Some might think it’s a drag to win a bag of chips in a contest where boats and RVs are up for grabs, but a new campaign to highlight convenience chain Irving Mainway’s Cruisin’ to Win promo makes it a more memorable experience.
The print and radio campaign, by St. John’s, Nfld.-based Target Marketing & Communications, started rolling out earlier this month across Eastern Canada and the U.S. The first flight includes radio spots in which actors, in the guise of real people, are questioned by comedian Kathy Greenwood about winning snack food.
The next instalment, to air near the end of June, will include actual contest winners who are phoned at random and asked about how they feel about receiving a free bag of crisps. Print ads featuring the winners will also be placed in newspapers. The tagline is, ‘Cruise in to Irving Mainway and you could be Cruisin’ to win.’
Donna McCarthy, CD at Target, says the campaign is ‘really to create a buzz and make sure people are excited about the contest.’
McCarthy says there have been many promos such as this one done by other chains in the past, so to avoid possible redundancy, the agency decided to poke fun at the idea of winning the smaller items, since bigger prizes are also up for grabs.
McCarthy adds that most people (with the exception of kids) are likely to forget if they’ve won something as minor as a bag of chips, but with the possibility of getting on the radio and being in the spotlight, they are more likely to recall the contest. The target is broad, since consumers of all ages patronize Irving stores.
This is the first Cruisin’ to Win contest for Irving and there are $3 million worth of prizes – including seadoos, RVs, and chocolate bars – to be given away over the course of the summer, with one-in-10 odds of winning.
McCarthy says the campaign ‘reinforces the Irving Mainway brand personality, which is fun, inviting and approachable. It’s important that the consumer feels that Irving Mainway understands them and that, in turn, the consumer understands us. This contest won’t change your life, but it might bring a smile to your face.’
Agency: Target Marketing
Client: Irving Mainway
Creative Directors: Donna McCarthy, Tom Murphy
Copywriters: Donna McCarthy, Jenny Smith
Art Director (print): Tom Murphy
Director: Terry O’Reilly (Pirate Radio)
