We would like to build consumer promotions into a recognized media form into any advertising spent budget. Consumer Promotions has a far bigger role to play in the future as the consumers often require more information than what a print\TV\radio or billboard advertisement can offer.

It is far easier to drive a call to action through a promotion as the consumer is not being informed one-way - This is one of very few interactive, two way media communication solutions. The necessity for promotions are getting bigger and bigger as products offered to consumers get more complicated through the fast moving advances of technology.

As the sales and marketing director for The Media - A stalwart industry publication Annie was able to identify all the different offerings of all Media entities, types and disciplines - Consumer Promotions was clearly a solution that did not enjoy the right amount of input and professionalism to put it on the line of ad spend.

When asked about the Above the line and Below the line media entities, Annie's response: Who drew that line anyway? I have seen FMCG, Financial and other industries affecting a direct shift in their budgets to consumer promotions and had a direct impact on sales targets, feet through door and consumers responding to action - spending millions on a TV campaign would have never offered the loyalty and consumer understanding that we were able to affect.

Sometimes our promotions offer so much feedback that clients need no more to spend large budgets on research - it is offered right there while the promotion is taking place

The dangers of this industry: People rolling promotions out - whether they do it in a small one-man show or as a huge corporate media entity, must never forget the by-the-minute monitoring of such a promotion - one minute with one client\consumer is make or break. You can never be too casual about a promotion. Your are a brand merchant for that company and one minute spent wrong in branded gear can cost a huge corporate the millions they have ploughed into it.

Attention to detail is not just a fundamental business principal, it stands out as a pillar on every project.

On top of the table sits the customer. We are not placing just our customer on the table, but also their brands. Brand integrity forms fifty percent of the planning phase of any promotion to us. The challenge to the consumer promotion industry: Lies definitely at intersections. Here JHB has been free and friendly to anybody wanting to hand out free yogurt to jelly babies to consumers as well as the guys selling their Homeless Talk on street corners. Intersection activity should be regulated and authorities should even charge us access fees like shopping malls and universities do. This way we are creating an opportunity for job creation as well as regulating what goes on at these intersections. It also makes for proper supervision that can protect certain intersections and make it a free smash and grab scene. Smaller towns like Centurion and George have passed sub-ordinances to prohibit any activity at an intersection. They are depriving communities of free hand-outs, job creation, information and, yes - entertainment while the lights are red! It really reminds of the outdoor and billboard discipline a few years ago where authorities, councils and media owners ended in court to establish and regulate an industry - it is now the turn for consumer promotions at intersections to acquire the same benefits.