For a long while the debate has raged: “is it more effective to incentivise or to punish?”

I fondly remember Rory Sutherland’s TED talk arguing the effectiveness of the ‘thank you for not speeding’ signs with a smiley face rather than a punishing speed camera. So when we were approached by NHS Greater Manchester’s Health & Social Care Partnership to test whether rewards could help improve the cessation rates within their “Making Smoking History” programme, I was optimistic.

Could rewards be more powerful than threats in inspiring people to ‘break the habit’?

Working alongside our talented Head of Design Andie Norris and the wider team led by our Head of Account Management Richard Hilton, we set about creating a Quit Kit that employed both soft incentives including a branded fidget spinner, fridge magnets and a cessation calendar, along with stickers to help the willing mark their progress. This was mixed with ‘hard’ incentives to celebrate weekly milestones along the way – free movies, mindfulness and music streaming plus discounted vape kits – and culminating in an online fitness course, giving the new non-smokers a chance to test their new and improved health.

Designed in optimistic orange and cheerfully illustrated to support the existing ‘You Can!’ branding, the campaign comprised of the pack and a promotional website which was amplified by social media…all using the line “Just add willpower’.

All 500 packs were claimed within hours of being available and we hope for all the recipients and for our clients that Rory’s theory of carrot over stick proves to be right!

This article is written by Rob Scott Creative Director at TLC

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In a recent call with a potential client, we referenced Kantar Consulting’s graph on the public’s emotional response to the present situation. After the downward plunge of disbelief, shock, and despair, the curve starts to rally and ascends towards an ‘experimental’ phase, in a stage called ‘new beginnings’.

This more positive period of acceptance resonates with many – as a colleague said to me last week, “If I don’t come out of this a different person, I’ve wasted an opportunity”

So what are we all going to do with the time? I recently saw a post about Lidl’s middle aisle causing a stir in Ireland. The normal power tools and barbeques had been replaced by trumpets, oboes and all manner of instruments. It seems the wind (section) of change may already be blowing over us as we try to find new ways to pass our time in lockdown usefully.

You could argue Lidl’s trumpets may cause as much pain as they bring joy, but by using this unique time to learn an instrument, speak a language or even get a qualification in accounting, will, I believe, eventually benefit us all. A change in society begins with a change in all of us, and a healthy dose of betterment on an individual level is a great place to start – just be mindful of your neighbours!

So back to the client meeting and Kantars’ graph?  At each stage there was a positive experience that we recommended the brand should offer its consumers, to sympathise, entertain and then of course inspire.

Sadly their budget didn’t stretch to all three.

To get in touch with Rob Scott email, Rob.Scott@tlcmarketing.com

About TLC Marketing, social handle LinkedIn @TLCMarketingWorldwide, others @TLCMarketingUK 

TLC Marketing is The Original Rewards Company. Founded in 1954, we are the world leaders in bringing brand stories to life through customer rewards provided by our incredible national networks and brand partnerships. If a brand talks about beautiful hair, we can provide a free haircut with every purchase. Or if they promote a healthy lifestyle we can treat every single customer to a free fitness or wellness session. We call this approach turning brand storytelling into story doing, because we know actions speak louder than words.

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Rob Scott, Group Creative Director at TLC Marketing, shares what brands can do next as, ‘stay safe’ message no longer cuts it.

Over the past two weeks like all other marketers, we have been asking ourselves ‘What would we do if we were a brand, in present circumstances?’

As we have heard from countless CEO’s these ‘unusual*, difficult*, unprecedented* (*delete as appropriate) times represent enormous challenges. Whilst nearly every email that has landed in my inbox has got the tone right (in my opinion) – most have failed to actually ‘do’ anything, other than state the obvious.

Surprisingly for some brands, we’re talking to ‘doing nothing’ seems to be their strategy. Whilst this may be OK in weeks one or two, surely this can’t be an option as we enter into months of lockdown?

Consumers are looking to brands to see how they’re reacting, and so they’re also going to judge brands by these reactions, meaning the second wave of response by brands is already looking to be far more interesting. A CEO email saying “stay safe’ will no longer cut it.

Deliveroo is looking for substantial corporate sponsorship to deliver free meals to key workers, brands are asking us whether we can deliver rewards to nurses and doctors whilst they foot the bill. Others are switching their marketing budgets and spending it by giving their employees free movie downloads. Many more are simply sending customers ‘tokens’ of goodwill or practical help like digital cooking courses or vegetable seeds.

The ‘actions’ more enlightened brands are taking now will serve them well when we pull through this – as we surely will – and because they are being taken with the right intentions: thanking, helping, caring – consumers will repay them with the loyalty they deserve.

