Spending the Holidays with Credit

MasterCard and Visa are in the midst of competing fourth-quarter campaigns that emphasize spending time — and money — with friends and family. Visa USA’s Share Your Holidays promotion means just that.

Through Dec. 31, every time cardholders use their Visa, they are entered into a drawing for 50 $20,000 prizes with the option to give half of the money to a friend.

The San Francisco-based credit card company is teaming with University of Connecticut sociology professor Dr. Jan Yager (the author of Friendshifts: The Power of Friendship and How it Shapes Our Lives) to give consumers tips at Emode.com on maximizing time with loved ones during the holiday crunch. At the self-testing psychology site, consumers can take a quiz to determine their closest friend and link to visa.com.

“We wanted to tap into the mindset of our consumers for the promotion’s time frame,” says Diane Salmon, vp-marketing services for Visa USA. “We were hearing about the importance of friends and family at this time of year, with less emphasis on finding the perfect gift.”

Frankel’s San Francisco’s office handles, with help from BBDO New York (ads), San Francisco-based AKQA (online ads), Salt Lake City-based SBI & Co. (Web site management), and New York City-based Ketchum (public relations). TV spots featuring Frasier’s Jane Leeves support.

Through Priceless Memories, Purchase, NY-based MasterCard International is giving away more than 1,000 prizes, including five grand-prize Get Together Trips of $40,000 to use anywhere with anyone. Other prizes include 25 Get Together Weekends (a trip for four worth $4,000) and 1,000 Get Together Dinners (meal for four worth $200). Consumers are entered into the sweeps every time they make a MasterCard purchase through Dec. 31.

“We’ve gotten more sophisticated with our promotions,” says Robin Blunt, MasterCard’s vp-global marketing. “We’ve broadened our prize pool and are pushing the program at point of sale in a more comprehensive way than ever.” More than 400,000 merchants will participate.

National TV, print, and radio ads, direct mail and activity at mastercard.com support. The promo is MasterCard’s new agency of record Denver-based Integer Group’s first work. McCann-Erickson, New York City, takes care of ads, which include Muppets TV spots.

Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, Atlanta, runs a Next Night Free holiday through February at 800 properties. Guests stay one night to earn a second night free (up to five free nights). To qualify, guests pay full rates and reserve rooms through Holiday Inn to get a Next Night Free certificate. Participating locations include the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, and major U.S. and Canadian cities.

To hype the pay-TV premiere of The Fellowship of the Ring, Starz Encore is sending one viewer on a 14-day trip to New Zealand (where the three Lord of the Rings films were shot), Fiji, and Hawaii. The pay-TV premiere on the Englewood, CO-based network is on Dec. 14 and The Two Towers, the second installment in the trilogy from New Line Cinema opens in theaters Dec. 18. Consumers can enter the sweeps at starzsuperpak.com through Feb. 15. Plus, individuals who subscribe to Starz! or Starz Super Pak on DISH Network or Charter Communications cable receive one automatic entry into the sweeps.

Mott’s Inc., Stamford, CT, goes beach-combing in an on-pack and online sweeps for Mr. & Mrs. T Bloody Mary Mix, a joint effort with travel site Expedia.com. Neckers on 750,000 bottles carry entry forms; players also can enter at Expedia.com through February. Four grand-prize winners get a trip to “an original hot spot”: Las Vegas, Hawaii, the Bahamas, or Cabo San Lucas (winners choose the destination). Ten runners-up get a year’s supply of the spicy mix, which got its start on American Airlines flights. Ads at Expedia.com and in Travel & Leisure support; so do mentions on in-flight cans. Deutsch, New York City, handles.

Seagram’s Ginger Ale is partnering with New York City-based iN Demand, a provider of pay-per-view and video-on-demand services for the Ho Ho Home Movies promotion. Through Jan. 31, 12-packs and two-liter Seagram’s Ginger Ale products will feature a coupon for an iN Demand movie pass. Packaging and 25,000 P-O-P displays via SAI Marketing, Philadelphia, support. Featured movies include Changing Lanes, High Crimes, Lord of the Rings, and The Time Machine. Radio, TV, and print ads also support.

Avis Rent a Car System, Inc., Parsippany, NJ, gives ski trips a lift this season with a Ski the West promotion. Through April 30, customers receive 20 percent off weekly or weekend car rentals and a free ski rack at U.S. and Canadian locations. Skiers also receive winterized vehicles, unlimited mileage, and driving directions. Information is at avis.com.

ConAgra Foods, Omaha, NE, is asking consumers to pledge labels from its Hunt’s Tomatoes brand for three different charities (ConAgra Foods’ Feeding Children Better Foundation, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, or Children’s Miracle Network) with the top charity receiving the most money. By sending in labels through Dec. 31, consumers are entered into a sweeps for $10,000. Consumers indicate which charity they want their label to go towards and the top charity receives $50,000 and the second and third place charities receive $25,000 and $15,000, respectively. A national FSI via Marketing Partners, Irvine, CA, P-O-P displays, activity at hunts.com, and a p.r. campaign through Chicago-based Dome Communications support.

Kraft Foods, Northfield, IL, and consumer electronics manufacturer JVC, Wayne, NJ, teamed to sponsor a sweeps through Dec. 31. Consumers enter at wonderfulslice.com for a chance to win a JVC entertainment center (worth $10,000) or first-prize DVD players (30 in all). Meanwhile, JVC is running a joint effort with Artisan Home Entertainment that offers a DVD of Reservoir Dogs with the purchase of a DVD player. Shoppers who buy a MiniDVC camcorder by Jan. 4 get a $100 gift card from Foot Locker.

Visitors to Cancun might be taking away a lot more than sunburn over the next few months. Each vacationer who stays at a Cancun hotel or resort through Jan. 31 will automatically be registered for the Come-N-Stay Million Dollar Giveaway, courtesy of the Cancun Convention & Visitors Bureau. On Feb. 14, one winner will receive a $1 million U.S. Treasury Bond. One second-prize winner will receive a 2003 Mercedes-Benz, while the third-place winner gets a one-week, all expenses paid vacation for two to Cancun, including limo service and a presidential suite.

Maytag Corp., Newton, IA, is running an in-store promo for Jenn-Air appliances, giving away a high-end All-Clad pan with the purchase of select Jenn-Air models. P-O-P, including appliance decals and banners, supports. The Style That Rewards campaign runs through January via KK&A Integrated Retail Marketing, Chicago.

Mr. Coffee Perks Up Image

As he turns 30, Boca Raton, FL-based Sunbeam Products’ Mr. Coffee is attempting to brew with a younger consumer. To help the transition, MTV host Carson Daly and U.S. Olympic snowboarder Chris Klug are appearing in a print campaign on his behalf. Advertisements in People, Cooking Light, and InStyle magazines are promoting a sweepstakes offering a trip to Aspen, CO, or Hollywood where the winner chooses one from 100 boxes for a chance of winning $1 million. Consumers can enter at mrcoffee.com through Dec. 31. Marketing Drive Worldwide, Wilton, CT, handles with ads via Interpublic sibling New York City-based Foote, Cone & Belding.