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.

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Kerry Foods is supporting its Fire & Smoke cooked meats range with a partnership with US NFL team the Jacksonville Jaguars, including a competition to win the star prize of a trip to Florida, plus a VIP experience at a Jacksonville Jaguars game and a behind-the-scenes stadium tour at TIAA Bank Field.

Fire & Smoke will become the Official Meat Partner of the Jaguars and the Jaguars Se7ens Cup, a flag football tournament giving UK participants a chance to compete for an all-expenses paid trip to the Super Bowl.

Fire & Smoke will also have a presence across the Jaguars social channels all year round, while Kerry Foods will be running experiential activity, sampling and digital support for the partnership.

American Football has become one of the most popular sports in the UK and Ireland, driven by the success of the NFL International Series, and now boasts over 13 million fans in this country. Kerry Foods says it has partnered with the Jaguars because they are the only NFL team with a long term commitment to the UK.

Anna Moore, Senior Brand Manager for Kerry Foods’ Meat Portfolio, says: “We’re incredibly excited to be announcing this partnership and with the increasing popularity of American Football in the UK we’re sure this will excite and delight our consumers. As a result, we’re expecting the partnership to be a touchdown performance, resulting in a roaring sales success.”

Hussain Naqi, Senior Vice President International Development for the Jacksonville Jaguars, adds: “We feel proud and privileged to be partnering with such a great UK & Ireland based organisation but also with a brand who shares and understands our southern US values. We are excited to bring that flavour to life through American Football for millions of consumers around the UK and continue to grow our transatlantic efforts through great partnerships.”

To enter the on-pack prize draw, consumers have to buy a promotional pack of Fire & Smoke, go to fireandsmokeflorida.co.uk and provide their personal details plus the receipt.

The winner will receive a seven night stay in Florida for two adults including flights, accommodation, hire car or transfers in Florida, $250 spending money and VIP NFL tickets including a locker room tour and a Jaguars game of choice in Jacksonville during December 2018. Three runners-up will receive prizes of signed team merchandise.

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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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Kettle Chips has launched an ‘Upgrade your lunch’ on pack promotion on its full single serve and multi-pack ranges offering consumers the chance to win the lunch upgrade of a lifetime with a trip to Hollywood – plus every purchaser can also rent a digital film in full HD from Chili Cinema for just £1.

Consumers just need to go online and enter the promotional code printed on each pack to receive their Chili film code and enter the Hollywood Trip prize draw.

The prize will enable one lucky winner and their guest to experience the life of a Hollywood ‘A’ lister, including a poolside lunch at a top Beverley Hills hotel. During their stay in Los Angeles, the winners will also receive a behind the scenes VIP tour at Universal Studios and a helicopter ride over Tinseltown. The prize package includes return flights from the UK or Ireland and five nights’ accommodation in a 5 Star hotel.

The promotion started at the beginning of March, with the prize draw for the holiday prize close at midnight on July 31^st 2018. The Chili Cinema film rental for £1 offer closes at midnight on December 31^st 2018.

To enter, consumers have to visit the promotional website, www.kettleupgrade.co.uk and enter the promotional code printed on the 40g pack or on the outer bag from multipacks, along with their personal details. They will then be automatically entered into the prize draw for the Hollywood trip and will receive a discount code to enable them to participate in the film rental for £1 offer.

The Chili film code allows consumers to select from thousands of movies and TV series, including new releases only a few weeks after their cinema release, available to stream on a Smart TV, PC, tablet or smartphone without subscription charges.

The promotion is open to all residents of the UK, Isle of Man, Channel Islands and Republic of Ireland aged 18 and over, with the usual exclusions. Only one entry per person is allowed during the promotion. There are No Purchase Necessary entry routes available for consumers living in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland – they can access a separate webpage via a link on the main promotional website, and they will be automatically entered into the Prize Draw.

The on pack will be supported by trade advertising and a full range of POS from dump bins and shelf edge strips for retailers, to bus stops and pallet wraps for Cash & Carry depots and branded beer mats for the on-trade. To amplify the promotion even further a programme of consumer facing activity is planned for the spring, including social media and PR.

