Customer acquisition: is your key the one to open the chest?

• Position: IDEA BANK - WordCom Inc - Brief article

Institution: FirstBank, Denver

Asset size: $13.9 billion

Agency: WordCom Inc., Ellington, Conn.

Traffic builder promotions have traditionally used a simple concept: People are willing to visit a new bank under non-threatening conditions to see if they are instant winners of an attractive prize.

Th.e bank wanted a program to help them bring customers into their branches as well as to introduce the bank to potential customers.

The agency developed a traffic-builder game rnlled Key & Treasure Chest. It is a promotion that utilizes and actual Treasure Chest where customers and prospects get a chance to try and open the chest to see if they have won. The first step is to target prospects and customers around a branch location by geography, along with other select demographics. A mailing package announcing the game, prizes and special product offers is then sent to the selected group.

The mailing piece is an invitation to come to the branch to play the game with an actual key attached to the piece. Included are various product promotional offers, as...