Anne Hanson, Program Manager at Spa Week, told Loyalty360 that all of its marketing efforts revolve around storytelling. Now, Spa Week has a new and exciting story to tell: Its MyWellness Rewards loyalty program walked away with the Best Creative Campaign in Loyalty Marketing, Platinum Winner at the inaugural Loyalty360 Awards held Monday at the 7th Annual Loyalty Expo, presented by Loyalty360 – The Loyalty Marketer’s Association.
Hanson said Spa Week Media Group is a media and marketing company at its core.
“What we do with all of our marketing efforts is storytelling−a story always based on the wellness lifestyle,” she said. “Our loyalty program is no different. What further distinguishes this execution is the clarity in which the seasonally-themed loyalty campaign is able to echo and emulate the core positioning of the tenets of the brand, tied to enabling a healthier, well-rounded lifestyle 365 days a year.”
For example, Hanson said, during the month leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, Spa Week put together a promotion titled: MyWellness Rewards Thanks-Giveaway.
“This promotion combined a giveaway (1,000 points), had an entry process that included social interaction (refer your friends via Twitter, Facebook and email to be entered) AND included a charitable donation for every new enrollment,” she said. “Including this cause marketing component in way that coincided with the Thanksgiving holiday increased cohesion for the campaign and helped our message go viral.”
Hanson said the campaigns deeply echo and build Spa Week’s core brand values.
“The notion of an explicit component of the campaign tied to advocacy and referral directly aligns brand positioning to encourage individuals to give and enjoy the gift of wellness,” she explained. “By executing a campaign that directly engages brand participation across multiple dimensions−including social sharing, advocacy, recognition, usage, and purchase−MyWellness Rewards campaigns effectively extend brand relevance among both existing program members and new consumers.”
Hanson said the MyWellness Rewards program is measured by member enrollment, member enrollment, member engagement, and gift card sales.
Components of these program opportunities include: 1) enabling new member acquisition through advocacy and referral, 2) promoting brand engagement through sweepstakes and contest participation with a focus on social activity for entry, 3) and driving seasonal purchase and gift giving (across new and existing members) and supporting broad repurchase opportunities (tied to elevated brand consideration and preference).
A total of 187 entries was submitted across seven categories by a total of 58 brands for the Loyalty360 Awards.
Loyalty360 called on a group of 24 industry experts to apply their extensive knowledge of loyalty marketing to identify the brands that are true Loyalty leaders. Judges were asked to evaluate each entry by applying a score of 1-10 based on how well the brand performed against a number of quantitative and qualitative criteria. The result was an objective and unbiased ranking of loyalty leaders.
Loyalty Expo is being held March 17-19, 2014, at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando, Florida.