Big Brands and Interactive Marketing: Absa Leads the Way

If communication is the voice of a brand, innovation is its only assurance of being heard. South African Big Brands must seek, always, to uncover new territory in the expression of their values and services, failure to evolve is a failure to inspire. In recent months, no one has driven this point home more effectively than Absa with their groundbreaking marketing first 'The Absa Access The Money Game Show', one of the most remarkable successes in recent bank marketing history.

Banks and game shows, an odd match, right? Wrong. Gerald Harvey, creative director at Absa's partner in this innovation Mortimer Harvey and Associates, describes the short-format, advertiser-funded promotional game show as a unique platform off which Big Brands express their values, products, services and personalities in an altogether real way.

What does 'real' mean in the game show environment? It means real people interacting with the brand, in real time, winning real prizes as audience members watch, provoking a powerful interactive association between brand and consumer. The medium proves itself time and time again as a device to cut away from the clutter of traditional-format advertising and really speak to consumers, capture their imaginations and reward their participation, tangibly. Absa has demonstrated a powerful understanding of this impact by harnessing the potential of this innovative medium.

Pioneering advertising is a wonderful concept, but what about the results? What actual benefit did this campaign deliver to the advertiser? First off, the response rate to the promotion was a fantastic 50%, proof that the initial aim of capturing imaginations had been achieved. The game show mechanism made it necessary for entrants to perform transactions at Absa ATM's (regardless of which bank they banked with) resulting in an ATM revenue increase of 28% in November and a further 34% in December. A record number of ATM transactions were recorded on the Absa ATM network for December.

How did the game show actually work? Cash withdrawals, transfer of funds, electronic account payments, statement enquiries and prepaid cellular phone top ups performed at Absa ATM's were all points of departure for entry. Transaction slips doubled as entry forms: consumers simply completed their personal details to enter on the reverse. After dropping the slip into an on-site entry box, one had only to wait and see if one's name was drawn to compete, live, in the TV game show, progressing through stages on a larger-than-life Absa branded game board on a distinctly sophisticated set toward the ultimate prize: 1 Million Rand!

What did Absa have to say about the successes of the promotion? Dana Cooper, Absa Group Marketing Executive commented, "in terms of a marketing and promotional campaign, this project excelled in both brand awareness as well as creating great customer excitement. Our results have been excellent and exceeded our expectations."

Absa's ATM game show achieved powerful successes for the brand: Absa was seen to communicate with its audience in a warm, accessible environment. The increased traffic at ATM's fulfilled the tactical aspirations of the project. All in all, this promotion was a well-conceived, well-executed expression of the Absa we've come to know and love as a South African leader in its field.