KROGER ACCOUNT-SPECIFIC KIDS' PROMOTION MAKES SALES GROW

RICHARD TURCSIK

NEW ORLEANS -- Kroger Co. significantly increased sales of children's products by participating in an account-specific promotion.

The program, run in conjunction with Kraft and the Warner Bros. Network, was an offshoot of the national "Basket Toons" "watch and win" sweepstakes. Kids could win prizes by watching for basketballs that were strategically placed during cartoons airing on the Warner Bros. Network. Children wrote down where they saw the basketball on an entry blank that was available in-store and mailed it to a post office box.

Called "Kraft Kids Brands Go One on One With Kroger," the program featured massive in-store displays, life-size cardboard cutouts of NBA stars, features, sweepstakes and radio commercials in all of Kroger's 16 operating divisions, or Kroger Marketing Areas. Featured products included Post Cereals, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, Miracle Whip and Jell-O brand gelatin.

Details about the promotion were released by Tim O'Krongly, marketing manager of the Central area for Northfield, Ill.-based Kraft Foods, at the Results-Oriented Account Specific Marketing conference here. The meeting was sponsored by the Institute for International Research, New York.

"We went to Kroger with a customized redemption program. We had a customized Warner Bros. Studio Store gift certificate that we gave to people who circled Kraft purchases on their receipts," O'Krongly explained.

In addition, an in-store sweepstakes offered children the chance to win a trip to the Warner Bros. studio in Hollywood where they had dinner -- made completely with Kraft products -- with the NBA stars.

Kraft created seven versions of its point-of-sale materials for Kroger, along with 16 different entry pads and rule versions. A total of 3,500 basketballs were shipped to the chain's 1,350 stores, along with 2,368 NBA player standees.

O'Krongly said radio commercials were produced specifically for each Kroger KMA, and the national POS materials were customized for each division. Kraft also used WB basketballs and Kroger gift certificates as prizes, and many radio stations sent live remotes to Kroger stores where basketball games were held in the parking lots.

"We quantified the promotion by showing Kroger how much money we were going to send back into their stores as a result of this program. We also gave away the basketball player standees. It is point-of-sale and going to go in the garbage anyway when we are done with it," he said.

The promotion was further strengthened by letters sent out by Kroger's corporate headquarters in Cincinnati to each KMA asking them to consider participating in the promotion.

"They were not making it mandatory, but just suggesting that it was going to drive traffic when they teamed up with Kraft and Warner Bros.," O'Krongly said.

He noted 100% participation was achieved because Kroger's marketing officials made the sales calls on the division along with the salesmen.