Innovative retailers are connecting digital marketing channels to deliver compelling campaigns to shoppers. By blurring the lines between mobile, social, the web and brick-and-mortar stores, retailers are generating cutting-edge initiatives that incorporate games, contests, social sharing, and other online strategies.
Belk, a multichannel department store retailer, has partnered with ePrize to implement a cross-channel contest to celebrate the 125th year of the brand. The contest, which features 125 prizes, will help Belk increase buzz around the anniversary and drive engagement across channels, according to Jon Pollack, EVP of Sales Promotion, Marketing and e-Commerce for Belk. As of April 5, the retailer has seen approximately 100,000 program registrations. Additionally, email opt-ins have increased by 77% and mobile opt-ins have grown 12.1%.
“A milestone as big as our 125th anniversary deserves a big celebration, and that’s exactly what we have planned for our customers,” Pollack said during an interview with Retail TouchPoints. “We are grateful for our customers’ support, and our 125 prizes campaign is one way we can thank them for being a part of Belk’s rich history and our bright future.”
Advertisement
The campaign, aptly called “The 125 Days Of Prizes,” was designed to incorporate social, email, online and print marketing, as well as in-store activation strategies, Pollack explained. For the duration of the sweepstakes, which kicked off mid-March and runs until July 12, 2013, Belk is offering consumers 125 days to win luxury prizes from brands including Calvin Klein, KitchenAid and Michael Kors. Consumers can access promotion information and enter daily to win prizes via their mobile device, the Belk microsite or Facebook page.
“We relied on ePrize’s expertise in digital promotions to create a compelling campaign that reaches our customers through the technology that they use every day,” Pollack explained. Social media especially is playing a key role in the campaign, helping the retailer increase word-of-mouth around the contest.
“Social media offers Belk the opportunity to have two-sided and very personal conversations with our customers,” Pollack said. “No longer is it only about the message we want to convey: It’s about how customers respond to our marketing messages and our brand in real time.”
Consumers can earn bonus sweepstakes entries by referring friends, engaging with Belk via social media or being a Belk Rewards Card Consumer, among other behaviors. A custom daily calendar is available to all participants, so they easily can log-in for the duration of the 125-day campaign, view daily prizes and enter to win on a regular basis.
“We are seeing strong engagement through all marketing channels,” Pollack said. “Our customers’ opinions, responses to trends and merchandise, and their experiences with our company are critical to our success, and we want to listen to them as much as possible.”
