TOP MARKETING PROGRAMS PRESENTED GEM AWARDS

ADAM BLAIR

NEW ORLEANS -- The first annual GEM Awards, honoring excellence in electronic marketing programs, were presented at the sixth annual Global Electronic Marketing Conference, held here April 6 to 8.

Awards were presented in five industry segments: wholesaler, consumer products manufacturer, electronic marketing vendor, retailer and international retailer.

Programs were judged on four criteria: innovation, communication effectiveness, how successful the program was, and sponsor's ability to measure and monitor program success, said Mike Gorshe, director of food industry programs for Andersen Consulting, Chicago, which presented the awards.

Lees Supermarket, Westport, Mass., was honored for its electronic-marketing efforts. The single-store operator's frequent-shopper program, established in 1991, tracks 69% of all transactions and 87% of dollars spent, said Albert E. Lees Jr., chairman and chief executive officer.

SuperQuinn Ltd., a 16-store retailer in Dublin, Ireland, took the international retailer award for its SuperClub program, which allows shoppers to accumulate points and redeem them for merchandise offered in its SuperClub catalog. Marketing Director Eamonn Quinn noted at a separate presentation during the conference that "electronic marketing will only add value if it's subsumed into the retailer's overall marketing message."

Spartan Stores, a wholesaler in Grand Rapids, Mich., was also honored, as was Catalina Marketing Corp., St. Petersburg, Fla., which took the electronic marketing vendor prize. Kraft Foods, Northfield, Ill., won the consumer products manufacturer award.