Minimum effort, maximum experience – the ideal promotion for 2024

By: Barok Eszter Date: 2024. 06. 19. 11:42

The Promotion of the Year 2024 competition, organised by Trade magazin, has once again put the world of promotions in the spotlight.

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2024/6-7

Gábor Tolnai
head of marketing insights division
Kantar Hoffmann

In his presentation at the Day of Promotions, Gábor Tolnai, head of marketing insight division at Kantar Hoffmann talked about the lessons learned from the qualitative research evaluating the promotion campaigns.

Consumers are more suspicious and critical

In the competition, which was held for the 16th time this year, entries could be sent in 6 categories – Food, Drink, Retail, Non-food, HoReCa, Online/Digital – and were evaluated by a professional jury plus “average consumers” representing the target group. Each of the 27 entering promotion was evaluated by the groups in two sessions: first they were presented verbally and then with illustrations. In 2023 consumer expectations about promotions increased dramatically. Gamification and personalised promotions have become frequent.

Minimum effort, passive participation

Consumer expectations have changed significantly. The spreading of digital technologies has had a big influence on the form and reception of promotions. Consumers now expect promotions to integrate them into the digital experience, minimising the effort required. They reward promotions that allow passive participation, for example by using apps and loyalty cards to automatically enter them into a prize draw. Apps are key, as their use requires no extra effort on the part of the consumer, allows tracking of loyalty points and instant access to discount coupons. It has also been observed that consumers like those promotions that give them with a bigger chance of winning, especially those that offer prizes that are immediately handed over in-store. Respondents appreciated when they received some feedback soon or even immediately, and not just after the prize winners were announced.

Money + experience = guaranteed success

In the past branded consumer electronics or a trip abroad alone would have motivated consumers, today this isn’t enough to make them participate: in many cases money they can spend freely was more appealing than a trip this year. Besides the hope of getting some money, consumers also want the thrill of a prize draw every hour – this keeps the excitement going and allows for tactics to be used to decide when and at what time of day to upload a code. Environmental awareness and sustainability have become important considerations for consumers. Brands need to adapt to the challenges of the digital age proactively, taking into account consumer expectations in terms of novelty, personalisation, environmental awareness and digital inclusion. //