Doing a deal abroad?
“I do a lot of work with a premium manufacturer in Hong Kong and visit once or twice a year. Each time I go there, my rep treats me to a very generous dinner in an exclusive restaurant. I'm just curious, why does he always order a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red for the table — never wine?”
According to Mike Da Silva, founder of Sydney, Australia-based MDSA, a promotion agency with several Asian clients, there are three reasons. The first has to do with the color red itself, which in China is considered very lucky because it symbolizes good luck and fortune. The second reason is that Chinese businessmen go out of their way to impress Westerners with their knowledge of Western culture. The third reason is that Johnnie Walker Red is extremely expensive, so to have it on the table is status symbol.
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INSIGHT FROM IMI
Winning Odds
Attractive odds for winning an instant-win game can contribute to overall concept appeal. But high participation may come at too high a cost. A client recently designed an instant-win promotion featuring entertainment prizes, and wanted help weighing the effect of increasing the odds from 1:1 (“Every card is a winner!”) to 1:3.
Research showed that increasing the odds of winning to 1:1 did marginally improve appeal scores, positive image potential and plan to participate as compared to odds of 1:3. But gains in potential participation were not consistent throughout customer segments. In fact, increasing the odds to 1:1 drove participation only among the client's current customers. At the end of the day, we recommended 1:3 odds given that:
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Intended participation rates reached IMI's impact norm for success — driving incremental sales among competitors' customers;
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The promotion drove a positive impact on the client's image; and
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It cost the client one-third the price in prizing given the 1:1 vs. 1:3 prize pool.
Source: IMI International's Gem Series #35
NEW THIS MONTH
MATT'S PREMIUM PICK Looking for the latest in premiums and incentives? PROMO's Matt Kinsman cuts through the mounds of clutter, delivering the details on promising new products likely to motivate consumers to make a purchase or get a salesman to keep after that latest lead. Last month he highlighted custom board games crafted to fit any company's look and feel. This month? Well, you'll just have to log on to find out. Matt's column appears bi-monthly — only online.
PROMOSCOPE Senior Writer Carrie MacMillan uncovers the unusual and innovative campaigns. In June, she spotted a multitude of Minis: A few years ago, before the relaunch of the small box-like cars in the States, my father bought a 1966 Mini. My entire family was on hand when the cream-colored, diminutive car arrived from England by way of Florida…. So I certainly owed my father a call a few weeks ago when I was driving through Ridgefield, CT, and passed a parking lot lined with 20 brightly colored new Minis, and saw several more rounding the corner. The drivers were on their way to an exclusive advance screening of The Italian Job remake from Paramount Pictures…. Carrie's column appears bi-monthly online.