To find out more about TLC, get in touch with Rob Scott @Rob.Scott@tlcmarketing.com

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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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Yakult is giving customers the chance to enjoy a range of activities that are rewarding for both body and mind, in a on-pack promotional campaign created to celebrate ‘The Science of You’.

Customers can claim a free sports or wellbeing session with every promotional pack of Yakult and Yakult Light. Various activities on offer include tennis, swimming and golf lessons, personal trainer sessions and even out-of-the-ordinary experiences such as Disco Yoga and outdoor boot camps with British Military Fitness. There are over 3,000 venues taking part in the campaign nationwide.

For those more into wellbeing for the mind, Yakult has also collaborated with The Mindfulness App to offer three months free subscription to its premium meditation service.

Reshma Patel, Marketing Manager at Yakult UK & Ireland, says: “‘The ‘Science of You’ campaign aims to drive penetration over the summer-time, when people are increasingly looking for positive lifestyle choices. The simple mechanic, celebrating wellbeing and the science of the human body, connects the brand with our core values while also helping us deliver on our business objectives.”

The campaign is running until July 31^st, 2018 across 2.5 million packs. Customers who register within the promotional period can still download vouchers until September 30th, with vouchers being accepted at venues until December 3^rd, 2018. Promotional packs can be purchased in all major supermarkets and independents across the UK and Republic of Ireland.

To take part, consumers buy purchase any promotional pack of Yakult or Yakult Light, visit www.yakultactivities.com, register their details and enter their promotional code. They will then be able to browse thousands of independent studios, pools and gyms to find those in their local area and download a voucher. To claim their free activity, customers they must present the voucher at their chosen venue.

Campaign concept, partners and creative, which includes in-store POS, OOH media as well on-pack stickers, was developed and is being managed by London-based agency TLC Marketing. TLC also designed and built the campaign microsite, with the ‘Yakult Activities’ portal, which uses an interactive quiz to educate customers about what activities can help their body and why.

Martin Covill, Director of Business at TLC Marketing, said, “Dr Shirota, the scientist who created Yakult, believed that true health stemmed from both physical fitness and mental wellbeing. The ‘Science of You’ campaign embodies the history and vision of Yakult, but also pays homage to Dr Shirota – honouring his legacy with body and mind orientated rewards.”

TLC Marketing previously worked with Yakult on a 2015 campaign to celebrate the brand’s 80th anniversary with an on-pack ‘Culture Pass’ promotion.

TLC Marketing Worldwide is a global leader in loyalty, incentive and reward campaigns. It is the Institute of Promotional Marketing (IPM) Agency of the Year 2017 and won The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade in 2016. In the past two years, the agency has also won awards for its work with Continental Tyres, Bupa, Pallas Foods and Braun. Other clients include Eon, HSBC, First Direct and Yakult.

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UK agencies collected 15 awards in the IMC European Awards 2017, with two Gold, three Silver and 10 Bronze trophies being shared by seven British agencies.

Gold awards went to TracyLocke for its ‘Dolce by Ferrero Rocher’ campaign in the Event Marketing category, and to Toucan for its ‘Peperami Stunt Animal in the Angry Birds Movie’ campaign in the Sponsorship/Joint Effort/Tie-in category.

Three Silver awards were handed out. TracyLocke won for the ‘Dolce by Ferrero Rocher’ in Brand Building, ignis won for ‘Jameson #BeOriginal360’ in Branded Content and RPM won for ‘Only One Captain Morgan’ in the Innovative Idea or Concept category.

Ten Bronze trophies were awarded. TLC Marketing won two awards for its campaigns ‘Relish Rewards’ (B2B, Loyalty Marketing) and ‘Giant Chip Fork’ (B2B, Direct 1:1) each. Two went to ignis for ‘Jameson #BeOriginal360’ (Digital Communications, Innovative Idea or Concept). Haygarth also received two awards for its ‘Clarins Urban Oasis’ campaign (Event Marketing, Innovative Idea or Concept). Two agencies took a bronze each – TracyLocke for ‘Dolce by Ferrero Rocher’ and Brand & Deliver Marketing for ‘Join the Radeon Rebellion’.

John Sylvester, IPM Chairman, says: “The exceptional work awarded to U.K. agencies this year shows the breadth and creative scope of our talent here. At the IPM we will continue to support this important European award programme.” The IPM are Members of EACA and a key representative of the IMC Council.

Overall, 85 winners have been selected in this year’s IMC European Awards for Integrated Marketing Communications, representing 32 agencies from 7 countries. The country with the most awards in 2017 was Czech Republic with 21 trophies.

For a full list of British trophy winners click here.

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NaturZ Foods, which has been supplying independent stores with pulses, spices and rice since 2011, has launched a cinema ticket promotional reward campaign designed to thank customers for their business.

