‘MOST SUCCESSFUL PROMOTION OF THE YEAR 2020’ AWARDS presented

Following an evaluation by the 11-member jury and the results of a 4 focus group survey conducted by market research company Kantar Hoffmann, the winners were announced on 29 April. Just like in former years, the event was accompanied by a one-day online programme dedicated to the profession.

Online, education and routin

Nearly 200 people registered and followed the online event, which shows the increased interest in promotions from both consumers and the profession side. The participants were greeted by the host of the event, Máté Molnár, the marketing manager of Trade magazin, who presented the agenda of the conference and the technical information.

In the introduction, Zsuzsanna Hermann, Managing Editor-in-Chief of Trade magazin, summarized the changes experienced during the 13 years of the Promotion Competition. In the years around the crisis, consumers were happy with every little thing and action initiative, but the “glass bead effect” was soon replaced by a more and more conscious and critical consumer attitude with ever-increasing expectations. However, during the pandemic, the mood calmed down, they started to rejoice again in the promotions in which they expect education and entertainment. Instant gifts, coupons, small prizes that promise a high chance of winning are popular, but also the big jackpot, if it can be chosen individually, so it’s still worth thinking about a prize pyramid. Online promotion is becoming more and more accepted, which is a kind of entertainment opportunity in the „stayathome” situation, and even more people would like to pursue some personal task.

Promotions through the eyes of customers

Gábor Tolnai, Kantar-Hoffmann’s division director, presented the qualitative research results of the competition, generalizing what was heard in the focus groups. Duality can be observed with a parallel presence among today’s Hungarian customers. On the one hand, conscious planning, based on the shopping list, saving, resisting impulse effects, is typical. On the other hand, shopping is seen as an excursion, entertainment, a move away, which is a point of connection to the “normal world”. Thus, as before the pandemic, they look around, are more interested in novelties, enjoy the time spent in stores. The two trends are connected by browsing retailers’ flyers, this activity is experiencing a renaissance, there are those who like to flip through these publications well from saving, action hunting or just for fun. The digital transformation has advanced years compared to last year, and instead of trying it back then, online opportunities are now popular and routinely used in the purchase of groceries, acknowledging its practicality, convenience and strengths. However, they are also more critical of the errors that occur. The use of the applications has also started, they are looking for coupons, discounts and promotions here as well, but here they are more tolerant of mistakes and weaknesses. Gábor Tolnai also reviewed the entries without naming presented the strengths and the development suggestions of the consumers.

Screvo – The new generation of sweepstakes

Péter Tóth, owner of Screvo, introduced the participants a fundamentally new approach to digital promotion, which started on the very day of the conference with 6 new activities. In his introduction, Péter Tóth analyzed in detail why most sweepstakes do not work. Most people complain about the length of the registration, the pain of keeping the proof of purchase, but at the same time they lack the experience factor, the interaction. Screvo is a no-frills virtual scratch game that also gives compnies the chance to get to know their shoppers. The point is that you have to register once, which already works automatically for games related to the different brands offered on the Screvo platform. Code entry or block photography also works easily, and the creative is engaging, fun, interactive, well-tied to the brand and the promotional message. Instead of the “not won” message, they also provide an experience, as they also offer users their own game and loyalty points.

Digital flyer campaigns

Tímea Orbán, CEO of the Offerista Group, presented the new generation of digital flyers, the Discover interface, which can complement the printed version well. The advantage is that the online display can be changed flexibly, products that are clicked a lot can be pre-listed and products that may run out can be put back or deleted. Products can be easily sorted by category, topic or other criteria. Content can also be well integrated with banner or video appearance. And shoppers can bookmark the products they like. As a result of the innovations, product engagement increased by 47% and reading time also became longer. They also work with 8 other portals to provide multiple touch points, so they can now run campaigns in a network. Developments are continuing to serve the needs of customers and shoppers more and more.

Legal traps and solutions

Dr. Zsófia Bitai, a lawyer representing CLM Bitai & Partners Law Office, pointed out that both promotion and CSR activities are considered advertising, so they are subject to advertising law. The intention of the legislator is to protect the consumer, especially sensitive consumer groups, and to prevent and punish deception and aggression. In her presentation, Dr. Zsófia Bitai covered the concept of commercial advertising and the advertiser, the violations of the right to advertising, and then explained in detail what needs to be indicated on a promotional tool and what pitfalls can be hidden by a wrong wording. She illustrated with examples the contradiction between the concepts of “guaranteed prize” and “while stocks last” and the need to detail the selection of the winner. She also mentioned sme penalty items, which can be determined as a percentage of the net turnover achieved during the promotion period. She also mentioned the role of influencers and emphasiezed that the fact of sponsorship should always be indicated. She also pointed out that the acception of the “Privacy Policy” should be indicated by explicit consent, eg by ticking a box.

These presentations were included between the ceremonial awards ceremony and the presentations of the winning entries.  You can read about the award ceremony, the conference and the winning promotions in Trade magazin’s 6-7 print and digital issue.

The conference was sponsored by: CLM Bitai &Partners Law Firm, Offerista Group, Screvo
Trade partners of the competition: Trade Marketing Club (TMC), POPAI Hungary Association
Research partner of the conference: Kantar Hoffmann

Results of the ‘Most successful promotion of the year 2020’ competition:

Congratulations to the winners on behalf of the jury and our partners!