St Helens Farm
ST HELEN’S FARM REPORTS 40% REDEMPTION IN THE FIRST TWO DAYS WITH COUPON CAMPAIGN FROM VALASSIS
Immediate redemption proves the power of the coupon to new coupon issuer St Helen’s Farm
St Helen’s Farm, the leading manufacturer of fresh goats’ milk products, today announces that 40% of redemption in its first ever coupon campaign occurred in the first two days. Having signed a contract with Valassis in 2008 to receive coupon handling services, St Helen’s Farm ran its first ever coupon campaign in the Daily Mirror in November 2008 and has also reported a redemption level beyond its expectation.
St Helen’s Farm offered readers a free carton of fresh goats’ milk to the value of £1.34, to be redeemed in a Sainsbury’s or Tesco stocking the product. The coupon drove 40% of the people who redeemed the coupon to buy the product within the first two days, demonstrating the astonishing emotional impact of coupons over consumers.
Mike Hind, sales and marketing manager at St Helen’s Farm, says “We were pleased with the redemption figures but even more so by the fact that 40% of the coupons redeemed were done so almost immediately. This was a great result for the business, as one purpose of the campaign was to assess the use of coupons as a means of growing our share of the market and to raise the profile of goat’s milk, and consumers clearly respond very positively to coupons. We knew that coupons were a tried and tested method of encouraging trial and winning new customers, but we never expected enthusiasm from consumers on this scale.”
Hind continues, “The Grocery market has become a lot tighter since spring last year, and while goats’ milk has seen double digit growth in sales in the last five years this has slowed down through the economic downturn. We saw the opportunity with The Daily Mirror as a chance to assess the use of coupons on our products for the first time, and the results of the campaign have encouraged us to consider coupons as a valuable part of our future marketing activity. Valassis is the leading provider of coupon solutions and we selected them on the basis of their great reputation and their strong relationship with the retailers.”
Charles D’Oyly, managing director of Valassis, says “In a tough economic climate, brand managers turn their attention to promotions, and they are increasingly recognising coupons as a profitable means of increasing market share, raising brand awareness and delivering value back to the consumer. This is incredibly important in a recession, when consumers are more likely to value coupons and show allegiance to brands that are helping them to gain a better return on their own investment. As more brands realise that coupons can be just as effective as an expensive advertising campaign, we are helping brands to make the most of their promotional marketing spend as they plan, create, execute and analyse their coupon campaigns.”