• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, May 11, 2011

To launch its "Chivas Brotherhood" loyalty program, Pernod Ricard's Chivas Regal is reaching out to young male adults via a wide spectrum of media platforms -- including SnapTag 2D mobile barcodes on displays in retail locations around the country.

The premise of the "Chivas Brotherhood" is helping men -- primarily those in the brand's core target audience age of 25-39 -- bond with other men (literal brothers and friends from childhood, college, work and so forth) through social events that lend themselves to sharing a glass of Chivas ... and giving them exclusive benefits for doing so.

To get the loyalty club rolling, Chivas has partnered with UrbanDaddy. com, initially hosting the Brotherhood on that site, which also has substantial reach to urban males through its social media presences.

Exclusive benefits being offered for joining the Brotherhood include access to UrbanDaddy calendars listing key events -- including special sponsored events/tastings -- in their areas; special restaurant menu offerings available only to members; an e-commerce area offering goodies like a VIP Las Vegas trip for four guys for just $1,000; and entry into a sweeps with a grand prize of a trip for four to Scotland, reports Allison Font, an account executive for Chivas's promotional agency, Alcone Marketing Group. Members also receive Urban Daddy's email magazine.

All benefits are accessible to Brotherhood members via a free UrbanDaddy iPhone app, and UrbanDaddy's social networks (as well as Chivas's) are promoting the Brotherhood membership/benefits and offering additional engagement activities (such as an UrbanDaddy Facebook-based tool that generates toasts specific to various types of "brotherhoods").

During the loyalty program launch campaign/partnership with UrbanDaddy (which is running April through mid-June), Chivas is also promoting the program through communications to opt-ins on the UrbanDaddy and Chivas email databases, print ads that ran in April in newspapers in the six core markets (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Miami and Houston) and promotional events.

In addition, the SnapTags being included in promotional displays in retailers where Chivas is sold represent the brand's first direct foray into mobile marketing.

As most marketers are aware, SpyderLynk's SnapTags incorporate the brand's logo at their center, with a surrounding technology ring bearing the 2D barcode, which lets anyone with a camera-enabled mobile phone snap a photo and either text to a short code/ mobile number or email to it to access offers, content, promotions and other information. (SpyderLynk also provides user/response metrics/ analytics.) Chivas is responding with a text message to confirm that the mobile user wants to join the loyalty program.

"Whereas consumers need to have a smartphone to access UrbanDaddy's mobile app, the SnapTags let us engage virtually all mobile phone users -- a much broader audience," notes Font.