Promotional Ideas – Lutron, Eaton Lighting, Acuity, NorthEast Electric, Wire and more

Promotions are a significant element of a distributor’s marketing plan, especially if the audience is contractors.  A “do this, get that” mentality. Something to create increased awareness (or perhaps used to provide sales a crutch in talking to customers). In some cases the strategy is increasing sales during a defined time period. Sometimes to help introduce a new product. Or perhaps, “just because.”  And yes, there are customer incentives, loyalty programs and more, but we’ll get to them another time (as have been developing incentive / customer relationship marketing programs for “many, many years” for electrical distributors and manufacturers).  For right now, let’s define promotions as “short-term initiatives”.

Promotional Planning

Your Q1 promotion is done. Q2 plans are in place (hopefully). So now you’re thinking about the second half of the year or maybe Q3.  But maybe you need some ideas?

Here’s a random selection of things we’ve seen recently (as sometimes “borrowing” something from another part of the country can be beneficial … or it can be called “networking”.)

Wire / Cable

Mark Serafino (Omni Cable) was the inspiration for this idea.  A recent post on LinkedIn said “Have you ever wondered how licorice shoe strings are cut? Me too. Maybe one day I can tour a licorice factory. In the meanwhile I’m content with watching our amazing Distribution Center partners cutting the huge assortment of master reels that we stock, as I eat a shoestring or two…

So, Mark, how about some licorice wheels? (and no, I don’t believe Omni uses these.)

Looking for a creative way to communicate your wire offering. Consider single packs of licorice in wire.  It can be in colors, black or red. It can help communicate your value-added wire services, introduce a new offering or used in a purchasing promotion (or just something fun for handouts at the counter or by salespeople to have as a conversation starter at a contractor.  Any who doesn’t like licorice?

Lutron Promotion

Lutron’s new Crush It promotion it has launched targeting contractors. They are partnering with its distributors to get the message out.

A simple “do this, get that”.

Customers can earn up to $500 in Visa prepaid cards for purchasing product.

• They text a number to register.
• Receive a $10 Visa^® prepaid card with their initial purchase of a minimum of $100 in qualifying Lutron products, including dimmers^*, in-wall sensors, Caséta products, and RA2 Select products.
• They can text or upload a copy of their receipt to enter it into the promotion
• Thereafter, for every $500 accumulated in qualifying Lutron product purchases, earn another $10 Visa^®prepaid card.
• And there are weekly prizes to maintain contractor interest.
• Distributors have collateral and digital information / graphics to utilize in supporting the program to their customers.

Be a RockStar

Bayside Supply ran a 60 day promotion to its customers last summer that was supported by a group of manufacturers.

Rules were simple.

• For every $500 that customers purchased from a group of suppliers they earned a scratch card.
• Every scratch card was a winner.
• Prizes ranged from lottery tickets to a custom-designed guitar, along with other music-themed awards

Customers were sent their cards regularly and could either mail them in or bring them to Bayside for redemption.  Almost 2000 cards were distributed.

This promotion supported a broader, merchandise-oriented, customer incentive program that ran throughout the year.

Acuity & Northeast Electric

Northeast Electric, a Sonepar operating company, partnered with Acuity on this promotion.  It’s a simple sweepstakes promotion but has an interesting execution element.

Acuity may offer these Yeti coolers as part of a turnkey promotional offering to distributors or perhaps only offers to Sonepar companies as the literature is somewhat “generic”.

• Qualifying product must be purchased from NorthEast Electrical Distributors stock only.
• Qualifying proof of purchase receipt/invoice must be dated no later than April 30, 2018.
• NorthEast Electrical Distributors is responsible for tracking customer entries and for submitting to Acuity Brands.
• Limited to one entry per customer account per day.

And here’s the communication twist:

When customers get the email announcing the promotion, there is an embedded link into the graphic that takes customers back to a Lithonia product listing landing page on

Looking to Cook

Saw information from ESA Fabrication highlighting custom BBQ / cookout trailers and equipment that they do … for electrical distributors.  Fun, creative, quality branding way to support counter days or to have mobile counter days / bring lunch to customers and job-sites.

Perhaps involve some suppliers … either permanently or mobile signage.

Influencing Distributor Salespeople

Earlier this year Eaton Lighting Solutions launched a promotion aimed at distributor counter and inside salespeople.  It is called Lighting Solutions Rewards.  It’s a points based program designed to encourage them to sell Eaton Lighting products, presumably to support stock business.  It’s a longer-term (beyond one quarter) program.

This program is a follow-up to last year’s Get In. Get Away promotion which ran through the summer and was extended to October 31.  Click here to see the promotion and watch the video.

Panduit Contractor Incentive (CLIP)

Found this video of a Panduit contractor incentive / loyalty program.  Contractors earn points, in the US and Canada, for their purchases.  The points can be redeemed for Panduit tools.

Hopefully some of these provide you some ideas, perhaps inspiration.  And if you want additional ideas, or thoughts on these, give us a call or drop us a line.  We’ve worked with electrical distributors and manufacturers for many years in developing promotional and incentive / customer loyalty strategies designed to accelerate sales.  And we’re collaborating with some to help take existing programs to the next level where they can be ongoing customer engagement platforms to augment sales efforts and/or be a primary tool in reaching under-served / non-served customer segments.