Gift Cards Take on New Appeal—Celebrities
Gift giving is about to become a little more personal thanks to a new breed of gift cards and pre-paid cards that taps the appeal of celebrities.
Payment Data Systems, Inc., an integrated payment solutions provider to merchants and billers, is out with two new offerings sure to please some of Baywatch’s biggest fans—the Carmen Electra Gift MasterCard and the Carmen Electra Prepaid MasterCard.
The cards, which cost $9.95 each, feature the former Baywatch star with the MasterCard logo. Gift givers can emboss the cards with a special message.
The gift card, which launched last week, can be loaded with $10 to up to $500 and is available at Electragift.com.
“Gift cards are hot,” said Louis Hoch, president & COO for San Antonio, TX-based Payment Data Systems. “There are so many different things you can do with a branded gift card. When it comes to branded gift cards…you’ve got to have an angle to sell.”
The prepaid card, which rolled out earlier this month, can be used anywhere MasterCard debit cards are accepted. Consumers can add up to $2,500 on the prepaid card and reload it at more than 21,000 retailers nationwide, including CVS/Pharmacy, RadioShack, Walgreens and Food Lion locations. The prepaid card is available at Carmencard.com.
Payment Data Systems launched the celebrity-branded cards—the first ever—to build an affinity among the consumer-loving celebrity fan base and create new incentives for companies. For example, auto dealers could hand out gift cards branded with the mug of a racecar driver as an incentive to test drive new cars. Hoch is in talks with a racecar driver and a pro golfer for future celebrity-branded cards.
“A celebrity is in themselves a brand,” Hoch said. “They have a certain amount of following.”
The company signed a deal to feature Electra on its first celebrity-branded card because of her popularity, charitable work and widespread appeal. Electra is one of the top four celebrities who appear on Internet searches. Hoch said he expects the company will roll out another two or three more cards this year.
To support the launch of the Carmen Electra-branded cards, Payment Data Systems has rolled out a sweepstakes that will award one top winner a day with the celebrity herself. Each day consumers use the Carmen Electra-branded gift card or prepaid cards, they will automatically be entered into the Electrafy Yourself sweepstakes. Full details are available at Carmencard.com/sweepstakes.
Each quarter, one winner will receive $1,000 in Carmen Electra Prepaid MasterCard cards and a chance to win the grand prize—a three-day trip to Los Angeles, $2,000 in Carmen Electra prepaid MasterCards and a day with Carmen Electra. The sweepstakes runs through June 30, 2007. Payment Data Systems handles in-house. Online materials support.
