School Kids have Long Found ways to use Bic pens other than for their intended purpose of putting ink on paper — from spitball launchers to drinking straws.
But now, Bic is giving kids a pretty good reason to use the pens as writing instruments. The first 50 people who discover gold ink flowing from one of its pens will win a 14-karat-gold bullion bar worth $1,000, a prize that ties to the company’s 50 years in business.
“We didn’t want to just do a basic sweepstakes,” says Joseph Franzino, senior brand manager, stationery, Bic Consumer Products USA. “We tried for something unique.”
The winning pens will be indistinguishable from the others — a dark blue cartridge — with the exception of special codes on the nose cone and pen cap.
Details of the campaign, executed by agency Circle One, will be on the 7 million packages in stores May 1 at Walmart, Target and Kroger, among others.
Point-of-purchase displays, shelf talkers and the dedicated Web site BicSearchForThePen.com support the campaign.
19 CENTS AND HOLDING The promotion runs through March 2010, but because the pens sell through so quickly in the back-to-school season, winners are expected by August, Franzino says.
One of the truly remarkable things about the pen is that in the 50 years since its debut, the price has never gone up. The average 19-cent retail price has been maintained for the 146 million sold each year.
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