Scratch Off Cards Make the Big Leagues!

It's a Monday.  And Mercury is in retrograde.  What does this mean for the unsuspecting person trying to get into work?  If you're me, it apparently mean your alarm clock doesn't go off, you're a half hour late, you miss your morning coffee, AND you get stuck in traffic.  

Admittedly I wasn't off to the best start today.  However, on my frantic commute in I took a detour downtown to avoid being any later than I already was. What a great detour it turned out to be!  I saw this picture of LeBron James plastered on the building across from the Q.  It reminded me that basketball season is just around the corner.  woot woot  Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio and being raised on the Cavs since I was 10 years old, having James back for another season means a lot.  Major understatement there. The excitement he brings to Cleveland, the restaurants, hotels, and fans is unreal.  And if you're lucky enough to be at a game in the Q, it's deafening!

My morning commute to Scratch Off Works.  Not a bad view!

Kind of like the excitement custom scratch off promotions bring to an event, especially a sporting event!  (okay, this blog is about Starbucks and scratch offs, so you knew scratch off promotions were going to get worked in here somehow!)  :)

DETAILS:
Scratch off cards generate excitement, everyone knows this.  We've all gotten a card from McDonald's or a lottery card and hoped that when we scratched it off, we'd hit the big time.  Or even just win some free fries.  There's something about scratch off cards that make people happy and hopeful.  You have a chance to win something.  Something free.  You get to interact with a marketing piece on a personal level.  And possibly be rewarded by the company who gave you the card.  So you feel appreciated and valued as a customer.  When scratch offs are used by a sports organization as a group sales promotion, a fan appreciation day contest, or a retail store promotion, the fans love it.  And the promotion produces results.  Fast! 

Custom scratch off cards will increase ticket sales and attendance, boost your merchandise sales, attract new sponsorship advertising, sky rocket brand awareness for your team, and raise community awareness -- there is literally nothing that is more effective than a scratch off promotion.

Some custom scratch off cards used by sports teams.

HOW TO USE:
Scratch off cards are a fan favorite so why not give them away at your Fan Appreciation Day or a college alumni game?  Everyone who walks through your door on that particular game night receives a scratch off card!

Make every card a winner!  Involve your team's sponsors, ticket sales department, and vendors for the prizes.  Everything is donated.  Give away old merchandise, previous giveaways you still have in stock, and give away a lot of tickets!!  Buy one, get one free offers.  Or if you book a group event and buy at least 10 tickets, you get 10% off.  You can also have bar code discounts as prizes for redemption in your team store and sponsor's stores.

 

Even more scratch off promotions!

Scratch Off Works offers full design services (did I mention we have an award-winning design team?) and fast 1 week turnaround time for all scratch off printing.  We have worked with the NFL, NBA, NHL, AHL, and MLB - this type of contest is popular with every size team and stadium!

For more information how to get started with some custom scratch off printing for your team, please contact me personally.  I'd love to work with you!  info@scratchoffworks.com

Nasty Gal's Uber Cool Scratch Off Promotion!

This blog post is either going to be short and sweet today or else I'm going to type you a Bible...I just had a triple espresso and so my brain's going like a thousand miles an hour and my fingers are typing even faster!

I want to talk about Nasty Gal. 

Sophia Amoruso's book #GirlBoss is AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING!  I ran across it by accident while I was getting my hair cut a few months ago.  She was written up in one of those fashion magazines these salons have laying all over the place.  My cell phone was almost dead, so I picked up the magazine and read her interview.  I have to say, from the first paragraph, I was hooked.  I bought her book on Amazon while my head was in the bowl getting washed!

For anyone who's looking for a great business book, inspirational read, or to pick up some savvy business tips, this is it.  Check out #GirlBoss on Amazon.  Sophia's the real deal.  She tells her story about how she started Nasty Gal (an online trendy women's retailer) on Ebay and built it into what Inc. Magazine called one of "the fastest growing companies."  I love this woman!  She's funny, raw, and she gets the job done with style and integrity.  She's cutting edge for sure and likes to push the boundaries.  My whole book is pretty much dog ear-ed because there's literally something she says on each page that you want to remember.  Yes, I'm a total Nasty Gal groupie :) 

We were SO excited when Nasty Gal called us wanting to do a scratch off promotion!  I almost felt bad because the girl who called us for a quote had to listen to me swoon about Sophia for about 10 minutes and ask her fashion advice before I even gave her a price.  I couldn't believe I was on the phone with someone who's office was right down the hall from Sophia.  I mean, this was cooool.

We ended up getting the project.  To be able to work with Sophia and her team was an honor!  They were launching their 2nd brick and mortar store and wanted to do something fun, festive, and interesting for their customers when they opened.  They wanted a scratch off.  They also wanted the promotion to match the artwork they were using on their signage and bags - and to look young, hip and trendy.  This is what they went with:

Kind of grabs your attention, doesn't it??  Pushes the boundaries a little.  Definitely sexy.  Totally youthful.  That was the whole point...that's Nasty Gal's image!

The scratch off promotion was a hit and their store opening was a huge success.

