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CONNECTING WITH CONSUMERS

Supermarkets are reaping the benefits of packaged-goods promotions with prepaid phone cards through increased product movement. Yet, there are opportunities to spur sales even further through co-marketing efforts. away your phone cards." How about if the customer has to buy two boxes of cereal to get the free phone card? Suggest having a multiple-purchase requirement and put more minutes on the card

Supermarkets are reaping the benefits of packaged-goods promotions with prepaid phone cards through increased product movement. Yet, there are opportunities to spur sales even further through co-marketing efforts.

away your phone cards." How about if the customer has to buy two boxes of cereal to get the free phone card? Suggest having a multiple-purchase requirement and put more minutes on the card so the customer will be more likely to use it.

Kaminsky: Co-branding is something to look at, especially at large chains. For example, a phone card can be featured in a co-branded promotion with Publix and Nabisco, with the phone card on-pack or in-pack or at the checkout counter.

I've seen supermarkets use the phone cards themselves as a promotion. Anytime you can increase sales, you are doing something great for the supermarket. I recall seeing nice-looking, prepaid calling cards on packs of candy items, such as Dots, Tootsie Rolls and Junior Mints. These could become collectible. Packaged-goods promotions such as these increase awareness of phone cards and benefit the supermarket trying to sell the packaged goods.

Veres: When a retailer puts its logo on a phone card, that is a new advertising avenue. The retailer may sell national-brand toothpaste, but that does not carry the name of the store. The customer puts the phone card in his wallet and sees the retailer's name each of the five times he uses the card, which reinforces where he bought it. I have seen phone cards used as a leader to get more customers into the store. Once the customer is in the store, he is likely to shop for other things and the store will increase its sales.