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Published in conjunction with

The Enterprise Engagement
Alliance Networking Expo
Enterprise Engagement Alliance

Rewards & Recognition (February 2011)

News Briefs

Second Annual EEA Conference & Expo Scheduled for June 1-2, 2011

If you were at last year's Enterprise Engagement Alliance Networking Conference and Expo, you know it drew rave reviews for the level of serious business discussion and learning that went on over the two-day period. So be sure to mark your calendar for this year's second annual event, scheduled for June 1-2. Who will be there? Marketing, promotion and incentive companies seeking new growth markets and innovative solutions to bring to their clients; corporate practitioners seeking new strategies and resources to improve performance and advance their professional careers; professionals who wish to become certificated as engagement practitioners and participate in the EEA's Speakers Bureau program. This is your chance to be a part of the growing field of Enterprise Engagement, a unique, two-day opportunity for suppliers and consumers of engagement products and services to learn specifically how they can profit from this new business opportunity. Conference attendees will have the opportunity to meet suppliers covering all of the critical issues of engagement, including: Leadership, Training, Communications, Rewards & Recognition, Engagement Surveys and Polls, Consumer Loyalty Programs, Measurement and Incentive Programs.

• Go to www.eeaexpo.org for more information, and sign up to receive updates and priority notification when registration opens.

SVM

New IRF Paper Defines Top 2011 Motivation Trends

Underscoring the most significant changes in the incentive industry over the last decade, the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) has just released a new white paper entitled, Top 11 Incentive Trends for 2011. Among the highlights:

  • Adjusting to a "new normal" that better fits today's budgetary constraints and the importance of transparency.
  • The impact of globalization and the increasing interest in incentives by the BRIC countries Increasing government involvement regulating gift cards and encouraging wellness incentives.
  • Emerging participant preferences for meaningful experiences over tangible products.
  • Changing social influencers and priorities that emphasize factors like CSR.
  • Modifications tied to virtual communication and tactics like games.

"The expanding virtual nature of communications represents both opportunities and obstacles for incentive planners," says IRF Director Jeff Broudy. "Digital communication makes it easier to develop, distribute, update and segment messages across audiences and can increase the motivational impact of pre- and post-event messages. We believe that planners who address both the opportunities and obstacles of our virtual world will be better prepared to manage the pros and cons of that conversation." 

• For a copy of the 2011 Trends white paper, go to http://tinyurl.com/4ft8kft.

FutureShow

Maritz Real-time and ViVOtech Announce Partnership

Maritz Real-Time (MRT) and ViVOtech recently announced a strategic partnership to provide real-time promotion and loyalty services into mobile and near-field communication (NFC) platforms for retailers and payments providers. Unveiled at GSMA Mobile World Congress, the alliance combines ViVOtech's NFC mobile commerce platform with MRT's delivery of real-time data-driven rewards and redemption services. The combined offerings will trigger consumer behavior at the optimal points of interaction and transaction with retailers, payments providers and their partners. The partnership will provide retail and payments clients with customized services that engage customers with behavioral-based incentives and communications delivered where and when they have the greatest impact, offered on emerging NFC-enabled smart phones and existing mobile handset models.

• For more information, go to www.maritz.com

California Bans Promotional Products At State Agencies

Governor Jerry Brown has issued a memorandum directing all California state agencies and departments to immediately stop purchasing "free giveaway and gift items – such as key chains, coffee mugs and squeeze toys" as part of his continuing efforts to cut costs and tackle the state's budget gap. Specialty Advertising Association of California (SAAC), Promotional Marketing Association of Northern California (PMANC) and Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) will reach out to the Governor and state legislators to remind them that while a prohibition on the purchase of promotional products may yield some short term savings, in the long term, this prohibition may unintentionally diminish the good work of those agencies. PPAI, SAAC and PMANC are taking immediate action to address this latest threat to the industry.

