The Consumers’ Choice Award™ provides winners an opportunity to show they were voted by Indianapolis consumers as the best at consistently providing value and service. Those winners who participate in the license & marketing program gain a powerful competitive edge. Year after year, the opinions in the annual survey show the overwhelming majority would choose an establishment displaying the Consumers' Choice Award™, that it represents a seal of approval for businesses, and that it is a powerful marketing tool.
A demonstrated competitive edge over your competition
Notice: The Consumers’ Choice Award™ name and logo are the registered
trademark of MERJJ, LLC and can only be used with an approved license.
Attention Licensees: Here are 25 Simple Tips To Get The Most From Your Consumers’ Choice Award™ License
Attention Licensees: Here are 25 Simple Tips To Get The Most From Your Consumers’ Choice Award™ License
Vehicles. Put the Consumers’ Choice Award seal on all your vehicles. Make sure the seal is placed left, right, and in the back so that as everyone sees your name, they also know you’re tops in your area. And, of course, you’ll likely win year after year, so just add the new sticker, slightly overlapping the old one. That cascading grouping of Consumers’ Choice Award seals will reinforce your top position in your community.
Doors & Windows. Especially for retail operations where customers come to your place of business, put that seal at the same place you would the credit card logos. However, use a much larger seal for your Consumers’ Choice Award decal. After all, it tells each person who walks through your door that you are tops in value and service. It also reminds each of your employees and vendors when they enter your store as well.
Printed Matter. Add the seal to your invoices, letterhead, envelopes, mailing labels, checks, business cards, job application forms, and any other custom printed items where your name or logo might appear. These items are often overlooked as a marketing tool, but they go out to thousands of people. Putting the Consumers’ Choice Award logo on them reinforces your special position in your marketplace. This can be added when you reprint these items or you can use the gold foil logo stickers that come with your initiation package. If you need more stickers, they’re available at a very nominal fee.
Newspaper Advertising. Get the most from your advertising by including the seal prominently in all of your ads including newspaper, magazines, billboards, TV, and radio. When you show and/or mention that you have won this award, it gives you an edge over your competition. Consumers’ Choice Award Seals are available in both color and black & white and full color. JPEG, TIFF, PDF and EPS files are available upon request.
Radio Advertising. When you’re on the radio, be sure to end your commercial with, “Winner of the [insert year] Consumers’ Choice Award for excellence in [insert category].” For a little extra punch, see if you can get the radio station to do this as a live announcer tag.
Television Advertising. Whether you advertise on the major local stations or on cable TV, maximize the impact from your TV dollars by showing your Consumers’ Choice Award on the screen while also mentioning it in the audio portion. Have the camera zoom in slowly on your award. Five to seven seconds on showing your Consumers’ Choice Award increases the impact from your TV spots dramatically. Double the impact by adding a voiceover that says, “Recipient of the [insert year] Consumers’ Choice Award.” If you use an advertising agency or production company to create your commercials, be sure to tell them to work this into each of your commercials.
Post Card Mailer. Let your customers know that you were voted the best with a special postcard mailing. This attention-getting full-color postcard carries your custom message on the reverse side. Mail it to your entire database and include a special offer for coming in to help you celebrate. Plus, it only cost 24¢ each to mail first class.
Bag Stuffer. When your customers leave with a purchase, be sure to remind them with a special printed piece that’s placed in the bag or attached to the invoice or job ticket. Take advantage of our half sheet size camera ready artwork. Simply have your printer drop in your logo and you’re ready to share your award with your customers.
Point of Purchase Displays. A simple counter card is a great way to let your customers know you won the award. Place one by each register. Restaurants may do the same thing only with tent cards at each table. If you have a drive through window, stick up a little flyer as well.
Consumers’ Choice Award Sale of the Century. You won so it’s time to celebrate it and let your customers know about it. Most big sales are successful when there is a believable reason for that sale. End of the model season, stock liquidation, and remodeling or relocation are all strong motivators for customers to come take a look. Well, you’ve just won the best reason in the world to have a sale. It’s the "We Won The Consumers’ Choice Award Sale.” We want to celebrate that we were recognized by the local consumers as providing the best value and service in our category. So, come on down and help us celebrate. Free prizes. Popcorn for the kids. And big savings for you. Hurry. Sale ends soon.
