Incentive - January 2008 - (Page 71)

AWARDS GPS devices with built-in mapping programs, like the Garmin Edge 605, are great for bicyclists as well as drivers. The Apple iPod touch has the best features of the iPhone, without a contract. months after they get it, they’re waiting for the next one.” Blabolil faces a challenge common to all incentive managers who seek to use electronics in motivational programs. He must keep up on the latest products coming to market and make sure they are offered as incentives. He’s keeping up with the electronic Joneses. How to Keep Up The dizzying pace at which new technology hits the retail market is what makes the job fun for leaders in incentive merchandise, because they know how to keep track. These experts don’t just contend with technological change; they feed off of it, they love it. And they use a variety of methods for staying ahead of the curve. They keep close to their vendors, to get that insider knowledge about changes before they happen. They attend electronics trade shows, where new products are launched and deals are made. And they follow the press. “How do you keep up? You work your relationships with your vendors,” says Todd Bendtschneider, a veteran merchandise manager at Chicago-based Hinda Incentives. Example: A strong relationship with suppliers paid off for Hinda in September of last year when Apple switched to flash memory technology in its digital music players, effectively doubling the storage capability of the gadgets, or halving the price, depending on how you look at it. “Apple is very careful about how they go to market. They keep things quiet, but our authorized distributor was able to advise us that a change was occurring and about when,” Bendtschneider relates. The information was enough for Hinda to get ahead of the curve of changing technology. “Our strategy was to run at minimum inventories of old products, and as soon as we had total information on the new products, we placed our orders immediately. We shipped some of those new products the same week they hit the market.” The result? Hinda had the latest technology available for its clients, right on time. “We were able to transition to the new technology and ship for one of our most valued consumer loyalty programs,” says Bendtschneider. “They were delighted. People were actually getting the new, more robust products, even if they had ordered the old ones.” Bendtschneider’s like a hound sniffing out the latest technology trends, and his nose goes wild at trade shows like the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which he’s attended for 20 years. Held every January in Las Vegas, the trade event’s the place where the major electronics makers come to debut their ideas for new products, get feedback from the big retailers and decide what to roll out in the coming year. Think of it as an intelligence-gathering mission. “We’ve never cut a purchase order at the Consumer Electronics Show,” admits Hinda’s Bendtschneider. “The value is seeing what the manufacturers Planner Resources Hinda Incentives, www.hinda.com Maritz Motivation, www.maritz.com Carlson Marketing www.carlsonmarketing.com Meridian Enterprises www.meridian-incentive.com Marketing Innovators marketinginnovators.com LG, incentiveconcepts.com Sony, motivation.sony.com Panasonic, www.panasonic.com Apple, http://store.apple.com Bose, www.incentiveconcepts.com Nikon, www.nikonusa.com Canon, www.info-now.com/canon Garmin, www.computer-incentives.com Tom Tom, www.tomtom.com Magellan, www.psakc.com Fujifilm, www.gopremco.com iiPod touch image courtesy of Apple incentivemag.com | January 2008 | Incentive | 71 http://www.hinda.com http://www.maritz.com http://www.carlsonmarketing.com http://www.meridian-incentive.com http://marketinginnovators.com http://incentiveconcepts.com http://motivation.sony.com http://www.panasonic.com http://store.apple.com http://www.incentiveconcepts.com http://www.nikonusa.com http://www.info-now.com/canon http://www.computer-incentives.com http://www.tomtom.com http://www.psakc.com http://www.gopremco.com http://incentivemag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Incentive - January 2008

Incentive - January 2008 Contents Editor’s Note: Out of SITE In The News Cover Story: Include a Meeting, Improve Morale Case Study: DHL Delivers Recognition Incentive Primer: How To Use Promo Products How Bob Nardelli Rallied Chrysler’s Dealers Incentive Interview: Ken Blanchard Says Be Nice TV’s Extreme Makeover Motivates Giving Pre-Employment Motivation The Daycare Dilemma Happy Employees Shouldn’t Mix with Sick Employees Incentive Research: Consumer Promotions Report In Her Shoes: Winning Approval Of Flextime Travel News Field Report: Barcelona Field Report: Bermuda Golf: Follow The Pros potentials Here and Now Watches As Jewelry Awards: Online Gift Cards Tech Gadgets for 2008 Last Word: Stanley Bing Bashes Bully Bosses

Incentive - January 2008

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