odyssey to the South of France or that “Employee of the Year”
award with a generous bonus.
Typically, incentive programs involve an all-expenses-paid va-
cation to lavish resort properties or overseas destinations and are
proven strategies in fulfilling corporate goals and objectives. They
differ from other corporate events in that the primary reason for
holding them is fun, not work. Nevertheless, a portion of the itin-
erary will often be devoted to workshops or general sessions, and
should be promoted as such in the corporation’s internal adver-
tising and direct-mail pieces. But, in most cases, and unlike most
other corporate events, these “working” sessions are not compul-
sory for attendees and are short in duration (or canceled entirely).
The printed program, however, may allow the participant to avoid
reporting the value of the trip as taxable income. Other companies
will hold meaningful business sessions during incentive trips, pri-
marily to announce industry innovations or new products and
reestablish the corporate culture and employee loyalty. An incen-
tive group on board a cruise ship, for example, offers a tempting
“captive audience” for management. When you are marketing an
incentive program, be certain to understand the real intentions of
management in the program mix in order to establish your pro-
motional priorities.
Remember these basics of marketing incentive programs.
They are simple, but critical points of emphasis as described in
Figure 6-2.
Marketing Incentive Programs 139■Use incentive programs to motivate employees.
■Describe in glowing terms the rewards and venues/destinations.
■Emphasize the monetary value of the prize or trip.
■Clearly prescribe the levels of achievement necessary.
■Identify timelines and deadlines.
■Always remind employees where the benefits are coming from.
Thecorporationis rewarding its own for good work, well done
(and creating employee loyalty)!Figure 6-2
Clearly defining the rules and expectations for a corporate
incentive event is a major responsibility of marketing. Building
excitement must be blended with defining the responsibilities
required of all participants.