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P&G's Summer Splash

The customer-incentive promotion that sold 15 products per reward

Challenge

P&G asked GDC to recapture share of wallet for beauty items and to seed a loyalty program specific to beauty and health brands. The promotion was scheduled for late spring, and we recognized the struggling economy was changing purchasing habits in that summer vacations were turning into “staycations.” GDC spotted a customer incentive opportunity in Schlitterbahn Waterparks, three huge summer attractions in Texas (one was named the #1 waterpark in the nation by the Travel Channel). We now had to create a promotion to drive sales for P&G brands at H-E-B, reward customers for their purchases, and align with the business goals of our promotional partner, Schlitterbahn.

Action

GDC used a mix of marketing, creative, and digital services, along with operational support, to create the "Splash into Beauty" retail promotion: by purchasing 15 P&G beauty and health products, customers received 2 free tickets to any Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Texas.

  • Strategized and built redemption system* using sales analysis and ROI model
  • Created promotional collateral: print ads, email blasts, a microsite, internal communication pieces for store and customer service employees, sell sheets and talking points, a series of point-of-sale visuals and enhanced end caps
  • Mobilized retail support to post all materials without affecting store labor costs
  • Managed a toll-free hotline with live bilingual operators available 24/7 to assist customers with questions and help fulfill prizes for those without Internet access
  • Negotiated partnership deals with all three Schlitterbahn Waterparks

*For every five P&G products a customer purchased, they received one “SchlitterBuck” with a redemption code and instructions directing them to the microsite. Customers entered their codes on the microsite as they collected them. Once they redeemed three promo codes by purchasing 15 products, they received an email confirmation and were mailed 2 tickets to the Schlitterbahn Waterpark of their choice.

Result

The two-week promotion garnered a 15-to-1 ROI and a 902% sales increase in some categories, making it the 2nd highest grossing promotion of 2008 for H-E-B Beauty next to the Christmas holiday.