GAP Canada wants you to support their non-profit partners

The GAP recently launched their new e-commerce website in Canada and is now pushing online subscribers of their email coupon alerts to enjoy 30% off between November 11th – 14th and is promoting that during this event, they will give 5% of what you spend to their non-profit partners. The list includes Boys and Girls Clubs or Canada, Canadian AIDS Society, CARE Canada, Humane Society of Canada and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada. All great causes, yet when you divide the proceeds raised during this campaign to so many partners,there will certainly be less to go around. Perhaps a better way to do this would be to rotate a campaign around one non-profit partner every month and then you could actually see if there are certain causes that customers gravitate toward more than others and if sales during given periods spike better than others. It also would give the non-profit partner more visibility in the marketing communications as well. Good on The GAP though….nice cause related partner campaign. I refer to some examples of these types of campaigns in my new book: Partnership Marketing (Wiley).

Tridel & The Art Shoppe – Partnering to sell more condos

I recently came across a direct mail piece from Tridel advertising their latest luxury condo development called “The Republic of Yonge & Eglinton” and took particular note of the partnership with a local high end furniture store called The Art Shoppe who happens to have their Toronto store location a few doors down from where this new condo development is going to be. The brochure talks about life at the Republic and how “refined living reaches new heights at midtown’s most luxurious condominium address”. “From the elegant lobby entry with attentive 24 hour concierge services and meticulous finishes such as 10 foot ceilings, marble accents, signature cabinetry and oak hardwood floors”, you get the picture.

OK, now to the partnership….what I took notice of is how they encourage prospective buyers to tour their signature model suite ‘Exquisitely Furnished By The Art Shoppe’. There are some great photos of the suite and The Art Shoppe’s logo is very prominent on the front of the brochure. This is not only a great way for the furniture retailer to get their name out there, but it’s an extremely targeted mailing mainly to those who live in the area (and may want to check out The Art Shoppe) and think of prospective buyers going to check out the signature model suite and maybe even buy a condo unit. The Art Shoppe has an opportunity to display their skills and goods to prospective buyers and because they are located within a block or two of the development, they benefit by giving prospective buyers an idea of what they can do for their new condo. These kinds of highly targeted Marketing Partnerships can really drive revenues from a retail business and if you were to compare the returns somewhere down the line of what a partnership like this had brought to The Art Shoppe in terms of incremental sales from new condo owners compared to their local advertising efforts, it would likely be pretty safe to say that the partnership with Tridel would result in a more cost effective customer acquisition program than that of other efforts that they spend on. Oh yeah……. the partnership should help Tridel sell more condo units too at a higher price point than if they decorated the model suite on their own, as well – not too bad for them either.