For more information and to read the industry's "Call to Action," go to www.ppai.org/inside-ppai/ppai-law/legislative-action-watch

Enterprise Engagement Alliance

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Insights from ESM Rewards & Recognition e-News

Engagement Event Returns $2 for Every Dollar Spent

The Enterprise Engagement Alliance (EEA) recently announced that research measuring the return on investment (ROI) of an annual meeting of healthcare insurance brokers that stressed training, relationship-building and networking opportunities found the sponsoring company enjoyed a return of almost $2 for every $1 invested in the program. Initial results reported in March revealed that the program had a profound impact on the way brokers thought and felt about the company, its products and its people. Part 1 of the report, The 'ROI in Channel Partner' Conferences – A Case Study, noted that the annual gathering translated into higher sales, performance and engagement among those who attended. Part 2 of the report examines the actual change in sales of Allsante, Inc.* products among program participants, summarizing the ROI the company achieved from the event. EEA analysis of the methodologies and findings reveals that Allsante earned significant ROI from its annual event. "After all variables were accounted for, a highly credible and conservative estimate of 190% ROI was arrived at," says Allan Schweyer, Chairman of the EEA. "In other words, the company enjoyed a return of almost $2 for every $1 it invested in the first six months following the event, and our researchers say it's likely that the returns, if calculated after another six months have passed, will be even greater." Parts 1 and 2 of the study, The 'ROI in Channel Partner' Conferences – A Case Study, can be downloaded at www.enterpriseengagement.org

* The company in this report is referred to as "Allsante, Inc." at the firm's request, due to competitive reasons.

Advertise here!

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In the Next Issue of Engagement Strategies Magazine

The March/April issue of Engagement Strategies Magazine will be out soon! Here's a look at what you'll find inside:

Authenticity, Tree-Pruning and the 'Wisdom of Crowds'

In a revealing Q&A with ESM's editors, author and motivation guru Derek Irvine talks about how building a culture of recognition offers the most direct path to engagement. To make sure you get your copy of Engagement Strategies Magazine, go to www.enterpriseengagement.org/account/login/ and update your subscription today!

Gift Card Landscape Has Shifted, Bringing New Vistas, Values

Four industry experts discuss how recent changes in the marketplace are affecting the use of gift cards as a motivational tool. Read more in the next issue of Engagement Strategies Magazine.

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News From Selling Communications Inc.

White Paper Links Social Media and Performance

A new White Paper, How Social Media is Changing Corporate Performance, discusses how lessons learned from Social Media are helping corporate employee-engagement experts capitalize on the momentum in self-motivated, peer-driven participation. Corporate recognition, rewards and incentive programs for employees are actually the unsung pioneers of the kind of 'social points' activity like we see in Social Media games like Farmville and others. By leveraging the power of online systems, corporations can provide a familiar social environment similar to those in which people have already chosen to engage during their own time. You can bring the power of Social Behaviors to your employees by offering intrinsic/extrinsic motivation rewards and recognition programs. Peer-to-Peer awards let people recognize each other. Team-based activities allow for relationship-building and trust. Wellness programs show that you care about employees' health challenges and that you want to help through education and online tools. Open 'suggestion programs' accelerate innovation by creating a meritocracy. To view the full report, go to www.dittmanincentives.com

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About Selling Communications Inc.

Selling Communications, Inc. is a fully integrated, target marketing, media and technology agency that improves results for clients by focusing on the people who matter most. We can help your business grow and save you money by targeting key prospects, getting their permission and strategically integrating your marketing and sales communications with the specific audiences most likely to affect your business performance.

Take advantage of these SCI services to improve your business development:

  • Engagement Marketing Agency Solutions
  • Target media
  • Integrated Communications Technology

For more information on Selling Communications, its products and services, contact Jim Kilmetis at 914-591-7600, ext. 229 or send an e-mail to .

Tapping new customers, and keeping those you already have, costs less than you'd imagine... 

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