NaturZ, which is owned by Export Trading Group, will be rewarding every customer who purchases three promotional products with a free cinema voucher. Cinema is one of the most popular pastimes for UK consumers and, since recent major hikes in ticket prices, a free voucher to watch the latest movie is perceived as a real added value to consumers.

The promotional campaign, delivered by TLC Marketing, sees NaturZ partner with Vue and ODEON cinemas to fulfil the free cinema voucher offer.

The campaign will be promoted on 150,000 NaturZ packs and via in-store posters, shelf wobblers, shelf headers and free-standing units in 120 stores nationwide. Customers will be directed to the campaign website via the on-pack stickers where they will enter their three promotional codes to claim their free cinema voucher.

The campaign will run until 17^th November 2017. To qualify for the free cinema voucher, customers must purchase three promotional packs in one transaction. Customers will have 14 days from purchase to register for their free voucher and will then have 14 days after receiving their voucher to claim.

Pavan Patel, UK Director at NaturZ, says: “Cinema is a great cultural pastime that allows everyone, no matter what your interests, to be immersed in someone else’s world. It’s a real opportunity to switch off from the outside world without any distractions. Research shows our customers are giving themselves less and less ‘me-time’ as their hectic lives take over so we’re really excited to be giving them this opportunity. It’s important for us to ensure we are constantly engaging with our customers and giving thanks for their business. This is the first time we have done a campaign like this in the UK, so we’re really excited about seeing the results.”

NaturZ is a leading foods brand in independent stores throughout the UK, distributing to over 100 retailers in the UK and into 10 countries in Europe.

TLC Marketing UK is the Institute of Promotional Marketing’s Agency of the Year 2017. It is a global leader in loyalty, incentive and reward campaigns, operating in 17 markets across the globe. It has run award-winning campaigns for Bupa, Continental Tyres, Braun and Pallas Foods and also received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade in 2016. Other clients include Yakult, Elastoplast, The Post Office and HSBC.

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LSI Netherlands BV – owner of the Peperami brand – and agencies TLC Marketing and Sense were crowned the big winners at The IPM Awards 2017, taking home the trophies for Brand Owner of the Year, Agency of the Year and the coveted Grand Prix Award respectively.

This year’s winners, which were announced at the IPM’s black-tie Awards Gala on Wednesday June 7 at the London Hilton Park Lane, showcased and celebrated the very best in creativity and effectiveness in the promotional marketing industry.

The evening commenced with opening addresses from Lord Black of Brentwood, President of the IPM, and John Sylvester, the IPM’s chairman and Chairman of Sodexo Benefits & Reward Services UK, while the host for the event was Strictly Come Dancing star, Claudia Winkleman.

LSI was named as Brand Owner of the Year, after collecting two Gold and two Silver trophies for its campaign linking Peperami mascot, the Animal, with the Angry Birds movie.

TLC took the Agency of the Year accolade, having picked up four Gold awards and a Silver for a range of different campaigns.

The Grand Prix went to ‘real world’ agency Sense for its #H2O activation, part of the ‘Discomfort Future’ campaign on behalf of The Economist. This saw potential subscribers offered free coffee apparently made from recycled water from a portable toilet, to highlight the issue of water scarcity around the world. It won two Golds and was selected by the IPM awards judges as the best of the best.

The picture above shows Sense collecting their award from Lord Black (left) and the evening’s host, Claudia Winkleman (right).

Other agencies celebrating multiple trophies at the IPM Awards 2017 included The Circle Agency, ZEAL Creative, Toucan and Brand & Deliver. Behaviour change experts 23red managed to pick up Gold, Silver and Bronze in the Not for Profit, Charities and Public Sector category, the second time the agency has achieved this impressive feat.

John Sylvester, Chairman of the IPM, said: “The IPM Awards celebrate outstanding promotional marketing from the very best UK agencies and underscore our commitment to supporting best practice, creativity, effectiveness and innovation. Our Awards are open to everyone in the marketing industry and this year it was great to see both some familiar faces and some newcomers amongst the winners and the audience.”

This year, winners of Gold, Silver and Bronze IPM Awards all qualify for entry into the IMC European Awards, and the IPM will be contacting agencies shortly to explain how to take advantage of this. John Sylvester observes: “The UK produces world-class promotional marketing campaigns, and we want as many of our winners as possible to enter the IMCs so we can underline our leadership in this vitally important sector of the marketing and advertising industry.”

Sponsors for the IPM Awards 2017 included headline sponsor Sodexo, Westfield Shoppingtowns, Sykes, Emirat, Whistl, Granby Marketing Services, Promotional Handling, i-movo, POD Staffing, Peazie and Pictures Experience.

A full list of this year’s winner can be found on the IPM website.

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This year’s IMC European Awards for Integrated Marketing Communications saw 81 trophies awarded to 31 agencies from five countries.

