RICHMOND, Va.--Swedish Match is giving its Timber Wolf moist snuff customers an extra incentive to keep purchasing through a new "no nonsense, no frills" cash program.
Through December 17th, customers in the 48 contiguous United States can enter the laser code they find under the lid of each can on the company's Web site, and earn $.25--up to $125.
"We thought it would be a good way to not only build loyalty for Timber Wolf, but also reward those consumers who have been Timber Wolf customers for a long time," Chris Lemon, senior brand manager for Timber Wolf, told Tobacco E-News.[image-nocss]
The first code the customer enters is worth $2. The price of a can varies based on state taxes, but Lemon says the average is $2.60. "So it's a nice discount, but we did that on purpose to say thank you for purchasing Timber Wolf and give them that extra little help to get them to enter into our database." Customers can then continue to track their rewards on the Web site, with checks being cut for the total amount in late 2011.
Lemmon said that having people enter the Web site also has benefits for the company. "Then we get the opportunity to communicate with them throughout the year as well," he said, adding, "It's a way for consumers to get closer to the brand."
The maximum that can be earned is $125, but Lemmon said that is mostly set up as a stop-gap protection against fraud. "The cap being $125 we think will definitely satisfy over 99 percent of our consumers that use Timber Wolf."
Customers will be alerted to the program through direct mail, e-mails to customers who previously have signed up on the company's Web site and in-store displays. The "number one vehicle" for advertising the program is the can itself, Lemmon said. "We have that nice callout on the front of the can, which says 'peel here.' And then when you do that it really lays out in detail what exactly the program is, how you enter and get your rewards."
He added, "So it's just another way to for us to communicate with our brand, let them know that they are being rewarded in a positive way, and it's also a way to make our consumers feel like they made the right choice by choosing Timber Wolf over our competition."
Lemmon said Timber Wolf has 13 SKUs, including nine loose varieties and four pouch varieties.
Swedish Match is a global group of companies with a broad assortment of brands in snus and snuff, chewing tobacco, cigars, matches and lighters. Some of the company's well-known brands in the United States include Red Man, Timber Wolf, Longhorn, General, Garcia y Vega, Game and White Owl.
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