Albertsons Surprisingly Digital - Selection '07

Came across this Albertsons program when I was waist deep in Google gadgets trying to see if retailers were using the technology. And apparently one is.
Found a gadget for each of Albertsons "candidates" for a program they are calling "Selection '07" where the different foods are vying for your votes. Cheese, steak, shrimp, pineapple, egg and broccoli are the candidates. And although I don't eat seafood, shrimp is my favorite because he wears a monocle.
Once I voted via the gadget, which also featured recipe ideas for each ingredient, I was whisked off to the Selection 07 site. The site includes a series of funny videos which are housed on Youtube, where Albertsons has its own branded page set up for all the videos in the program. In addition to videos, for each candidate there are more recipes, downloads (the shrimp mask was my favorite, again the monocle kills me), wallpapers, IM icons, etc...
For a retailer to create a program like this says that they are investing in their brand and creating a personality that shoppers/consumers can connect with. As manufacturers and agencies, we need to recognize these personalities and determine how we can create programs to complement those efforts.

Retail, Brand, Media Partnerships can be great...

...when done this well. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 7-11, AOL and Mountain Dew (Pepsico) came together to create a beautiful program. (Can't imagine the logistics for approvals on this one). Further, my favorite part is that I was first exposed at retail. (Pump topper at 7-11)

And yes, while they are hawking Game Fuel Slurpees, they certainly aren't going to start selling $70 video games at 7-11. So for Halo 3, who has the majority of the real estate, this is "c-store as a medium". They are getting millions of brand impressions in a environment appropriate for their target, made even more relevant when tied to the Game Fuel Slurpee product.

According to 2006 MRI data, almost 3 million men 18-34 visit 7-11 at least 4x a month. Another 529,000 male teens do the same.

Even better, is the fact that they're not just hawking slurpees...there's a promotion at Slurpee.com.


There are actually few promotional items.
1. Chance to voice a character in the next release of Halo, Halo Wars.
2. Collect "virtual straws" by doing differnt things on the site (games, tell-a-friend, etc...) which can be redeemed for smaller rewards.
3. Download a BOGO coupon to drive back to retail for Slupees.

Overall, this is just a well rounded promotional partnership between relevant brands, delivering something of value to consumers.

Stouffer's Dinner Club

I read about the Stouffer’s Dinner Club promo in Promo Magazine this weekend. In a nutshell, Stouffer’s is doing a nice twist on the traditional points system promotion by adding an auction aspect to it. Basically get 100 points for registering, 20 points for each code entered off a pack and some additional points for filling out surveys (great way to entice more consumer info out of folks and make them feel good about it).

So I went online, registered and then found myself at the store a day later. And what do you know; Stouffer's were on special, “buy 6 for $12 dollars”. What a deal!!! Plus, that’s another 120 points in the Stouffer’s Dinner Club. So I bought six and upon check out received this!

Not only did the lovely Catalina coupon drive back to the site to enter points, it further rewarded me with an additional $2.00 off next time. Now, whether I will leave it on my desk or actually remember to bring it to the store, I don’t know. But I certainly am feeling pretty good about my friends at Stouffers right now.