Pigsback ups the ante on online rewards with up to 10 per cent back for consumers and a dedicated Christmas Zone

Michael Dwyer, CEO of Pigsback UK, the reward based consumer retail site warns, “I’ve seen quotes from loyalty group companies over the past few weeks claiming to be offering promotions in the run up to December, but when you scratch the surface, these are no more than smoke and mirrors.”

“Recent Pigsback research indicates that consumers are becoming much more marketing savvy than ever before and are really beginning to understand the value of their customer and interaction with retailers through reward and loyalty schemes. I predict that in 2006 we will see this awareness grow as they realise that they have the right to expect more back in terms of reward and respect. For instance, Pigsback.com would never sell or rent personal information on its members to a third party.”

He continues, “This year we have developed our Christmas Zone which provides a fun and entertaining environment for consumers to spend time online over the Christmas period, whilst they collect their PiggyPoints, which are the best value reward and loyalty points available online. The last thing consumers want is to be patronised with worthless offers or valueless points. Pigsback offers each member a minimum of 5%, and in most cases up to 10% of every penny they spend back in PiggyPoints.”

“Every PiggyPoint is worth 1p in rewards. Every new member can collect 150 PiggyPoints straightaway by completing the simple registration process. Further PiggyPoints can be earned simply by entering competitions or reading certain offers, without any financial or personal data commitment. Rewards can be exchanged for high street shopping vouchers including many top names on retail and restaurants or for Blockbuster rentals or UCI or UGC cinema tickets. They can equally be exchanged as a cash donation, without any deductions, to a range of UK and Irish charities. Or for the more adventurous, they can be speculated in a fun way in the jackpot pools or PiggyPoint poker.”

Pigsback.com, launched in the UK in June 2005, is launching its Christmas Zone at www.pigsback.com on 1st December. It will provide Pigsback members with unrivalled deals, reward points and choice. It boasts new partner brands such as iPod World, The White Company and Wanadoo, as well as other retailers such as John Lewis, Blockbuster, CD WOW and IWantOneofThose.com

The Christmas Zone comprises of a dedicated festive area in which members can access:

• Rewards - exclusive rewards and vouchers to spend PiggyPoints on, including Boots, Arcadia Group, TGI Fridays, Pizza Hut, Café Rouge, Beefeater, Marriot Hotels, Laithwaites Wine and David Lloyd.
• Adopt a pig for charity – members get a chance to adopt a pig for a family in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in association with the Irish charity Trócaire
• Advent daily giveaway – for the month of December, there will be a daily give-away on the site through an Advent calendar giving members new offers such as bonus PiggyPoints, happy-hours with online retail partners, free music downloads etc.
• Entertainment offers - Exclusive deals including cut price and two for one theatre & concert tickets and exclusive eating out offers from toptable.co.uk
• Competitions - from new partners including Hamper.com, John Lewis and existing partners offering members to win a Christmas office party or a festive hamper
• A gift advisor - Suggesting the best offers to suit different types of people and personalities
• Stocking filler ideas - Exclusive stocking filler ideas from Blockbuster, CD-WOW!, HQ Hair & IWantOneofThose.com
Other features include member specific content such as online games and quizzes, eCards, recipe suggestions, Yuletide jokes, music downloads and a prize giveaway with Ticketmaster.



….ends/
Editor’s notes

About Pigsback

Pigsback.com is a reward-based consumer site, which launched in the UK in June 2005. Pigsback is already the sixth largest website in Ireland, and has won many digital and marketing awards. The company’s proved its business and communications model in Ireland since its launch in 2000. It creates successful consumers and brands partnerships: where consumers are rewarded and brands are able to reach carefully targeted audiences.

The core values of the company are based on Empathy Marketing® principles, which govern the relationship with members. Under Empathy Marketing® principles, a successful relationship online requires clear-cut opt-in permission, relevance and exclusive benefits, carefully gauged frequency of communication, a tone appropriate to a long-term relationship and a strong dose of indulgence for the member.

This concept redefines the relationship between the brand and the consumer through trust, reward, feedback and fun - mainly in the lifestyle and entertainment arenas.

The Pigsback website specialises in providing a unique marketing service in which brand messages are welcome to the target consumers, which is primarily females, aged 25-35 and in the B/C1 demographic. Its skilled team balances marketing and communications with a strong understanding of technologies and business processes. Furthermore, the company is committed to providing a quality service that is mutually beneficial to brands and consumers alike.

Current brand partners include Ebay, Blockbuster, UGC Cinemas, CD WOW!, Figleaves, Virgin Wines, Pizza Hut, The White Company, Champneys and toptable.co.uk.

www.pigsback.com

Contact
Charlotte Hanson
immediate future PR
0845 408 2031
07968 949746
charlotte.hanson@immediatefuture.co.uk