky distillery or see where all the action from James Bond’s Skyfall took place.

• The Night Carnival, Glastonbury

Somerset plays host to a wonderful and wacky night carnival every November. Like something out of a picture book, this type of event will seriously capture your audience’s imaginations. Attract customers with a night at nearby hot spot, Babington House, or a hotel and spa in beautiful Bath.

• The Green Man Festival, Brecon

Nothing says fun like a fabulous festival, but with so many out there, it’s important you align your brand with a high-quality, absorbing experience. The Green Man is Times’ columnist Caitlin Moran’s festival of choice and one that boasts something for everyone. Dial up the experience with a bell tent and hot tub and you’ll have instant promotional success.

The best incentive for social media marketing

We could go on. We won’t. The point is, if you take your brand promotion to the lesser known parts of well-loved locations, you’ll not only surprise and inspire your audience, but you’ll start some fantastic conversations – which hopefully will be shared on social media.

Travel incentives, such as an unusual, fun-filled weekend away, are perfect for social media, and your bespoke travel prize draw could be the perfect complement to fast-moving promotional platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest.

Ultimately, wherever you decide to take your consumer campaigns, the ‘experience economy’ is where it’s at. Take it out of the mundane and into the wild, unexpected, authentic and unusual, and you’ll entice customers by the bucket and spadeful.

After all, it’s the road less travelled that’s leading to travel promotion gold. Keep that front of mind and you’ll soon be creating customer engagement that’s well and truly worth the ride.

Amy Nield, Head of Prize at Sodexo. Part of Sodexo Employee and Consumer Engagement, Sodexo’s Neon solutions drive consumers to your brand – and keep them coming back. As consumer engagement specialists, we know how to influence behaviour. From building brand awareness to driving consumer loyalty, our unique mix of expertise means we can transform the way people interact with your brand.

The ‘2018 Sodexo UK Exploring Travel’ report can be downloaded for free from the Sodexo site.

The post Why the road less travelled is best for your next travel incentive appeared first on IPM Bitesize.

TLC Marketing has named Emma Lloyd (nee Critchley) as its first board level marketer, with the brief of strengthening its new business and communication offerings.

Emma, who was part of the IPM 30 Under 30 programme in 2017, has been at TLC Marketing for three years. She previously worked client side in marketing in the automotive and employee engagement industries.

Heading the PR and marketing for TLC in the UK, Ireland and Nordic regions, her board position has been created to lead the end-to-end communication for the agency, ensuring the output and assets of each department are optimised for new business development and agency reputation. She will be responsible for driving the strength of the UK and Irish brand while simultaneously establishing TLC in the Nordics.

Michelle Stacey, Agency Director, says: “As TLC Marketing continue to grow and expand into new markets, it is vital that we have Emma’s enthusiasm and skill set on our Board.”

Emma Lloyd comments: “For the last three years I have been responsible for growing the marketing division, but this role will now require me to contribute to, and make decisions on behalf of, every department. I’m most looking forward to seeing how exposure to the entire business will influence my strategy and decision making going forward.”

John Pearson, General Manager UK, Ireland and Nordics, adds: “At TLC Marketing, we are always looking to attract the very best talent in the industry. People who can propel our ambitious business plans into light. Sometimes, as in the case of Emma, we do that by recognising and encouraging the growth of talent we already have in the agency. Emma is a welcome addition to the UK Board. Her extensive digital client side experience coupled with her achievements to date at TLC Marketing will enhance our already strong team. She will become the seventh member of the UK Board working alongside Claire Watkin, Operations Director; Martin Covill, Director of Business; Rob Scott, Group Creative Director; Michelle Stacey, Agency Director; Aneeka Gohil, Finance Manager; and myself.”

TLC Marketing Worldwide is a global leader in loyalty, incentive and reward campaigns. TLC Marketing UK is a multi-award winning agency and was chosen as the IPM Awards Agency of the Year 2017. It also won The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade in 2016. In the past two years, clients have included Continental Tyres, Bupa, Pallas Foods, Braun, Eon, HSBC, First Direct and Yakult.

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Prize Management specialists Black Tomato Agency have recently added to their team with the appointment of Molly Harrison as a Prize Executive in the London Office and Charlie Rooney as Business Development Manager in the Manchester office.

Looking to bring much needed support off the back of new account wins for the agency, these appointments will bolster the team, who have claimed Gold, Silver and Bronze in the Prize, Incentive and Reward category at the IPM COGS Awards (an industry first), in 2016 and 2017.

Charlie Rooney will be driving all new business and comes the added benefit of having worked at Black Tomato previously. Black Tomato Agency offer a range of services to agencies and brands alike, from prize management to content creation, group incentives and strategy, an immediate understanding of client requirements and delivering to meet those needs is more important than ever.

Molly Harrison joins the Promotions Team with an events management background which enables her to immediately support the group incentive side of the business.

Andrew Rae, Head of Promotional Marketing at Black Tomato Agency said; “Traditional prize management has evolved so rapidly in the past few years, as has the portfolio of services that we offer, that we need the right team to deliver against our changing client needs.”

These most recent hires are a sign of the agency’s continuing drive to ‘create remarkable experiences that inspire.’

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