sales promotion & events
KEEP THEM
IF YOU CAN
To beat the cross-border competition, The Pen Centre adds new program.
Located in St. Catharines, Canada, just minutes away from the U.S. border,
The Pen Centre understands the next level shopping culture that exists on
the other side of the line. Aware of the constant competition, the shopping
center developed “Shop Black, Save Green” to introduce the holiday season.
Looking to catch shoppers either before leaving or on their way out of the
country, the Black Friday program started extra early this past fall, running
on the Thursday and Friday of the November long weekend to cater to those
with more than one stop on their shopping schedule.
“Even with the fluctuating exchange rates, residents will still travel the
short distance across the border to access products not available in Canada
or take advantage of the different experience that shopping in the U.S. offers,
so you can imagine the temptation to cross the border is even more significant
during Black Friday,” said Helen Edwards, marketing director.
Along with a quality swag bag giveaway, “Shop Black, Save Green”
delivered three forms of added value: Black Knight surprise, Deal Diva,
and Shop to WIN. Between the traveling Black Knight and Deal Diva,
select shoppers had the chance to receive a free purchase by way of being
Customers hoped to
snag gift cards on the spot
if the Deal Diva shared
their deal online.
Shop Black, Save Green
‘knighted’ and an on-the-spot gift card in the amount of C$200 (approx.
US$160), C$300 (US$240), or C$500 (US$400) if the Deal Diva shared their
deal online. For the shop to WIN component of the promotion, customers
could register their purchases at the guest services desk to try their luck at
winning the Suite Experience at the Niagara Ice Dogs (a C$500 value).
By the end of the weekend, almost C$5,000 (US$4,000) was given away
for the Black Knight, 61 shoppers snagged gift cards from the Deal Diva, 250
people entered the Shop to WIN contest, and more than 60 percent of retailers
experienced an increase in sales of 15 percent or higher over the previous year.
Swag bags
were key
to luring
Black Friday
shoppers.
THE IMPACT
Here’s a summary of the "Shop Black, Save Green" event marketing plan:
ONLINE
The Goal: To receive 100,000 organic impressions on Facebook and
Instagram, and receive at least 100 customer posts over the long weekend.
The Strategy: Launch the Deal Diva initiative and encourage shoppers to
share their deals via social media for the chance to win.
The Result: The Pen Centre received more than 138,620 impressions and
144 customer deal posts over the four-day period.
OFFLINE
The Goal: To drive overall customer traffic and to have at least half of
retailers experience at 10-percent (or higher) increase in sales.
The Strategy: Launch an aggressive integrated marketing campaign to
promote the added value components of the program.
The Result: The majority of retailers saw higher overall traffic and 61 percent
of them experienced an increase in sales of 15 percent or higher.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Swag bags handed out: C$10,000 (US$8,000)
• 500 bags filled with water bottles, chocolate, store coupons,
and a C$10 (US$8) Pen Centre gift card
In-mall: C$9,000 (approx. US$7,200) for signage, posters, flags, and decals
Prizing: Black Knight (C$4,700 or US$3,760), Deal Diva (C$600 or
US$480), and Shop to WIN (C$500 or US$400)
Radio: C$3,000 (US$2,400)
Agency fee to create materials: C$2,800 (US$2,240)
Newspaper: C$2,500 (US$2,000)
Social media: C$400 (US$320)
Total cost:
C$33,500 (US$26,800)
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