Ireland took the lead with 25 trophies, followed by the Czech Republic with 18, Belgium with 16, and Italy and United Kingdom, both with 11.

The biggest individual success was for Irish agency guns or knives, which took a total of 14 awards – five for the Hailo Drive For Equality campaign, four for the Orchard Thieves Launch for Heineken Ireland, three for the Hailo 3rd Birthday activity and two for It’s Your Call, again for Heineken.

BBDO from Belgium took seven awards – three for Lidl Blend Test, two for The Write Thing for Parkinson Liga and two for Personal Billboards for JC Decaux.

UK campaigns won 11 awards. Carey Trevill, Managing Director of the IPM, says: “Agencies Haygarth, Pretty Green, Space, Jack Morton, TLC Marketing and whynot! thinkpeople are all recognised for their work across a broad spectrum of blue chip brands. With wins across Innovative Idea, Digital Comms, Integrated, Product Launch and other high profile categories, the UK have yet again shown strength across promotional marketing.”

Integrated agency Space collected four Silver IMC trophies for GalaCoral with their innovative #CheltenHAM micropig racing content concept for betting company Coral, which won the IPM Awards 2016 Grand Prix earlier this year. Pretty Green scooped another two Silver IMCs for client Concha y Toro, while IPM Gold winners Haygarth picked up a Silver IMC for Sony. TLC Marketing’s campaigns for BUPA UK and Continental collected Silver and Bronze awards, while Jack Morton’s work for Freeview picked up a Silver with whynot! thinkpeople picking up an award for Arla.

Carey Trevill adds: “With an incredibly strong assembly of entries, the UK picked up some great IMC Awards this year including more awards for our IPM Awards 2016 Grand Prix Winner, Space, for #CheltenHAM, Haygarth for its work for Sony and Pretty Green for its work for Concha y Toro. An impressive list of winners from the UK and we’ll be back next year to take back the coveted IMC Grand Prix to demonstrate our creative strength in Europe.”

IMCC Chairman, Ondrej Gottwald, comments: “I am really grateful for the agencies’ high interest in the IMC European Awards and the high number of entries during my chairmanship. I am delighted that our industry is doing well across Europe. Beside the commercial campaigns, I highly value campaigns with positive social impact. I really like to see that these campaigns are recognised and rewarded by industry professionals.”

The winning campaigns were selected after two rounds of judging. All entries were first reviewed by a jury panel made up of 45 leading industry professionals from across Europe. Entries were then judged by the second round jury, comprised of IMCC Council member representatives. Full details of the judging procedure can be found at the official website at www.imcceurope.com.

Only campaigns which first win gold awards in their respective national awards programmes are eligible to enter the IMC Awards.

For the UK, the only way to enter the IMCs is to first win Gold in the annual IPM Awards. The IPM has just announced details of the IPM Awards 2017. For further information about categories, how to enter and entry fees, please contact the IPM Awards team on 020 3848 0444 or check the IPM website, www.theipm.org.uk.

The IMC European Awards are run by the Integrated Marketing Communications Council (IMCC), which is part of the European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA). The IPM is a member of EACA.

IMCC represents the integrated marketing communications agencies and agency associations in Europe. It acts as a central source of information for the industry and assists in the development of the reputation and professionalism of the industry across Europe by focusing on best practice, lobbying, the IMC European Awards programme and education through the IMCC International Diploma, which has been developed out of the IPM’s long-established Diploma in Promotional Marketing. For more information on the IMCC, visit www.imcceurope.com.

The European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA) is a Brussels-based organisation which represents full-service advertising and media agencies and agency associations in Europe. For more information, visit www.eaca.eu.

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Household appliances company Bosch is running a promotion offering a free TomTom Spark GPS fitness watch, worth £149.99, when they purchase a Bosch Athlet vacuum cleaner.

The TomTom Spark GPS fitness watch can accurately monitor physical activity, performance and heart rate and is also an MP3 music player, so consumers can listen to their favourite tracks while cleaning the house.

The campaign was put together for Bosch by London-based promotional agency, TLC Marketing UK.

Rebecca Ness, Trade Marketing Manager at Bosch, says: “This is a great example of how we make consumers lives easier and turn everyday tasks into pleasant and fun experiences while simultaneously tapping into current health trends.”

Martin Covill, Business Director at TLC Marketing, adds: “The Bosch Athlet TomTom Spark promotion is an innovative way to attract Bosch customers. Brands are starting to take advantage of the current digital health trend and so we wanted to reward Bosch customers with a high-quality gift they can use any time, for any activity. As the Athlet is cordless, the TomTom Spark will accurately track your performance while doing the vacuuming, making housework that little more rewarding.”

The campaign will be communicated through POS and runs until the end of October 2016.

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