(Almost) nothing but expenses
Sales promotion The collaboration was great, the result a flop. Valora and the publishers' association say after the "Take2" campaign.
Sales promotion The collaboration was great, the result a flop. Valora and the publishers' association say after the "Take2" campaign. "Take2", the autumn joint campaign by Valora and the Swiss Press Association (CHP), did not generate "any significant additional sales", the distribution of points collection cards at around 2000 Valora-owned and independent kiosks "was moderate to unsatisfactory", and in terms of response and subscription sales "the hoped-for figures did not materialize". These are the blunt words of a recently published CHP report. A depressing result for a campaign that ran throughout German-speaking Switzerland for several weeks. Several thousand people were involved, hundreds of advertisements were placed and thousands of francs were spent on life-size cardboard figures and other advertising material. So nothing but expenses?
Far from it. In any case, those responsible for the project team draw "a cautiously positive balance". "The important thing is that this first joint action took place ...", the report states succinctly. And: "The cooperation, which took place for the first time on this scale, was optimal."
Some people may rub their eyes. But those responsible insist. "It was our first such large-scale campaign with the CHP. Previously, we've only done single-title promotions," says Jürg Stauffer, Head of Marketing at Valora Retail. The advertising implementation was also very good, he adds. "This was the first time Valora and CHP had worked together in this way, and we knew it wouldn't be easy," says Toni Vetterli from CHP. The weak points of the campaign have already been analyzed. On the one hand, the handling of the campaign and perhaps even the English name was not clear enough. "Kiosks with high footfall don't like long explanations," says Vetterli. Secondly, in many places the kiosk staff were not well informed or motivated enough.
Stauffer also found the campaign too complicated. "It wasn't clear and flashy enough," he says. The system with the points and the collection card also required constant interaction between kiosk staff and customers. However, too much explanation was tiring for the staff.
Nevertheless, the campaign is set to continue. "We have now laid a good foundation that we can build on," says Vetterli. Although the next campaign will not take place in the spring as originally planned, it will probably be in the fall, but then also in French-speaking Switzerland. "Naville and the publishers in French-speaking Switzerland have also expressed their interest," says Vetterli. However, the project group will go over the books again beforehand and examine new ideas and simplification options.
"The most important thing is that the message of the campaign becomes clearer," says Stauffer. This is a condition on Valora's part. Stauffer points out that scratch-off games or even handing out a Blick collector's CD at the kiosk are not a problem. On the contrary. "They work really well," he says. "But it has to be simple, straightforward and easy to understand." When it comes to training kiosk staff, who are often only employed part-time, Stauffer sees only limited scope. In addition, although Valora supplies the independent kiosks, it has no influence over the staff there.
This is how "Take2" should have worked Between October 26 and November 21, 2004, kiosk staff should have given all potential buyers a collection card. This did not happen everywhere. For every purchase of two Swiss newspapers or magazines, the customer was entitled to a self-adhesive voucher. That didn't always work either. A card with five receipts stuck on it represented an immediate value of 10 francs. It could be redeemed in certain stores (e.g. Coop City) until the end of January, provided a minimum purchase of 50 francs was made.
In addition, each card was entered into a prize draw. In total, around 10,000 cards were redeemed and 20,000 more were sent in. (mk)
"Take two," advised the brisk gentleman. Two Stimorol or what?
Markus Knöpfli
Far from it. In any case, those responsible for the project team draw "a cautiously positive balance". "The important thing is that this first joint action took place ...", the report states succinctly. And: "The cooperation, which took place for the first time on this scale, was optimal."
Some people may rub their eyes. But those responsible insist. "It was our first such large-scale campaign with the CHP. Previously, we've only done single-title promotions," says Jürg Stauffer, Head of Marketing at Valora Retail. The advertising implementation was also very good, he adds. "This was the first time Valora and CHP had worked together in this way, and we knew it wouldn't be easy," says Toni Vetterli from CHP. The weak points of the campaign have already been analyzed. On the one hand, the handling of the campaign and perhaps even the English name was not clear enough. "Kiosks with high footfall don't like long explanations," says Vetterli. Secondly, in many places the kiosk staff were not well informed or motivated enough.
Stauffer also found the campaign too complicated. "It wasn't clear and flashy enough," he says. The system with the points and the collection card also required constant interaction between kiosk staff and customers. However, too much explanation was tiring for the staff.
Nevertheless, the campaign is set to continue. "We have now laid a good foundation that we can build on," says Vetterli. Although the next campaign will not take place in the spring as originally planned, it will probably be in the fall, but then also in French-speaking Switzerland. "Naville and the publishers in French-speaking Switzerland have also expressed their interest," says Vetterli. However, the project group will go over the books again beforehand and examine new ideas and simplification options.
"The most important thing is that the message of the campaign becomes clearer," says Stauffer. This is a condition on Valora's part. Stauffer points out that scratch-off games or even handing out a Blick collector's CD at the kiosk are not a problem. On the contrary. "They work really well," he says. "But it has to be simple, straightforward and easy to understand." When it comes to training kiosk staff, who are often only employed part-time, Stauffer sees only limited scope. In addition, although Valora supplies the independent kiosks, it has no influence over the staff there.
This is how "Take2" should have worked Between October 26 and November 21, 2004, kiosk staff should have given all potential buyers a collection card. This did not happen everywhere. For every purchase of two Swiss newspapers or magazines, the customer was entitled to a self-adhesive voucher. That didn't always work either. A card with five receipts stuck on it represented an immediate value of 10 francs. It could be redeemed in certain stores (e.g. Coop City) until the end of January, provided a minimum purchase of 50 francs was made.
In addition, each card was entered into a prize draw. In total, around 10,000 cards were redeemed and 20,000 more were sent in. (mk)
"Take two," advised the brisk gentleman. Two Stimorol or what?
Markus Knöpfli
