THE AFFINITY CREDIT CARD is to Wizard Entertainment what the utility belt is to Batman.
The Congers, NY-based publisher of magazines for fans of comics, toys and other collectibles added the first Wizard-branded Visa card to its arsenal of marketing weapons last month.
While not as dramatic as a Batarang, the card makes perfect sense, pairing quick, easy spending with passionate consumer interest.
President/publisher Gareb Shamus says the move is aimed at building the brand as well as tapping into customers’ desire for comics, toys, trading cards and other collectibles.
Interested in keeping costs to a minimum, the promotional materials reached 1.5 million Wizard customers and prospects during August and September without a lick of additional postage.
Request forms were polybagged with the company’s three magazines, Wizard, ToyFare and InQuest, reaching a total circulation of 450,000 per month.
Forms were also slipped into 25,000 to 50,000 fulfillment packages each month and bound into 500,000 AnotherUniverse.com catalogs in August.
Wizard offers AnotherUniverse.com-which is licensed to sell certain Wizard products, such as limited-edition action figures- access to part of its database in exchange for the right to insert the forms into the catalogs.
“We do whatever we can not to pay postage to get to our customers, because we know we can get to them in other ways,” Shamus says.
Because the core consumer is young-mostly male, average age 22, with household income of $44,600-Wizard has been “working with [credit card issuer] MBNA to offer low credit lines and credit card approval, especially to those who might be first-time credit cardholders,” he adds.
Comic book enthusiasts can also apply for the card at Wizard’s Web site (www.wizardworld.com). Applicants receive an exclusive comic book that’s available only through the offer. The comic features the popular characters Witchblade and Darkness.
New cardholders are automatically enrolled in the rewards program. They pick up one point for each dollar spent, to be redeemed for autographed collectibles, comic books, action figures, lithographs and tickets to Wizard World conventions.
“We’re fueling [customers’] passion even more now, because they feel like every time they make a purchase they’re working toward getting the collectibles,” Shamus notes.
The promotion was featured for two months in full-page ads in Wizard’s magazines and in AnotherUniverse.com’s catalog.
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