Resource Library

This study, conducted by Frank Mulhern on behalf of the Promotion Marketing Association with the support of the Forum, identified key challenges facing organizations attempting to fully integrate external and internal marketing.... [ read more ]

For last year’s Summit, a research study was conducted to assess the drivers of employee satisfaction and engagement and the downstream customer and financial implications of these important employee attitudes. This research identified several unique organizational characteristics driving employee engagement, including employee satisfaction, and identified organizational communication as a key driver of employee satisfaction.... [ read more ]

Engagement Event Returns $2 for Every Dollar Spent
The Enterprise Engagement Alliance (EEA) recently announced that research measuring the return on investment (ROI) of an annual meeting of healthcare insurance brokers that stressed training, relationship-building and networking opportunities found the sponsoring company enjoyed a return of almost $2 for every $1 invested in the program. Initial results reported in March revealed that the program had a profound impact on the way brokers thought and felt about the company, its products and its people. Parts 1 and 2 of the study, The 'ROI in Channel Partner' Conferences – A Case Study, can be downloaded here. ... [ read more ]

This white paper highlights four key areas that impact organizational adoption of integrated marketing and motivate employees to think about and cooperate with integrated marketing efforts beyond their functional silos.... [ read more ]

This paper looks at the types and applications of gift cards and gift certificates and reviews the research that points to the efficacy of gift certificates and cards in achieving business results. Gift certificates and cards have been shown to increase sales, improve employee performance and build loyalty, foster teamwork, and create new markets, among others.... [ read more ]

Subtitled "Linking Recognition to Improved Job Performance and Increased Business Value - The Current State and Future Needs," this study, cosponsored by the Human Capital Institute, the Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement, and the Incentive Research Foundation, synthesizes recent research by analyzing case studies of successful recognition programs and recommending further investigation into workplace recognition. Recognition's value is demonstrated by recent studies that show a high correlation between recognition and improved employee engagement, which in turn improves job performance and captures business value. It also finds that organizations that actively improve employee engagement through recognition financially outperform their competitors. ... [ read more ]

Relying heavily on advertising revenue and contracts to maintain programming excellence, Viacom knew they needed a special program to combat diminishing business due to the soft economy and failing technology sector. Utilizing the concept of “Themed Time Travel,” Incentive Travel created a program for Viacom that built business with its top advertisers while creating a "once in a lifetime" travel experience even among a well- traveled audience. ... [ read more ]

Managed by Synchro since 2002, the Toyota Sales Society 2007 program encompassed all customer-facing Vehicle Sales and AfterSales (accessories, parts, service) staff in TMC Australia’s 224 dealerships. This includes 3,539 retail and fleet sales managers, retail and fleet sales consultants, parts managers, parts sales representatives, parts interpreters, service managers, service advisors; and used vehicle managers from every state in Australia.... [ read more ]

Each year in the United States, organizations spend tens of billions of dollars on cash and non-cash rewards for consumer, distributor, sales and employee incentive programs –merchandise, gift cards, group and individual travel programs, time off, cash, etc. But few organizations invest the necessary time to understand which rewards should be used for which people to encourage what outcomes... [ read more ]

Historically, incentive programs, unlike other sales and marketing strategies, have endured economic downturns. In fact, according to a review of past Incentive Federation and industry studies, the incentive industry managed to grow following the recessions that occurred in the late 1980s, after September 11, 2001, and during the downturn of the late 1990s, following the dot-com collapse. In fact, there is no evidence that the industry suffered serious declines following the recession in the late 1970s/early 1980s, and the industry continued to prosper even during the Great Depression when the industry’s trade magazine at the time, Premium Practice, was filled with advertising pages.... [ read more ]

In spite of Mountain Dew's strong market position, Pepsi-Cola wanted to build the brand's loyalty, attract new customers, and keep the growth rate above the industry average. To achieve those goals, the company developed the "Extreme Network" promotion, which offered a beeper in exchange for 10 Mountain Dew proofs of purchase, $29.99, and $5 for shipping and handling. The numeric pagers came with six months of free service. Total value: $125. ... [ read more ]

Over the last few years, the recognition field has seen a significant shift from traditional length-of-service awards to programs that focus on supporting critical organizational goals -- quality service to internal or external customers, participation in volunteer initiatives, a willingness to go the extra mile, etc. ... [ read more ]

It aligns efforts toward common goals. Marketing, communications and internal marketing efforts yield better results when all communications, learning and management training are aligned toward common goals. ... [ read more ]

The concept of Stakeholder Capitalism has existed for decades but there remains confusion about the definition that is either a natural phenomenon with the emergence of any new concept or in some cases an effort to poke holes in the concept by deliberately mis-defining it. ... [ read more ]

In this episode, we talk about performance, incentives, and employee engagement. Rob created CarltonOne to crack the code of employee engagement alongside making a positive impact on the environment.... [ read more ]

Engagement doesn’t just happen, and in most organizations frontline management has a lot to do with the success - or failure - of an organization's engagement efforts. Recent research from the Gallup organization on employee disengagement ... [ read more ]

Employee surveys have the potential to help companies understand the relationship between human capital and the bottom line. Yet, if not managed carefully, surveys may fail to realize their potential as strategic organizational tools. Why? Because many organizations are successful in designing reasonable questionnaires, generating high participation rates and gathering a lot of good information. But where survey processes most commonly break down is in the “hand off” between a survey team, perhaps working with the assistance of an outside consultant, and line managers throughout the organization.... [ read more ]

This study delves into the mechanics of sales incentive programs, providing managers with useful information to design successful sales initiatives at their own companies and providing their corporate decision makers with hard evidence. It found that properly structured programs can increase sales by at least 10 percent. ... [ read more ]

The Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program (PHWP) is a collaborative effort between the American Psychological Association and the APA Practice Organization, designed to educate the employer community about the link between employee health and well-being and organizational performance. It offers an awards program and sponsors an annual Psychologically Healthy Workplace conference, among other activities.... [ read more ]

There’s a spirit of energy at Arby's, where new CEO Paul Brown and his team are bringing innovation to products and services, as well as employee and franchisee relations. Coming off 18 consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth, Arby's is considered a star in the industry, rivaling (and even outpacing) the success of Chipotle. ... [ read more ]

This study, sponsored by the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF), looks at questioins that are rarely posed in relation to sales incentive programs: How do sales incentives affect procurement and cost of goods? Shipping? Cash flow? It suggests that developing an incentive program with a focus on sales growth alone, with no consideration for other business functions can produce 1) an adverse affect on cash flow, 2) a possible disruption in supplies, 3) extra shipping costs for ordered merchandise, and 4) a possible impact on customer quality. A "business process" approach, on the other hand, one that takes into account the impact on other business functions, "enables the planning and creation of the needed infrastructure and additional investments, where necessary, to support the results arising from the sales incentive program," the author says.... [ read more ]

This well-known author and Harvard professor has strong words for business about the importance of engagement.... [ read more ]

Few people in academia better understand the convergence of analytics and Enterprise Engagement than Charles Scherbaum, Associate Professor of Psychology at Baruch College and a member of the doctoral faculty at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Scherbaum, an early contributor to the Enterprise Engagement Alliance curriculum on analytics... [ read more ]

The Brand Activation Association has a broad focus on all the disciplines required to activate a brand's strategy, from creative strategies to measurement, on topics from omni-channel marketing to experiential marketing and social media. BAA builds on its membership knowledge base, spanning expertise in strategy through activation, and across all touch points.... [ read more ]

Corporate Social Responsibility is not just about charitable giving--it is becoming not only a competitive advantage but an organizational requirement. ... [ read more ]