Goals

With the increased competition in the grocery industry, specifically in the states in which BI-LO serves, Knox Sports and BI-LO felt it was imperative to develop a sponsorship program that was unique, measurable, and results-focused. In addition, BI-LO, like many grocers, used a frequency card to track consumer behavior and spending habits so It was important to incorporate their BONUSCARD into the program as well.  BI-LO’s overall sponsorship program focused primarily on the following goals:

Execution

In year one, BI-LO’s No Dough program was created and executed at University of South Carolina with the intent of satisfying all three sponsorship goals.  No Dough provided BONUSCARD holders an opportunity to attend conference basketball games for free.  With this program, BONUSCARD holders who purchased seven (7) Southern Home products in one transaction received a voucher to attend a University of South Carolina basketball game for free.  Fans redeemed their voucher at the ticket office for one free ticket to the conference game of their choice.

In the second year of the promotion, baseball games were added to the mix which extended the program through the spring.

Results

In the first two years of the program, and during just a 6-week promotional window, all 1,000 USC basketball tickets allotted for the No Dough program were used.  Furthermore, stats revealed that 50% of all customers who made the incremental purchase of Southern Home products converted their voucher for free tickets. The addition of baseball proved to be equally successful with every ticket being claimed in the first two years.

The first four years of this promotion resulted in almost 70,000 vouchers printed at checkout with an incremental purchase of 298,000 unique Southern Home No-Dough items!