Ashley Furniture Goes Country

Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc. is taking country music by storm with an ongoing scratch-and-win game that highlights the County Music Association Awards. The campaign touts a trip to the gala in New York City this fall as part of its grand-prize package.

More than 450 furniture retailers have transformed their showrooms into country music venues, conducting special events — barbeques, battle of the bands and CD and T-shirt giveaways — to drive traffic and boost awareness of the promotion.

The Ashley VIP Pass campaign marks a growing effort by the furniture retailer to develop marketing tactics that entertain and engage the consumer to increase store visits.

“It’s all about changing the paradigm,” says Bill Napier, director-corporate marketing for Arcadia, WI-based Ashley Furniture. “Furniture buying is scary for most people. We want to make it fun. We want to change the way people shop.”

Music speaks to so many consumers and reaches a range of customers, says Patti Regan, CEO, The Regan Group of Los Angeles, which handles the promotion. Country music has a healthy fan base. About 41 million people listen to or are partial to listening to country music.

“It’s important to speak to your customer and touch them with their lifestyle,” Regan says. “Country music is a lifestyle. We want to give consumers a reason to come in other than to just look at furniture.” The promotion targets consumers 25 to 54, with substantial crossover to the the country music fan profile, people 18 to 71.

Ashley Furniture is luring consumers to stores via the instant-win game, which includes prizes with “star quality.” Customers who visit participating Ashley Furniture stores receive a scratch-and-win game card. The promotion, which kicked off June 20, runs though Aug. 8.

As part of the grand prize offer, one winner can “Shop Like A Star” with a $10,000 MasterCard shopping spree; “Live Like A Star” with limousine service and a seven-day, six-night trip for two to New York; and “Feel Like A Star” with VIP tickets to the CMA awards in New York and a VIP pass to an exclusive CMA song writer party.

The grand-prize package also includes tickets to a live taping of a popular TV show and Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular, admission to the Statue of Liberty and a horse drawn carriage ride. Lesser prizes include $1,000 MasterCard shopping sprees and music downloads.

“It cuts the corner and turns people’s heads,” Rick Murray, CMA VP-strategic marketing, says. “That in and of itself drives consumer awareness.”

The big-ticket prizes match the CMA awards, which for the first time will take place outside Nashville at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 15, Murray says.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he says. “We’re going to an historic city with great musicians and music. Consumers can experience all the big apple has to offer. It’s a great tie-in.”

Chevrolet, a division of General Motors Corp., has signed on as leading sponsor of the gala. Other sponsors include Crème Savers and American Airlines. The CMA plans to name additional event sponsors in September.

While the campaign skews toward the country music fan, it provides “something for everyone,” Napier says. “When I look at a promotion, I don’t want 30% of the country saying, ‘This isn’t for me,’ so I make them universal.”

The Regan Group structured the grand-prize package, worth $16,300, to reach country music fans and non-country music fans alike, Regan says.

“If you aren’t a country music fan, we’re sure you’d like a trip to New York,” she says. “Everybody dreams of being treated like a VIP and as a star.”

In all, 480 retailers are participating. The promotion proposal was so popular among Ashley retailers in advance of launch, the $2.15 billion company had to limit others from joining the campaign.

As part of the promotion, Ashley Furniture is giving away room makeovers, $1,000 shopping sprees, recliners, sofa and lamps. Country radio stations further support the promotion with additional trips to New York.

Ashley Furniture has more than 67 million circulars promoting the tie-in and TV spots running in more than 300 markets. The promotion has some $11 million in media support.