Kevin Harrington // marketing // blog

“The carrot has become the ubiquitous symbol of the incentive industry. We have allowed ourselves to be defined by a vegetable.”

What a great line. This is the introduction to an article by Jim Dittman, founder and president of Dittman Incentive Marketing, an advisor to the Motivation Show and a founding trustee of the People Performance Management Forum at Northwestern University.

Dittman argues, “Carrots influence short-term behavior. Performance improvement programs effect permanent attitudinal changes that lead to permanent behavioral changes. Values-based programs help both internal and customer-facing employees understand the external brand promise and their roles in delivering it.”

To read all of this interesting article click here.

You know, I really don’t like shopping at Asda. But you never know, I could get converted. Recently I have been impressed with a number of their marketing activities:

1. I’ve heard some really good things about the way Asda motivate and acknowledge their staff. It sounds like they are setting a standard in the supermarket sector.
2. Asda seem to have managed to manipulate average basket prices to be frequently the lowest and sometimes half the price of Waitrose.
3. And now Asda plans to launch its own social networking site, designed to increase customer interaction. A brave move perhaps? Some people are wondering whether the supermarket chain is opening itself up to potential criticism from any disgruntled shoppers that may be out there. But frankly, they are better off hearing the feedback and addressing it than ignoring it and letting customers migrate.

So well done Asda. From my point of view choice and quality are things I want to hear are progressing and then I’ll be back to have a look.

Incentives as a motivational tool come in many forms, and schemes vary depending upon the size and structure of an organisation. Understanding the needs of employess can help companies to reap poisitve rewards from an incentives programme

According to Kevin Harrington, director at Sodexo Motivation Solutions, a successful motivation scheme comprises three elements: “First is the reward itself; ensuring that it is exciting, relevant and has mass appeal to your audience. The second is the communication; the way you inform your audience about the scheme needs some careful thought. The third is the technical backup; without a fully interactive rewards platform, your staff will not be able to truly connect with the scheme.”

Even with the right reward system in place, employees still need to be motivated by what they are doing as well as by what they are able to gain. Independent research commissioned by Maritz, revealed that:

• For 28% of respondents, putting in extra time and effort because it was important to the business was least motivational to them

• A quarter of respondents said they would be most motivated if they were likely to enjoy the task

• 38% of respondents said being thanked had a very positive effect on their productivity and 36% said that it impacted upon their willingness to remain with the company

• 31% said that pay and benefits were not a factor in their decision to move jobs

• 41% said that poor training and career development opportunities had no bearing on their decision.

The two most motivational factors in the survey were tangible rewards and the opportunity to learn or develop their skills, with 65% of men and 53% of women favouring tangible rewards. Of those who found the opportunity to learn or develop their skills most motivational, 47% were male and 35% female. Maritz also found that non-cash rewards almost always work best, especially at the lower end of the scale. A £50 voucher is far more
memorable and motivational than an additional £50 cash in a pay-cheque, which may well be absorbed into everyday spending on petrol, groceries or the gas bill.

First published: The HR Director, January 2008

Here is an extract from an article:

Yet we all feel like advertisers are lying to us. The slogans, promises, and taglines of large corporate entities lack any meaning or authenticity whatsoever. We are used to products not working as advertised, or even not looking like what’s on the box.

Read the full article at Precision Change.

Sometimes staff and team incentives have a negative impact…