In a first for Air Miles, the prizes for its semi-annual contest are being chosen by collectors themselves. The diverse list is comprised of desired booty consumers cited when asked to do so via their account statements. And more than 100,000 entries have been submitted to Air Miles’ Wish Big Win Big contest since it launched on April 22.
Another component that makes this Air Miles contest unusual is the involvement of supermarkets in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Halifax. At these locations, Perry Schwartz, Air Miles public relations manager, tells MiC, company reps will set up roulette-type wheels which collectors can spin to win instant prizes redeemable for groceries or gas. The objective, he says, is ‘to generate in-store excitement and create an experience for collectors at sponsor locations that reinforce the Air Miles Rewards Plan value.’
Overall, Schwartz says Air Miles aim with the Wish Big Win Big contest is to heighten awareness of the many retail partners that are part of the program, and the variety of merchandise available to program members.
The Wish Big Win Big contest is being promoted on Air Miles main site (www.airmiles.ca) and microsite (www.wishbig.ca), as well as with in-store POS coupons and signage, plus mentions on Citytv’s CityLine show. Creative was done in-house at Air Miles, media buying was handled by Toronto’s Takamatsu Group, and GCI Group (also Toronto-based) is handling PR.
The online portion of the contest involves downloadable coupons – redeemable at any of Air Miles’ hundred-plus cross-Canada retail partners – with 5,000 air miles automatically credited to the accounts of 800 randomly chosen coupon downloaders. Collectors are automatically entered for grand prizes of 50,000 miles when they use downloaded coupons, or make a purchase with an Air Miles credit card from BMO Mosaik MasterCard or American Express. That number doubles if multiple purchases are made using coupons, or by using both a coupon and an Air Miles credit card. The grand prize winners will be free to choose whichever of the listed prizes they desire when the contest wraps up next month.
