Case Studies
Mando Brand Assurance
Satellite navigation company TomTom wanted an eye-catching fuel credit promotion that saved costs and increased revenue. Its fulfilment partner, Mando, turned to Citi.
The Challenge
Mando Brand Assurance, a specialist communication agency of media giant WPP, wanted a striking promotion for its client, TomTom, in the UK. The satellite navigation firm planned to launch new models for Christmas 2008 and wanted to attract potential purchasers with a rebate/reward scheme. Traditionally, Mando had used cheques as consumer refunds but found them costly to produce, distribute and manage. Mando was eager to capitalise on motorists' concerns about rising fuel costs with a fuel credit promotion. TomTom also wanted a solution that could increase the proportion of rewards spent on its products.
The Solution
In August 2008, Citi introduced to Mando's Account Directors Citi® Prepaid Services, which has a ten-year track record in the US and which launched in Europe last year. The bank demonstrated tangible evidence of its impressive results working with US clients who operate in markets similar to those served by WPP's European clients. Mando asked Citi to help with the TomTom promotion. Mando had considered offering cheques or a tie-up with a specific fuel provider as consumer incentives but instead it selected Citi's idea of a TomTom-branded Visa® prepaid card. While marketed as a fuel card, it would offer users the flexibility of acceptance at all Visa outlets – including TomTom's own website.
The Result
Details of the promotion were finalised in October 2008 and a rapid design process was launched. Citi and Mando established a secure data file transmission system to process customer receipts within 30 days, a dedicated programme support team and a 24–7 multilingual customer service operation on behalf of TomTom. TomTom's new models debuted in December and Citi sent out the first TomTom-branded cards in January 2009. Initial results show that 100% of rewards have been spent either on fuel or with TomTom, while costs are significantly lower. Moreover, Mando and TomTom have gained powerful marketing insights from the promotion. "There were no surprises with the card, everything Citi committed to happened," says Chris Baldwin, Mando Account Director. "The most attractive feature, from a marketing perspective, was the amount of spend used for its intended purpose or driven back to the client – the reports are powerful."