Countdown’s Onecard loyalty partnership with AA Smartfuel was turning two, and Countdown needed to develop a programme of engagement that would surpass competition, deliver real brand value and engage customers.

They marked their birthday milestone with a large above-the-line promotion with multiple layers – the offer of Food and Fuel for a year, supported by two in-store Trolley Dashes per store.

The challenges were to create a direct campaign that gave all Kiwis a taste of the birthday celebrations, engaged them with the Food and Fuel proposition, drove use of the supermarket’s least utilised, low-cost marketing channel (the shopping receipt) and grow sales.

Knowing that only a handful would win an in-store Trolley Dash, Countdown created an experience online, amplified by a direct digital campaign. The online Trolley Dash gave customers the ability to catch grocery items and instant prizes in a virtual trolley. This created its own excitement, all while extending awareness of the birthday celebration.

Game-play hinged on spending $20, swiping a Onecard and entering the unique play code on the receipt. Instant prizes, and lots of them, provided the instant gratification consumers needed to play again and again. All up, 107,419 instant prizes, were caught in gamers’ trolleys.

The objectives were to educate customers on the shopping receipt channel, drive sales in-store and online for customers that played, promote Onecard engagement with customers and reward customers with more than $200,000 in prize value within the direct element of the campaign.

The game was a key component in providing an avenue for customers to interact with Countdown’s brand, while delivering significant results.