In store from the middle of March to the end of June, the promotion will run on a total of 17 million bags across the entire Kettle Chips 40g range, including Price Marked packs, and the four Kettle Chips Multi-packs.

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Cadbury’s second phase of its partnership with the Premier League kicks off this month with a ‘Win a Legend’ promotion targeting consumers across the country.

Running from January 1st until March 31st 2018, the new promotion offers consumers the chance to win an experience day with a Premier League legend (Thierry Henry, Ian Wright, Jamie Redknapp or Michael Owen) plus thousands of instant win prizes, including pairs of match tickets and Cadbury Premier League merchandise, when they purchase a ‘legendary’ product from the Cadbury Dairy Milk range.

Cadbury says the Legend experience days will be tailored as much as possible to the winners’ wishes but might include one of the Legends visiting a winner’s local football team and supporting it from the sideline (including a half time team talk with players and a meet and greet with players and spectators) the chance to watch a live Premier League match with a Legend (including transport to the match, hospitality tickets with family/friends, opportunities for photos and autographs).

To enter, consumers need to purchase a Cadbury Dairy Milk core single or tablet (Cadbury Dairy Milk, Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel, Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruit and Nut or Cadbury Dairy Milk Whole Nut), then visit www.CadburyLegends.com and upload a digital photo of the product, clearly showing the Cadbury logo, to the site.

The promotion is open to anyone aged 18 or over living in the UK and the Republic of Ireland (who is not connected to the promoters). It runs from now until March 29th and entrants must have Internet access, an e-mail account and the ability to take and upload a photo.

Tier 1 prizes include four Premier League Legend Experiences (up to the value of £2,000). There is no guarantee which player the experience will be with. Tier 2 prizes include 10 pairs of tickets to a Premier League match for the 2018/19 season. There are 2,000 Tier 3 prizes including Now TV Sky Sports one month passes, scarves, footballs and football bag and water bottle combinations.

Tier 1 winners will be selected in a random draw to take place by April 6th from all entries received throughout the promotional period. Tier 2 and 3 Prizes will be allocated according to random pre-determined ‘winning moments’ across the promotional period.

There is a No Purchase Necessary route for Northern Ireland.

Supported by a £4m full-brand campaign, including Out of Home (OOH) and digital plus POS, the promotion aims to help drive penetration and frequency both in the singles and tablet categories of the confectionery market.

Katrina Davison, brand manager for Cadbury Dairy Milk, says: “Mondelēz International has been a great contributor to incremental growth for chocolate singles, particularly within the first quarter of the year. Last year, our Cadbury Dairy Milk ‘flavours’ campaign in Q1 drove +5% ROS and reached 91% of adults 10.9 times. What’s more, our first and broadest on-pack promotion with the Premier League is driving excellent results – double digit growth in grocery channels and Mondelez is driving penetration gains across the market.”

Davison adds: “We’re eager to push growth even further with our latest promotion. We’ve focused on our core range, which are legends themselves within the confectionery category, and coupled it with strong support so we expect demand to be high.”

The Cadbury brand is owned by Mondelēz International, the global snacking company with 2016 net revenues of approximately $26 billion. Mondelēz is a world leader in biscuits, chocolate, gum, candy and powdered beverages, with global Power Brands including Oreo and belVita biscuits; Cadbury Dairy Milk and Milka chocolate; and Trident gum.

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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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Carling has launched a new on-pack promotion giving consumers the chance to win an array of Premier League prizes, including the trophy itself.

Working in partnership with the Premier League and Sky Sports, the ‘Win The League’ campaign will give Carling drinkers the opportunity to get their hands on the famous silverware, allowing winners to take the Premier League trophy back to their home, their workplace, their local pub or even their own grassroots football club.

Running until the end of September, consumers who purchase promotional packs of Carling will be in with a chance of winning Premier League prizes every day. To enter the competition, consumers will need to download the Carling Tap app on iPhone or Android devices and use it to scan any Carling can or bottle in a promotional pack for their chance to win. Within seconds of scanning, fans will find out whether they are one of that day’s many winners.

