Sales Incentive Program
HOOP S
436 Moore Hall • Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859 (989) 774-3493 • advertising@cm-life.com
CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Hoops has become a legendary contest in our office. First started in 2004 by account executive Matt McDonald, this contest is now a legacy promotion that our advertising alumni still participate in via social media. It is also a very popular promotion with our advertisers. FOR THE AD REPS: Hoops coincides with the annual March Madness and uses both the men’s and women’s brackets as a “game” for our advertisers. Ad reps earn bonuses for selling advertisers either a two-time or four-time buy during the month of March into the HOOPS promotion. The reps continue to earn dollars as their advertisers advance in the game. This Sales Incentive Program creates a pretty level playing field for all reps, and gives them a chance to earn well over $100 each in bonuses if they make their sales. There are also prizes for the best team. (We have 3 sales teams). Most importantly, it gives one advertising representative bragging rights as HOOPS CHAMPION, and they are immortalized on the walls of the CM LIFE advertising department. This is where the fun begins.
TO BE CHAMPION: • You have to have the HOOPS spirit. You decorate the office, you “Hoops Up” your desk, you embarass yourself on Social Media, you kiss up to the bosses, you suck up to your coworkers. YOU GO ABOVE and BEYOND to earn Hoops Spirit points and ... YOU SELL! These items earn anywhere from 1-5 points depending on originality and creativity. • Once you have the hoop spirit, account executives earn more Hoops points by cracking down and doing the serious stuff: create a target account hit list; turn in spec ads to designers; make all your deadlines; make your sales; help your team members make their sales. These items earn anywhere from 5-10 points for meeting or exceeding requirements and size of sale. • The account executive with the most points at the end of the contest is the HOOPS CHAMPION. FOR THE BUSINESSES. Advertisers who take advantage of the deal, get matched up with NCAA teams in both the men’s and women’s bracket via a drawing. The men’s bracket is the main game, and the women’s bracket is a second chance game. (If their team loses in the men’s bracket, they can still advance through the women’s bracket). The advertisers advance with their teams, or lose with their teams, depending on their luck. Once advertisers get to the sweet 16 bracket, they start winning free ads. Their free ads have to run during certain weeks of March and April. The advertiser whose team wins the tournament wins a full page ad in April.
PROMOTION BENEFITS.
• Teaches advertisers the benefit of frequency advertising. As their ads repeat, they see an increased return on their investment. Reinforces their purchasing decisions with CM LIFE. • Teaches account executives about the benefits of spec ads, time management and account management; pitching more than one ad at a time. It exercises their creativity, creates enthusiasm and builds team spirit. • Brings in a large amount of revenue for us each year. We average 25-30 advertisers who participate in the contest, bringing in more than $25,000 in the promotion.
Summary
CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Contest Rules CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
We also posted weekly updates in our Facebook group page to encourage account executives and to recognize those doing well.
We had a giant chart for the men’s bracket and the women’s bracket hanging in the office. As teams advanced, so did the advertisers. Advertising representatives had a visual to see where their advertisers were.
Game Board & Updates CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Each year the staff raises the bar on the decorations in the office. They’ve caught on so much that the boss likes to give out lots of bonus points.
Office Spirit CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
ABOVE: Facebook Cover Art and Profile picture. RIGHT: Facebook timeline post sharing. BOTTOM RIGHT: Someone hijacked someone else’s Facebook. Extra points for under-handedness. NOT PICTURED: We shared our group page with previous winners (Ad Alums). They gave out tips and advice to our current staff on how to win. Some even post videos or pics from their contest years. Great way to continue the tradition of Hoops!
Social Media Spirit CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY