Because of its high perceived value, a travel incentive can cost less than money or merchandise. Travel rewards are more glamorous to promote than cash rebates or other sales promotions. Cash is easy come, easy go.  It’s spent on mundane necessities.  Travel is memorable. Competitors can quickly match rebates and other promotion methods.  However, travel incentives are custom-designed exclusively for your company. Travel incentives represent a chance for hard-working individuals… Read More »10 Reasons Why Money Isn’t Everything But Travel Incentives Comes Real Close

As competition increases and brands vie to stay relevant, the strategic dilemma brands are often faced with is one that transcends just the marketing industry: should I take a risk or should I go with a “safer” bet? However, as the old adage goes, “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” While sometimes a safer bet seems like the most rational approach, some instances dictate taking risks —risks that, in turn, reap rewards… Read More »How Target Took Big Risks and Reaped Even Bigger Rewards

It’s not just fashion brands that can stand to benefit from a pop-up shop, though. Despite challenging market conditions that have forced many a layoff and plummeting sales numbers, some companies in the CPG category have used their creativity to reap the rewards. How have they done it? They’ve kept in mind these three goals: Generating Excitement: If you want a pop-up shop to create buzz for your brand, you… Read More »How CPG Brands Can Benefit from the Pop-Up Shop

Show Them a Good Time Yes, the holidays are filled with all sorts of warm and fuzzy feelings, but it’s also an extremely stressful time. For many, the time and financial investment associated with the season make life a bit more difficult. Therein lies the opportunity for brands to bring a little cheer. Take Baileys, for example. The Diageo-owned Irish liqueur is hosting “The Baileys Treat Stop” in the West… Read More »3 Ways Marketers Can Take Advantage of the Holidays

1. Enroll all stakeholders early in your planning process. Develop your strategy in collaboration with all stakeholders right from the start and before you get into design and activation mode. In events, ideas seem to pop up all along the way towards execution. There’s no hope of staying on target without full agreement to the strategy because otherwise, there’s no way to evaluate the ideas that arise. Consequently, decisions will… Read More »8 Event & Meeting Rules From Marketing Pro David Rich

Can you bring in one of your key partners or service organization to establish a booth space within your space? Can your co-presence bring in more qualified attendees than you would normally expect? Does a company offer a complimentary product or service that is important to how your product is used? By bringing this company into your space can it enhance how you demonstrate your products at trade shows? Do… Read More »Learning from Retail – Shop-in-Shop

How about ROI? Maybe we need to throw out ROI – for a moment at least and rethink the rationale for exhibiting. What if the rationale is to make your exhibit a gathering space for your company fans – kind of a  branded town square. Provide education and other value-added services that build your relationship with your customers. Sometimes warm and fuzzy beats ROI – in the long term anyway.… Read More »Learning from Retail – Is it a Store or an Ad or an Exhibit?

1. Making the promotion too complex Keep your promotion easy for consumers (and you, too!) to understand. Consumers will be more inclined to engage with your brand if participation is simple. Keeping the entry process straightforward also helps in efficient capturing, handling, and processing of consumer data. Keep official rules and communications clear and concise for easy understanding by consumers. 2. Thinking on a single communication level Sales promotions can… Read More »6 Promotions Pitfalls to Avoid