Incentive - February 2008 - (Page 50)

GIFT CARDS >> emerging, and so are experiential gift cards," says Cindy Mielke, president of the IGCC. “It’s fun to see all the new types of products and services, such as regional restaurants and stores and even state parks.” >> What are the primary benefits of offering gift cards/certificates in incentive programs? SPECIAL TOUCHES Corporate leaders are turning to customization to enhance the gift card offerings for their most important employees and customers. Co-branding, embossed messages, and spending functionality are just a few of the areas to pay attention to when taking gift card programs to the next level. “Customization is important to corporate clients. Besides getting a reward that is meaningful and motivational, they want to create emotional engagement for the recipient,” says Tracy McFadden Wright, vice president of merchant partnerships for American Express Incentive Services (AEIS). “Every time recipients take the card out of their wallet, they are reminded that they did something to earn this wonderful reward.” In addition, AEIS works with clients to determine how the card can best be used to drive the right behavior with options such as filtered or selective spend, among other preferences. EASE OF ADMINISTRATION: 74.5% REDEMPTION OPTIONS/FLEXIBILITY: 57.3% BROAD AUDIENCE APPEAL: 54.4% PERCEIVED VALUE: 48.5% COST EFFECTIVENESS: 41.4% LASTING IMPACT: 23% BACK END/ROI TRACKING: 14.6% OTHER: 1.7% Source: 2007 Incentive Gift Card Facts Survey TOTAL PACKAGE While primarily a consumer trend, gift card accessories are appearing more frequently in corporate campaigns, as smart presentation makes a positive impression on recipients. Catchy designs range from one-of-a-kind tin boxes to elegantly wrapped packages with fabric appliqués and colorful accents. “We believe that we will see continued growth in the incentive market with focus on personalization and packaging very similar to the trends we are seeing at brick and mortar locations,” says Calicchio. “Clients are asking us how to differentiate themselves from the competition, and this is where customization and packaging come into play.” One company experiencing tremendous growth because of its innovative gift card presentation solutions is Seastone. Over the past three years, the Provo, Utah-based company has grown 200 percent every year, shipping over 100 million units in 2007. While the company doesn’t sell direct to consumers, its attractive gift card options can be found in some of the country’s largest retailers. Seastone also works with retailers on customer loyalHow would you rate ty programs, such as Wet Seal's the effectiveness of Seal Deal program, giving away gift cards/certificates tin boxes with a loyalty card (on a scale of 1-5, with and coupons inside. 5 as most effective)? “There is a huge movement with the retailers, as well as con0% 0.7% 24.1% 49.6% 25.5% sumers, in wanting to personalize a complete gift rather than 1 5 just a piece of a package,” says Source: 2007 Incentive Gift Card Facts Survey Seastone CEO Eric Child. Peek-A-Boo Gift Card Solutions, a Houston, Texas-based company, works with a wide variety of clients, including grocery and drug stores, retail specialty stores, spas, banks, and non-profit organizations to provide the ultimate in presentation. “If you're giving a gift card to an employee or client, you want it to look like you put some thought into it. A gift should always look like a gift,” says Peek-A-Boo president Amy Tinsley. “In 2007 we noticed an increase in corporate clients interested in adding a touch of thoughtfulness to their employee incentive programs.” MIXING IT UP Award integration is becoming more prevalent in programs. Instead of giving a single gift card, some companies are combining gift cards with merchandise and travel to make award offerings more attractive to a target audience. “The industry is blending cards with merchandise more often than not. This allows for much greater diversity,” says Jessica Brown, manager of special projects at Pine Brook, New Jerseybased Rymax Marketing Services, which launched a new gift card division last year with partners such as Bloomingdale's, Williams-Sonoma, Utix, and Bath & Body Works. For one client in the financial industry, Rymax bundled a set of Waterford wine glasses with a Wine.com gift card, which was a huge hit with the recipients because they received a tangible gift in addition to a gift card that they could use to order their favorite wine. Anne Hamilton, vice president of resort sales and services for Walt Disney Resort, says it's common for clients to combine travel with the Disney Gift Card. “We have clients bring an incentive trip here, and then give the gift card for food and merchandise.” Whether corporate clients customize gift cards, present them in pretty packaging, or combine them with merchandise and travel awards, they must make sure the selection is meaningful for their target audience, stresses O’ Toole. “At the end of the day, gift card recipients in the b-to-b space are consumers,” he says. “Consumers are very savvy these days and they clearly want gifts they value highly.” SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION >> 50 | February 2008 http://www.Wine.com

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

Incentive Magazine - February 2008 Editor’s Note: Archie and the Boys In The News Cover Story: On The Ball Incentives Incentive Primer: How to Use Sporting Events Incentive Interview: Jim Avery on Doing the Right Thing Employee Empowerment Motivates and Pays Dividends Hospitals, Nurses Win With Flexible Scheduling Legal Ease: Safety Programs and Unions Case Study: The Weitz Company Retains Its Boomers Potentials: Here and Now Star Power in the Kitchen Awards: Gift Card Trends for the New Year Travel News The Manhattanization of Las Vegas Classics Renewed: Monaco and France Advertiser Index Off The Cuff: Tumi’s Mike Landry

Incentive - February 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.