Big Banner. Treat the announcement of your Consumers’ Choice Award with the same excitement as you would a grand opening. Put a big banner in front of your store that proudly proclaims, “[insert year] Consumers’ Choice Award Recipient.” Add some balloons, pennants, streamers, and window posters and you’ll draw additional attention to your location.
Answering Your Telephone. When a customer calls your business, have your receptionist answer the phone, “Thank you for calling [insert name of your company], recipient of the [insert year] Consumers’ Choice Award. How may I direct your call?”
Message On Hold. When a caller must be on hold, it would be a great time to make them aware of the significance of winning this award. Most message-on-hold systems allow you to change the message, so during the first month after you win the Consumers’ Choice Award, explain to your callers what it means. Let them know that only 1.5% of all the local businesses in your community won this award.
Yellow Pages. This is one of the few advertising media where all your competitors are grouped together. It makes it really easy for your potential buyers to price shop over the phone. Give them a reason to call you first. Put the Consumers’ Choice Award logo dominantly in your Yellow Pages ad. If you have ads in more than one listing, make sure you place it in all of them. There is no doubt that your ad costs you a small fortune every month, so get the most from it by showing your prospects that you were voted tops in your category.
Employee Recognition Event. After all, it’s your employees that help you win the award so fire up the troops with a Consumers’ Choice Award appreciation party. If you need a keynote speaker at your event, the Consumers’ Choice Award would be happy to have one of the principals explain its significance to your group. We’ll even present you with your award in front of your staff at your event. We might even have a few door prizes for your employee of the year and top sales person of the month.
Website. When customers log on to your website, immediately hit them with the Consumers’ Choice Award seal. Use a link from your site to the Consumers’ Choice Award website where your customers learn just how you won this prestigious award (www.ccaindy.com). And, of course we’ll provide a reciprocating link from our site to yours.
Buttons. Give logo buttons to all your front line employees to proudly wear on their uniforms when serving your customers. The logo button says it all. Who wouldn’t want to wear a button like that? And if you want to make it even more fun, use a mystery shopper. This is someone that your employees don’t know. Armed with $20 bills, the mystery shopper visits your locations. If the employee serving the mystery shopper is wearing the button, BAM! $20 bucks. The word gets out quickly to all the employees.
Patches. If your employees wear uniform shirts, be sure to provide a patch declaring that you are a Consumers' Choice Award winner, to be seen by all who come in contact with your employees.
Brochures. Whenever you give a prospect your brochure, increase your impact by including the Consumers’ Choice Award logo on it. But what if you already have thousands of brochures in stock after you win the award? Simple. You use Consumers’ Choice Award gold foil stickers. As a matter of fact, by using a sticker, you can even create more interest than if it were simply printed on your brochure. It gives it a sense of urgency. It tells your customers you care enough to make sure they know you won this award.
Billboards. Add the award to your existing outdoor advertising. Have your billboard company do a snipe or extension to your existing boards to draw more attention to your advertising message.
Newsletter. Be sure to have an article in your newsletter about receiving your award. You can even take a picture of the actual award and use it as a graphic for extra impact. Reproduce the logo in black and white or color, which is available to all licensees in JPEG, TIFF, PDF or EPS format upon request.
Press release. A press release is a great way to help get the word out. Keep it short and to the point. Send it to all the local press that may be interested in this news item. Also consider sending it to your industry trade journals as well.
Vendors. Let your vendors know that you have earned this award. Sometimes vendors will help you promote it and even help underwrite certain promotional efforts and advertising opportunities to help you take full advantage of the award.
Display Your Certificate. You got it, so now flaunt it. Put that certificate in a nice frame. (Use an 11” x 14” document frame with an 8½” x 11” mat.) Hang it in an area where customers and employees are sure to see it. Combine your certificate with your photo from the Recognition Luncheon. If you have multiple locations, licensees can buy duplicate certificates for a nominal fee.
Sales Presentations. When touting the benefits of buying from you versus your competition, use the Consumers’ Choice Award as one of those benefits. It helps you reinforce that your company provides outstanding value and service. Not because you say so, but because the marketplace says so. You have the proof, so put it in the presentation.
Payroll Stuffer. Thank your employees with a nifty payroll stuffer. We have camera ready art that helps you thank your employees for helping you earn your award. Just drop in your logo and it's ready to go.
