Ad Rewards Program
Retail Alliance® members receive a credit to their Retail Alliance® Ad Credit account for 10% of the net invoiced amount of an ad when the approved Retail Alliance® logo is included.
These Ad Credits (example: $100 credit on a $1000 ad) can be utilized to offset or partially offset Retail Alliance® generated billing items such as meetings (including the Economic Club of Hampton Roads) education programs, movie tickets, Retail Angles newsletter advertising, etc.
This program is available on a first-come/first-serve basis. Retail members can receive a maximum of $400 in Ad Credit annually (January 1 through December 31), and the Alliance’s funding for this program is capped at $10,000.
Qualifying ads can be placed with any print, television, radio or Internet medium at any time of the year. Print includes newspapers, magazines, direct mail, coupons, billboards, etc. The Retail Alliance® logo in a print ad must be legible and clearly viewable and no smaller than 1/3” (.33”) high and 5/8” (.625”) wide.
Placement of the approved Retail Alliance® logo as a link on the home page of Internet sites above the “fold” is valued at $1,000 (equates to a $100 credit) annually. Internet ad credits are based on net invoice and it is suggested the Retail Alliance® logo comprise 5-10% of the total ad space, depending on whether the ad is a strip or banner ad. In any case the Retail Alliance® logo must be large enough for the “tag line” to be read by the average website visitor.
The Retail Alliance® logo must be easily viewable and appear for several seconds in a television ad. The phrase “a Member of the Retail Alliance®” must be mentioned in a radio ad.
Retail Alliance® members must contact the Director of Marketing at the Retail Alliance® offices and “reserve” the Ad Credit dollars prior to running the ad. Remember, Retail Alliance caps the total dollars for this program annually, so you should “reserve” your dollars in advance to ensure reimbursement.
Members must submit copies of the ad and net paid invoice to the Retail Alliance® Director of Marketing to receive the 10% credit to their Retail Alliance® Ad Credit account. The approved Retail Alliance® logo must be present in the advertising to receive the 10% credit. Documentation should be submitted (and credits earned) on a regular basis, not at the end of a calendar year. January 15 of each year is the cut-off for Retail Alliance® to receive documentation and post credits for any eligible advertising during the prior year.
No cash will be paid on any Ad Credit balances; Ad Credit balances will carry forward from year to year, but no more than $400 will be earned in any given year; members who resign from the Retail Alliance® forfeit all rights to the program. Ad Credits are not transferable.
Special sections in newspapers as well as co-op ad programs and member sponsorships of Retail Alliance® programs are excluded. Ads placed in the Retail Angles newsletter will not generate 10% Ad Credit, but credits accrued from other advertising sources can be used toward offsetting the cost of Retail Angles ads.
Everyone has heard the adage, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is...” Retail Alliance® members who were once skeptical about the advertising co-operative program are now convinced that this offering is the exception to that rule.
Retail Alliance®, through its purchasing power, annually buys advertising space and time in area media and then makes it available at a discount to Retail Alliance® members.
Retail Alliance® buys co-op in the following publications:
Virginian-Pilot
Daily Press
Tides Program Guide
Admirals Program Guide
Executive Lifestyle
WTAR 850
and others
Co-operative ads generally run in conjunction with Mothers Day, Fathers Day, the August Sales Tax Holiday, the new October Energy Star Sales Tax Holiday and the holidays.
The co-operative advertising is available on a first-come/first-serve basis.
Retail Alliance® members can also earn credit by including the Retail Alliance® logo in their print ads. These are subject to advance approval since funds are limited. See Ad Rewards for more information.
If your business is interested in participating in these programs, contact the Retail Alliance® Directors of Membership Development.
Since 2003, beginning with “Black Friday” and ending on the Monday after Christmas each year the Retail Alliance® conducts a weekly telephone survey of participating retailers to gather general information about sales increases, hot-selling items and shopper’s attitudes. Most of these merchants are small, independent retailers offering clothing, accessories, jewelry, home furnishings and miscellaneous gifts. Results are provided to local media outlets about the previous week’s sales activity.
Our Holiday Sales Watch gives solid economic data on how our local retailers contribute to the economy. As an advocate for the retail industry, we believe it’s vital for us to raise the profile of retail among our elected officials and business leaders, and the Holiday Sales Watch has proven to be an excellent means to do this.
All of our retail members are invited to participate in our weekly surveys. We ask them to report each Monday during the holiday season their sales for the preceding week as compared to the same week the previous year. If there was a change, we ask them if they can attribute the change to something they have done. We then ask what items were “hot.” Lastly, we ask about the general attitude of their customers.
We ask each participant if they wish to remain anonymous and if not, will they speak to the media about their store and their experiences during the holiday season. Most participants answer that they wish to be contacted by the media.
We issue press releases each week that contain a summary of the respondents’ answers to our questions. We NEVER release any information as to the specific answers members provide.
As a result of our press releases and our members’ willingness to share their experiences with the press we have had articles in the Virginian Pilot and Pilot Online every year and many of our members have been quoted.