Re-Imagining a Bucket-List Incentive Program
Sometimes even the best programs need a breath of fresh air
THE ASK
An automotive and technology client approached us with an ask to relaunch and revitalize their marquee incentive program with amidst new leadership and a changing marketplace. They liked the two-tiered achiever format of their current program, but they were worried it had gotten stale – the super-achievers were the same winners every year, and overall participation numbers were sagging. It was time to consider whether the program was the right reward for their top performers. The destination, Montreux, Switzerland, had been announced at their recent sales meeting, and they wanted help bringing out the European cache of the destination and making sure their program would drive performance across a broader range of their sales force.
THE SOLUTION
Using creative design, targeted communications and once-in-a-lifetime experiences that shook up the status quo, we ramped up the WOW factor. We rebranded the incentive, pivoting off the destination to rename it “The Summit,” with the top achievers becoming “The Summit Elite” – names that are less predictable, less clubby, and shifting the focus from privilege to performance. In keeping with the new brand, we created a theme logo uniting the incentive with the company’s brand identity. The logo design is flexible and can be adapted to future destinations. BCD M&E’s Creative Team developed an ongoing communications campaign to keep incentive top of mind. Since the audience tended to consume information best when delivered electronically, we delivered the campaign in email, incorporating key business messages, reinforcing key behaviors that made their team successful, and amplifying their more dynamic, playful culture. Incorporating fun, engaging videos that highlighted key team members and incorporated casual, friendly messages from senior leaders reinforced their commitment to their team members and the familial culture that they considered essential to success.
The program itself was constructed around once-in-a-lifetime experiences unique to the destination. We profiled audience members and their interests and tailored the activities to their preferences. Optional activities were targeted to Exercise Junkies, Culture and the Arts Lovers, The Tourist, and the Die-Hard Foodie. A typical leisure day included options for hiking a glacier or biking through the vineyards, taking a day trip to Gstaad, visiting the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, or learning the art of chocolate making. The program became a mix of networking time and group camaraderie and a “build your own adventure” of Switzerland, expanding the appeal of the trip. Evening functions were designed around the destination – the Gala Awards evening expanded upon the Belle Epoque beauty of the Fairmont Montreux Palace’s ballroom, and we took over the village square in Gruyere for a Swiss street festival for an evening. The Elite trip became a continuous stream of “surprise and delight” moments. On their first day together, their agendas highlighted a group sightseeing outing with dinner at the Charlie Chaplin Museum. We surprised them in the details – though this appeared to be a standard tour, it was actually a private vintage car excursion to give winners a chance to spend quality time with their guest or family. The tour included stops along the way for sightseeing and a gourmet picnic lunch, with each couple receiving a picnic basket and blanket personalized to their preferences. And throughout the event, we found ways to recognize spouses and partners, as well, in keeping with the client’s focus on work/life balance.
EXPERTISE PROVIDED
- Promotional communications and engagement campaign
- Sourcing, negotiating, and contracting
- Full-service project management
- Airline ticketing, registration, and attendee management
- Promotional video production
- Full-service production
- Evening function and leisure activity design and coordination
- Onsite staffing and logistics management
APPROACH
The original incentive reward consisted of a trip known as the President’s Club, while top performers also earned a two-day program extension called the Board of Directors. The traditional terminology did not reflect the cutting-edge direction of the company’s new branding and product portfolio, and though the brand was established with long-time employees, new employees found it a bit confusing. The Board of Directors program was billed as a significant reward, but fell a little flat, offering only upgraded rooms and a few more days onsite, much of which was time on own. Established winners wanted to reach “Board Level” to reconnect with their colleagues, but for new employees there was no hook to create the desire to win. BCD M&E recommended that our client take a closer look at the “Almost Board” winners, finding ways to pull them into the super-achiever level with once-in-a-lifetime experiences and rewards that made the extra effort (and late nights) worth it. Replacing some of the time at leisure with group activities and dinners, the client had the opportunity to build community among their high-performing team and between their top performers and senior leadership. By combining a compelling trip for all winners with exclusive extras for those who pushed to the top of their leaderboard, the incentive had more power for overall engagement.
THE IMPACT
Being the first year with the new program, the customer’s key focus for ROI was on attendee satisfaction. They believed that raising awareness of the incentive and creating buzz with a successful trip would tee them up for expanded engagement in coming years. By every measure we achieved this – the post-program survey had the highest response rate they’d seen, and the program received the highest scores it had in years. Since execution, BCD M&E has been awarded this program year over year.
365
Day Qualification Period
100
Winners
25
Elite Winners
6
Days of Bucket List Experiences
5
Star Survey Rating
THE GOOD WORD
“Everything about Summit makes me feel special! It is an event unlike any other and provides us with once in a lifetime opportunities and experiences”
“This trip was amazing. I am proud to be a part of Summit and cannot wait for the future trips!”
“You guys did an awesome job at making us and OUR SPOUSES feel special. My wife puts up with a lot of ‘stuff’ all year and it’s always nice that she feels like she earned it too. The ‘his and hers’ gift really made her feel like she wasn’t just along for the ride. Awesome touch.”
“This trip did a fantastic job of enabling us to take part in activities we would not have been able to do if vacationing on our own in the same location.” “Everything was superb!”
