For the up-and-coming frozen treats company Dippin’ Dots, its movie tie-in with New Line Cinema’s Journey to the Center of the Earth was a big deal. To get the most out of its first-ever movie partnership, the 300-store chain wanted to come up with a way drive repeat purchases. To do so, they used a series of collector’s cards, beach towels and a trip to Reykjavik, Iceland as part of a sweepstakes that ran throughout July.
Dippin’ Dots, which make cryogenically frozen beads of ice cream, yogurt, sherbet and flavored iced, offered four collector’s cards with scenes from the movie. On the back was a maze they could navigate (once completed it made an image of a dinosaur or the outline of Iceland). The card also included a code that could be entered at Dippindots.com/journey. The code allowed consumers to enter to win a variety of awards. If they collect all four, they get an extra four entries.
Beyond the trip to Iceland, prizes included lots of free product such as DVDs, movie posters and a party pack that included a logoed beach towel. “Towels tie into summer,” says Terry Reeves, communications director for Dippin’ Dots. “They are great [advertising] if there is a retail stand around. People are always looking for a treat.” By entering the contest, consumers were also inducted into the new “40 Below Zero” loyalty program. “The bottom line is building a database of people opting into the loyalty program. Offering the collector’s cards and other prizes entices them to become repeat consumers,” Reeves said. The movie opened nationally July 11.
