Office Depot Goes for the Win
Instant-win games are a sure-fire way to get customers to take action now. And, they provide a nice short-term sales boost and a little bit of fun for shoppers.
Major brands are adept at weaving the programs in and out of larger campaigns — but the games can also make a statement on their own.
Office Depot, the official office products partner of NASCAR, recently ran a scratch-off card game in its stores that offered a chance at instant prizes. About 140 of the 10 million cards distributed throughout the four-week promotion revealed a $100 Office Depot gift card, and 35,000 others got shoppers an exclusive Tony Stewart poster. Customers received a card when they made a purchase.
Because the game took place in-store, Office Depot also used a variety of methods to let people outside its stores know to come in and play.
In May, one grand-prize winner will head to the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway for a VIP race experience for two with driver Tony Stewart and the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice team. The winner also gets a trip for two to Stewart’s “Smoke Show” fantasy driving experience at Texas Motor Speedway later this year and a $1,400 Office Depot gift card.
The promotion is an example of the way the retail chain works to leverage its marketing vehicles as a cohesive unit, says Yamit Sadok, manager of campaigns and sales promotions for Office Depot.
The Marketing Plan
• An ad prominently featured on the front page of Office Depot’s Sunday insert distributed to about 40 million households.
• National radio broadcast the call to action: MRN/PRN
• In-store posters
• Online media buys
• Online banners at 3rd party sites (www.Tonystewart.com, www.Stewarthaasracing.com, www.NASCAR.com)
• Office Depot’s Facebook page
• Tweets to followers
• OfficeDepotracing.com
• Worklife Rewards Homepage and members
• OfficeDepot.com
• E-mail blasts
• Solo e-blast to past sweepstakes registrants and NASCAR fans
• NASCAR print media
• NASCAR Illustrated (March Issue)
• Public relations
• At Track—Sprint Vision
