Our Favourite Consumer Promotions of 2016
By Samantha Currie on January 15th, 2017
Whether you want to engage your customers and keep them loyal, or you’re trying to get your brand into the marketplace, a well thought out consumer promotion can put you head and shoulders above your competitors. Here are eight of our favourite consumer promotions from around the world in 2016. They’re full of clever ideas – you might even find that something similar would work for your brand.
1. Starbucks loyalty program
One of the most discussed customer loyalty schemes in the United States, the Starbucks loyalty program has been met with both good and bad reviews. The recent change to the program, plus the launch of their mobile loyalty app, has meant big benefits for customers who purchase more expensive drinks, incentivising people to buy more and better beverages. With the addition of status levels offering extra benefits according to how much you spend, it’s certainly got Starbucks aficionados spending more. The app is closely integrated with the company’s point of sale system, so that customers can not only earn rewards, but can order in advance, pay for their orders and track their loyalty points all on the app.
2. JetBlue’s FlyBabies
How many times has your flight been disrupted by a child crying behind you? Far from chastising the poor parents who have to try and console baby, American airline JetBlue decided to reward them and their fellow ‘long suffering’ passengers with a special Mother’s Day promotion, nicknamed ‘FlyBabies’. Whenever a baby cried during the flight from JFK to Long Beach the passengers were given a 25% discount on their next flight. If four babies cried during the flight, the passengers would all be entitled to a free flight with JetBlue. The initiative aimed to ease the stress of travelling for parents and their cabin companions – a gesture we’re sure they all appreciated.
3. KFC’s scented candle
In December 2016, KFC New Zealand ran a fun competition on its social media platforms to win a KFC-scented candle. To be in with a chance to win, the post on the brand’s Facebook page asked fans to suggest KFC merchandise they’d like to see created. With over 18,000 comments on Facebook and a lot of articles and publicity around the interesting scent, this limited edition promotional product certainly resulted in a lot of engagement for the brand.
4. Dulux’s Paint and Cashback Challenge
Well-known paint giant Dulux ran a fun and time-sensitive Paint and Cashback Challenge over a Bank Holiday in Britain. Consumers were required to buy two or more Dulux products, register the products online, and then upload a photo of their freshly-painted room within 48 hours of registering. If they completed the challenge, they received 100% cashback on their paint purchase. This interactive promotion was developed to engage consumers, promote brand loyalty, and give people an avenue for showing off their amazing Dulux-painted rooms.
5. Caltex’s Win $1 Million Promotion
At the end of 2016 Caltex ran an old-fashioned prize-drawn competition, where consumers who spent more than $20 on fuel in one transaction could go online and register their receipt for the chance to win. The appeal of this promotion was the sheer volume of prizes – 15 draws meant 15 $100 StarCard vouchers were won everyday. The big million dollar prize depended on the Million Dollar Pump – a mystery pump in a mystery location, which both enticed and excited consumers.
6. Frito-Lay’s Maxx Crisp Cashback
Frito-Lay ran a cashback promotion with their Maxx Crisp product, where consumers had the opportunity to find two halves of a bank note in two different packets of crisps, in order to win some cold, hard cash. Layy’s ran a promotion like this years ago in which there was actual money inside the packets, but this time the promotion was brought into the digital age, as winners entered the codes found on the vouchers online to have the money transferred straight into their bank account. A simple plan for a great promotion.
7. MTV’s digital rewards
When MTV wanted to create additional excitement for their 25th Anniversary Video Music Awards Show, they created a custom Digital Rewards Card in the shape of their iconic “Moon Man”, which street teams distributed in major cities in the US. Fans were directed to the VMA website, where they could vote for their favourite nominees, and redeem free Music Downloads from these performers. This was a cost-effective way to drive website traffic, create excitement and inspire customer loyalty.
8. Curry’s Cash for Goals
Let’s face it, buying a TV these days isn’t exactly the most exciting of tasks. Incentivising customers to purchase televisions can be tricky, which is why Curry’s came up with their Cash for Goals promotion. Sporting events offer a great chance for television manufacturers to market their products, so Curry’s based this promotion around the European Football Championships. Basically, when you purchased a TV worth over GBP £700, you chose a team that you wanted to support, and for every goal that team scored during a game, the consumer received £10 cashback. An interactive and attractive promotion that got the consumer involved and highlighted how great watching sport on your TV at home can be.
The benefits of providing rewards
2016 proved very successful for the companies who chose to offer consumer promotions and incentive programs as part of their marketing strategies, and this shows no sign of stopping. Consumer promotions is a $5 billion industry in Australia and statistics show that 84% of consumers would switch brands for a prize incentive, while 80% of us would buy more from companies of which we are members.
Digital rewards are a great way for value-seeking customers to be rewarded for their loyalty to your business, without cluttering their wallets with the standard paper-punch cards. Digital rewards are effective for both brands and consumers in that they’re customisable, can be instantly redeemed, can track consumer data, are cost effective and highly scalable.
Are you ready to reward your customers?
If you don’t already have some kind of consumer promotion or loyalty program in place, 2017 is the year to change all that. It’s time to develop a tailor-made incentive scheme that will influence and engage your customers so that they don’t want to shop anywhere else. At Edge, we work with brands and agencies to develop tailor-made consumer promotions and incentive programs that generate maximum engagement at minimum cost. Get in touch with us today if you’d like to hear more.
Samantha Currie
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