I have to say, not only is the company great, but their employees are too.  We all had so much fun working with the Nasty Gal team :)

For any custom scratch off promotions, please contact us.  They are absolutely fantastic for retail promotions and store openings.  We'd love to hear from you!  Just ask for Chrys...there's a pretty good chance I'll be at my desk sipping a Starbucks when you call :)  1.440.333.4302

Scratch Off Incentives Part 2 - MSNBC News Feature!

Today I feel a little hypocritcal...in lieu of my favorite Starbucks, I have a thermos of Nespresso coffee sitting next to my keyboard.  It's hazelnut.  With coconut milk.  Supersized.  Not a bad replacement for Starbucks actually.  I think it's safe to say I have enough caffeine in my blood right now to keep me writing and blogging until it's time to go home. Probably around 11pm!

So today's project is (drumroll please!)...scratch off company incentives.  God these are great promotions!!  They're fun, they work fast, and they're so darn affordable.  This seems to be the season for incentives looking at all the projects on my To Do list.  I've already talked about our Star Cards and how great I think scratch offs are as an incentive program.  We were featured on MSNBC, so they agree too :)  This is the video...our little moment to shine in the spotlight.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlMX8oSP8Gc

If you'd like more information on how to start a scratch off incentive program at your company, please call us!  We'd love the opportunity to send you samples, design some mock ups, and get you up and running.  ckozak@scratchoffworks.com

Scratch Off Employee Incentive Programs

So that post was me just saying hi and introducing our company to you.  I really want to be giving you a tip for the week.  This is it: scratch off cards as employee incentives.

One of the areas we specialize in is employee incentive programs and safety contests.  These programs work because they are all about instant recognition and rewarding positive behaviors.  Employees are awarded a scratch off card whenever their manager witnesses them doing something positive or going above and beyond what's expected.  Cards can also be awarded for reaching a sales quota, exceeding quota, being injury-free for a week, spending extra time with a client, having perfect attendance for a week, having a positive attitude, etc.  -- whatever behaviors you're looking to encourage or issues you want to improve, is what you reward. Because your employees are immediately rewarded and recognized for their behavior, it acts as a positive reinforcement.  Winning prizes can range from cash to a paid half day off to logo items from your company.   The non-winning cards can be collected and entered into a drawing.

One great example of how scratch off cards have been used to improve employee awareness in the workplace is Whiting's Foods Star Card.  This is a scratch off incentive program where employees are handed a scratch off card when their manager witnesses them doing something good.  Instead of spending their budget on an end of the season party for their employees, they use some of their budget on scratch off cards where they can be used throughout the season.  Whiting's Foods employees have responded so favorably to this program and it has made such a positive impact that the Star Card program won 1st place by the International Amusement Park Association.

What is the Star Card Scratch Off Program?

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlMX8oSP8Gc

In the video above, Ken Whiting talks with MSNBC about how to motivate a workforce. He took the budget Whiting's Foods would have normally spent throwing an end of the year party and instead spent it on Star Cards that are used daily.  The employees didn't have to wait 12 months to be rewarded anymore; instead, now some of them received scratch off cards weekly or even daily!  Whenever the employees were seen by a manager doing something positive, they were rewarded on the spot with a scratch off card.  Their behaviors and attitudes changed quickly.  Employees became motivated, energized, and aware of workplace safety.  As a result, the company became more productive and profitable.  Scratch off cards work.  

For more information, you can visit our website and read other case studies showing how scratch off cards have been used as employee incentives and safety programs:

http://scratchoffworks.com/safety-more-info.html

Welcome to Scratch Off Works! Today's drink: triple espresso shot

I love scratch offs!  I'm a tech geek, a total Starbucks addict and a niche marketer.  As I'm typing this, I'm actually on my 5th espresso shot of the day already (and yes, it's not even noon yet!)

I grew up in the promotions and printing industry.  What started as a local, Cleveland-based printing business has grown over the years into a full service design, marketing and printing firm that services clients around the world.  We produce award winning scratch off promotions.  We do printed and digital scratch offs too.  I've seen a lot of different types of promotions come and go over the years (a lot of them gimmicks to be entirely honest).  If you're looking to raise brand awareness and increase revenues,  scratch offs are the real deal.  Scratch offs work.  That's why we named our business Scratch Off Works!

Scratch off contests are fun for everyone.  They're inexpensive to produce.  Super fast turnaround time.  And the results are virtually guaranteed.  What's not to love?

So our company is Scratch Off Works and we're located in Cleveland, Ohio.  It's a family run business.  We design, print and ship custom scratch off cards all over the world, for small local companies up to international corporations.  Some of our clients include QVC, Turner Construction, the Chicago Bears, Miller Coors, Marriott Hotels, Bacardi, Goodwill, Whole Foods, Lincoln Electric, the Red Cross, and Cintas.  We love our customers and give them the best hands on customer service in the industry.  We've built our lives around our business with integrity and making our customers happy.

Our website is: www.ScratchOffWorks.com

I hope you come and check us out...and come back to my blog for marketing tips, strategies, and the type of coffee I'm drinking that day :)

Ciao!