September 28, 2006
Gas giveaways net new customers
By Jeff Lavery
Businesses cash in on fuel-hungry drivers
Want to attract customers? Skip the iPod giveaways and head straight for the gas pump, say local marketers.
After a summer of record high gas prices, cheap gas became an almost guaranteed home run for a business looking to attract new customers. On Sept. 19, Digital Credit Union celebrated the openings of its Gold Star and Shrewsbury St. branches by sponsoring a six hour event where drivers filled up for $.99 a gallon at the Pleasant St. Exxon station.
DCU isn’t alone. Citizens Bank of Massachusetts has given away free gasoline in less affluent parts of the state, including Dorchester and Roxbury. The institution also just wrapped up a summer-long promotion where customers were entered into drawings for thousands of dollars worth of gasoline.
A total of 875 drivers waited up to 90 minutes to take advantage of the DCU offer, but the delay didn’t stifle interest in the credit union. "An event like this definitely makes me want to walk in and see what they have to offer," said Paul Lechiara, a supervisor at UPS in Shrewsbury.
Citizens Bank also campaigned a promotion throughout the summer to drum up new business. Any customers using a Citizens Bank debit card to make credit purchases were entered into a weekly drawing for $1,000 in free gas, and all were entered into a grand prize drawing of $25,000 worth of fuel. The bank also rewarded customers opening new checking and savings accounts with gasoline scratch tickets and $25 gas cards from Sunoco.
While the giveaways have now concluded, executive vice president and Director of Retail Banking Martie Dwyer says that the results prove cheap gas captures customers’ attention. "Gas was on the top of everyone’s mind this summer," Dwyer says. "It led to new prospects and more accounts for existing customers."
Dwyer adds that when the institution ran a promotion last summer with gas cards and iPods, gas cards proved to be the hotter item.
Earlier this year, Bob Cassidy of Northboro won a $100 gas card from the state of Vermont in an effort to drum up tourism for the region. The campaign, called "Vermont Fuels Your Vacation," runs until April of next year with weekly giveaways of $100 and three grand prizes of $1,000 each. John Taylor, Internet Communications specialist for the Vermont Dept. of Tourism says that the response from winners has been positive. "We’ve had several winners say, ‘Yes, you’ve made up my mind - we’re coming to visit Vermont,’" says Taylor.
On a national level, Ford Motor Company offered numerous incentives to boost sliding sales, including cash rebates and no-interest financing. Ford’s "Drive On Us" campaign also featured a MasterCard debit card worth $1,000 in free gas, a move that the automaker calculated would allow motorists to drive from the June 1 start date to the end of the year without having to pay for gas.
The American Automobile Association of Southern New England notes while the effectiveness of a gasoline promotion often depends on which direction the prices go, consumers only stand to benefit from the giveaways. "We always tell people to pay the least you can," says Art Kinsman, AAA director of Government Affairs. "If these promotions are a part of it, take advantage."
Jeffrey T. Lavery can be reached at
jlavery@wbjournal.com
Want to attract customers? Skip the iPod giveaways and head straight for the gas pump, say local marketers.
After a summer of record high gas prices, cheap gas became an almost guaranteed home run for a business looking to attract new customers. On Sept. 19, Digital Credit Union celebrated the openings of its Gold Star and Shrewsbury St. branches by sponsoring a six hour event where drivers filled up for $.99 a gallon at the Pleasant St. Exxon station.
Citizens∈ Bank kicked the summer off with numerous gas giveaways - a successful campaign, notes Martie Dwyer, executive vice president.
A total of 875 drivers waited up to 90 minutes to take advantage of the DCU offer, but the delay didn’t stifle interest in the credit union. "An event like this definitely makes me want to walk in and see what they have to offer," said Paul Lechiara, a supervisor at UPS in Shrewsbury.
Citizens Bank also campaigned a promotion throughout the summer to drum up new business. Any customers using a Citizens Bank debit card to make credit purchases were entered into a weekly drawing for $1,000 in free gas, and all were entered into a grand prize drawing of $25,000 worth of fuel. The bank also rewarded customers opening new checking and savings accounts with gasoline scratch tickets and $25 gas cards from Sunoco.
While the giveaways have now concluded, executive vice president and Director of Retail Banking Martie Dwyer says that the results prove cheap gas captures customers’ attention. "Gas was on the top of everyone’s mind this summer," Dwyer says. "It led to new prospects and more accounts for existing customers."
Dwyer adds that when the institution ran a promotion last summer with gas cards and iPods, gas cards proved to be the hotter item.
When DCU wanted to promote recent branch openings in Worcester, it offered customers a few hours to grab gas for $.99 a gallon
On a national level, Ford Motor Company offered numerous incentives to boost sliding sales, including cash rebates and no-interest financing. Ford’s "Drive On Us" campaign also featured a MasterCard debit card worth $1,000 in free gas, a move that the automaker calculated would allow motorists to drive from the June 1 start date to the end of the year without having to pay for gas.
The American Automobile Association of Southern New England notes while the effectiveness of a gasoline promotion often depends on which direction the prices go, consumers only stand to benefit from the giveaways. "We always tell people to pay the least you can," says Art Kinsman, AAA director of Government Affairs. "If these promotions are a part of it, take advantage."
Jeffrey T. Lavery can be reached at
jlavery@wbjournal.com
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