The promotion is available across packs of Carling lager, Carling Premier, Carling Apple Cider, Carling Black Fruits Cider and Carling Citrus Twist which are labelled with ‘Win Premier League Prizes Every Day’.

On top of the trophy, other prizes include Sky Q packages for an entire year with all Sky Sports channels included and an Ultra High Definition TV, Premier League tickets, signed Premier League shirts, Now TV Sky Sports day passes, official Nike Premier League footballs and more.

There are 12 Sky Q packages to be won, including a year’s subscription including Sky Sports and Sky Cinema plus a 43” UHD TV; 10,000 NOW TV Sky Sports day passes; 92 sets of four Premier League Football match tickets; 500 Nike Strike Premier League Footballs; 40 signed Premier League shirts; 1000 coupons redeemable for a four pack of Carling Premier lager; and the star prizes, eight Premier League Trophy days.

Each Premier League Trophy day prize consists of one day with the Premier League trophy (9.00am until 9.00pm) at a location chosen by the winner (but approved by the Premier League) before the start of the 2018/2019 season. Security staff will be required to stay with the trophy at all times.

The campaign will also be supported by Out of Home advertising and social media content.

Jim Shearer, Carling Brand Director, says: “Our latest promotion gives fans a chance to get even closer to the league they love through a whole raft of exclusive Premier League prizes. The Premier League and Carling go hand in hand, and we know that big sporting occasions drive sales of alcohol for the off-trade, so this promotion has the potential to be one of our most successful to date.”

At the start of last season Carling became the Official Beer and Cider of the Premier League, having previously been title partners of the Carling Premiership from 1993 up until the 2001 season.

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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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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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Martini, title sponsor of F1 racing team Williams, is partnering Airbnb to offer the chance to spend a night in the Williams Martini Racing garage at the Silverstone Circuit, the night before the 2017 Formula One Rolex British Grand Prix.

One winner and a guest will eat, drink and sleep in the home of one of the world’s most prestigious names in motor racing on July 15, 2017.

Access to the team garage is extremely restricted during a Formula One weekend so the lucky winner and guest will be one of very few people to enter the inner sanctum of the team.

During the Martini and Airbnb experience, the winner will receive a guided tour of the garage and be met by the team’s Deputy Team Principal, Claire Williams, before they sleep next to the 2017 Williams Martini Racing FW40 cars and 50 years of Martini Racing history.

This money can’t buy experience includes meeting Felipe Massa and will culminate in the winners joining Williams Martini Racing for a racing experience of a lifetime which coincides with the team celebrating their 40th anniversary.

Felipe Massa, Williams Martini Racing driver, says: “It’s amazing what Martini has done for racing since its return to Formula One.  They really understand the joy and passion of the sport – and celebrate it on and off the track. For me, the Williams Martini Racing garage has always felt like a home away from home and I can’t wait to welcome the winners at Silverstone this summer.”

Zara Mirza, Global Head of Creative Excellence, Bacardi Limited, adds: “At Martini, we’re not just a racing sponsor, we’re race fans. Aside from driving an F1 car, spending a night in the garage is like waking up in your own racing dream.”

The MARTINI and Airbnb Night at the Williams Martini Racing garage is the latest in Airbnb’s ‘Night at’ series, which sees guests stay in iconic locations around the world. It is open to race fans from April 27 to May 16, 2017. Applicants must be aged 25 and over and a resident of Belgium, Italy, Germany, Russia, Spain or the United Kingdom.

To enter participants must write 100 words or less explaining what they love about racing and why they should be the lucky one chosen to stay the night at the Williams Martini Racing Garage at Silverstone before the 2017 Formula one Rolex British Grand Prix.

More information is at the competition website, airbnb.com/night-at/wmrgarage

Martini has been involved with motorsport since 1968 when Martini Racing was formed. Martini was one of the first non-motorsport brands to sponsor a racing team. Martini signed up as title sponsor of British owned Williams F1 team in 2014; its previous involvement with F1 was with as an official partner of Scuderia Ferrari from 2006 to 2008.

Williams is a leading F1 team and advanced engineering company. Formed in 1977 by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head, the team has secured 16 FIA Formula One World Championship titles since then.

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