Amid much fanfare, Ace Hardware yesterday named the winner of its national contest that awarded one person ownership of one of its stores, a prize valued a $1 million.
Gower Talley of Canby, OR, won the top prize in the Dream Ace contest. The store he will operate is located in Houston TX and will have a grand opening in June. Talley is a retired Army veteran.
The announcement took place at the Las Vegas Convention Center with Dream Ace ambassadors Bill Rancic, the season one winner of The Apprentice, and Lou Manfredini, Ace’s Helpful Hardware Man.
The contest came down to two winners who gave a five-minute overview yesterday of their plans for the store to an audience of 4,000Ace retailers, who then cast electronic votes to determine the grand-prize winner.
“We were really trying to do something that was unique,” said Paula Erickson, director of advertising and brand development for Ace Hardware. “We thought about what makes us unique, that we have thousands of independent store owners who are entrepreneurs and how fun it would be to celebrate that entrepreneurial spirit.”
More than 5,400 people entered the contest, which began in January. Forty state finalists participated in a series of interviews and presentations in New York City. Twelve semi-finalists traveled to Chicago for a two-day retail boot camp at an Ace store. The top two finalists were notified in “Prize Patrol” fashion.
To promote the contest and drive consumer sales at local stores, a mobile marketing tour hit local stores in 40 cities in January. Local radio and newspaper ads—which included coupons for discounts at any Ace store—promoted the tour. At each stop, the first 200 people to arrive received $10 Ace Hardware gift cards. The promotion drove sales up an average 30.8% and transactions up 20.5% at each stop and a 6% jump in sales regionally, Erickson said.
The mobile tour marks the first for Ace Hardware. Mars Advertising, Southfield, MI, handled the program. (PROMO Xtra, Jan. 22, 2007)
“The tour allowed us to put the promotion on the road and bring it to life where our business really thrives, she said.
The grand opening in Texas will be celebrated nationwide at all stores, including promotions.
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