Incentive Publications PM40801507 - Manual (Page 10)

H ow can the incentive mar-
ket not capitalize on the
back-to-school season? Par-
ents need a reward after
having the kids all summer
long, and kids heading to another year
of achievement could use a treat or two
to help keep them motivated.
Some programs target students
directly – marketers enter university
and college along with students every
year. But much of the domestic incen-
tive industry seems to rely on parents
involved in their work-based programs
to redeem points for items their kids
will need for the year ahead. Either
way, with so many students needing
everything from computers to pens the
back-to-school season offers a mar-
keting opportunity for the whole
incentive industry.
JOANNE ALLEN
VICE-PRESIDENT, SALES AND MARKETING
NATIONWIDE PREMIUM SALES
As a Toronto-based incentive products
distributor, Allen says the back-to-
school season presents a marketing
opportunity every year. “Parents
redeem for their kids until the middle
of September,” she says. “We start plan-
ning early, getting products in our
inventory starting in June for late sum-
mer and September redemptions.”
Allen says this year she expects
Nationwide’s Panasonic Toughbook
portable computers to move quickly,
as well as the digital IC voice
recorders in stock. “University stu-
dents get a little tired and don’t take
notes in class. They can just record
the class and download it to their
computer,” she says. “And the Tough-
books are always popular because of
their reliability,”
BRIAN WILKS
VICE-PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS
PERFORMANCE AWARDS GROUP
The program developer and product
distributor echoes what many others
say: there is an increase in redemp-
tions and other incentive program activ-
ity in late summer. “We always see a
post-Labour Day spike when everybody
gets back to work,” says Wilks. He
can’t say that back-to-school needs and
trends necessarily raise the spike, but
the products he sees moving make him
think students are in for a treat.
“We see lots of season-related
redemptions through summer,” he
says, but he agrees that parents likely
use points and stored value form their
own incentive programs to gift their
kids with needed equipment. “It’s
computers more so at this time of
year; laptops and that kind of thing.”
JANE QUINN
SALES MANAGER
REPLOGLE GLOBES, INC.
Replogle has sold globes in the
Canadian retail market for years, but
it only recently entered as a distribu-
tor in the domestic incentives market.
“Back to school is a wonderful time for
us,” says Quinn. “It’s the second
biggest time of year outside Christmas.”
With customized orders to boost its 75
standard models, Replogle Globes pro-
duces about 500 different globes a year.
But while thoughts of school days
inspire people to choose globes as
gifts, Quinn says globes gain lasting
importance for entire families. “When
you’re watching TV news or reading
the newspaper, globes are the quick-
est way to find out where things are
happening,” she says.
“They can become heirlooms,” says
Quinn, bragging about her company’s
updatable globe program. With the
program, customers can replace their
globes
when political boundaries
change at wholesale cost. A chief and
an assistant cartographer keep a
watch out for possible changes. Quinn
says the biggest boundary changes
recently occurred in northern Canada,
Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
GREG CHRISTIE
PRESIDENT
OAK INCENTIVES GROUP
Christie says product incentives geared
towards
purchases or changing
behaviours work well with university-
and college-aged students. He says
manufacturers can do well by running
rotating programs, monthly from
September to November. That takes
advantage of the settling into school
period and makes a nice bridge into
the Christmas season.
“We have a lot of products suitable
for a university- and college-age audi-
ence,” says Christie. Generally elec-
tronics get brand recognition and do
well with them. “Whether it’s portable
WHAT’S HOT?
Reading, Writing…
Rewarding
Back-to-school season an excellent marketing opportunity
for the Canadian incentive industry
By Ian Tizzard
CANADIAN
IN
CENT
IVE
MAGAZINE
BUYERS’
GUIDE
2007 W W W . I M A C A N A D A . C A
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