Back by popular demand,
By Ron Romanik
Grabbing the attention of today's typical busy consumer is one thing, but retaining it can be quite a different story. Wrigley recently exceeded in this enterprise with Hubba Bubba's "Island Punch Sweepstakes and Instant-Win Game" promotion thanks to Payne's variable data tear tape.
Available through specially marked packs of Hubba Bubba, the promotion offered a grand prize family trip for 10 to Hawaii for five days along with many more Instant- Win prizes. To find out if they had won, consumers had to check the unique alpha-numerical code printed on the tear tape that was revealed when they opened the package, and then enter the details on the promotion's special website. During their online visit, they answered a few questions about themselves, enabling the company to capture valu- able data about their consumers.
Tear of the tape
Developed by Payne, the leader in tear tape technol- ogy, variable data tear tape combines the easy opening ben- efits of tear tape with the printing of random numbers or codes. This makes the package an ideal vehicle for instant win competitions and interactive web-based or SMS pro- motions.
Around the world, Wrigley has taken a leading role in the incorporation of variable data tear tape for its special promotions. Its European-based "Chew and Win" and "Closer to Music" promotions were groundbreaking in their ability to generate consumer participation, and the re- sults were noteworthy.
For the Hubba Bubba promotion, the codes and the promotional website address were revealed as the package was being opened, creating immediate excitement for con- sumers and bringing a significant increase in traffic to the Wrigley website.
Payne worked closely with the Hubba Bubba brand management team and their marketing consultants to cre- ate a tear tape that would deliver precisely these types of results. From the development and management of the database to the high caliber print process of random unique codes to the quality of the finished tear tape, Payne's team led the effort in order for Wrigley to manufacture 13 million specially marked packs of Hubba Bubba.
The long and short of it
Hugh Ross, president of Payne North America in Richmond, VA, sees a natural fit between the confectionery market and printed tear tape. "Brands are actively looking for ways to engage the consumer, and tear tape's ability to communicate at the point-of-use is a powerful tool that's gaining traction among innovative companies like Wrigley," states Ross.
In fact, Wrigley recently launched another new Hubba Bubba promotion in conjunction with the release of Kung Fu Panda, an animated Dreamworks Studio film that opened nationally in June. The Hubba Bubba promotion, titled "Ultimate Kung Fu Panda Adventure Sweepstakes" featured specially marked packages of Hubba Bubba prod- ucts that again incorporate Payne's variable data tear tape. The sweepstakes ran throughout the summer, with a grand prize family trip for 10 announced at the end of August. In addition, the promotion proved successful as dollar sales for these Kung Fu Panda promotional items increased by 16%, when compared to the prior year's regular Hubba Bubba sales.
"We're delighted to be working with Payne once again on the Kung Fu Panda promotion," says Mark Milne, sourc- ing manager at Wrigley. "They're creative and solutions-ori- ented, and their team has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to produce a top quality customized product that adds value to both our packaging and our marketing efforts."
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