NABISCO HONES COUPON TRACKING

LISA A. TIBBITTS

NEW YORK -- The Nabisco Biscuit Co. has perfected a method for tracking in-store coupon performance using sequential numbering.

The technique was described publicly here for the first time last week by Jerry DuLude, manager of promotion support and control for Nabisco's biscuit division. Speaking at a conference held by the Strategic Research Institute, he revealed the means and method of this couponing strategy -- one which has produced substantial savings.

"Instead of a freestanding insert, we can zero in and target those stores and markets where we are getting the greatest activity. Thus, we are maximizing efficiency and the effectiveness of our redemption," he said.

This low-tech process of numbering the coupons handed out during in-store promotions involves little effort by the brand marketer, although it adds slightly to production costs, DuLude said.

The numbering allows him to track the rate and incidence of the coupons' redemption. The first four numbers in the code represent the store where the handouts are made, so the company can later calculate redemption rates and profitability by store, he added.

The numbered coupons are shipped in bundles of 250 each with a business reply card to be completed by the demonstrator. On the business reply card is printed the range of sequential numbers found in the bundle, as well as the offer number. The redemption agent is then able to produce reports showing the store's number, name and address, the number of coupons handed out and the number of coupons redeemed, as well as the markets in which they were redeemed.