PORTLAND, Ore. and RENO, Nev., June 6, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Complete Access -- co-founded by Kirk Nagamine, the former senior VP of development who helped make the Entertainment(r) Book a household name -- today announced that Charter Reno has used its new stored-value card technology to launch a direct customer-loyalty campaign to combat subscriber turnover and deepen its relationship with some 150,000 regional customers in the crowded pay-for-TV market.
Charter Reno used Complete Access' proprietary VIPspree stored-value technology to launch Charter Rewards. Under the program, subscribers are mailed a Charter branded magnetic-stripe card that's loaded, every month, with $500 worth of credit redeemable at more than 100 local, regional and national businesses in the Reno area, including restaurants and retailers.
The card's $500 value essentially offsets subscribers' monthly cable payments and the termination of any sign-up discounts or enhanced viewing plans, which often prompt subscribers to cancel service or switch providers. The value contained on each Charter Rewards card is subsidized by Complete Access' network of merchants who use the Charter Rewards card as a pay-on-performance advertising vehicle. Merchants only pay for credits they've committed to the program -- such as $5 or $25 per card -- as consumers come in to redeem them.
"Loyalty is so difficult to elicit, but our card basically gives Charter's customers a tangible reason to stay with Charter each and every month," said Kirk Nagamine, co-founder and CEO of Complete Access. "The card really becomes a part of customers' everyday lives and engenders them to the brand on a regular basis. We like to present our card and our program as a 'win-win-win' proposition for everybody -- Charter, its subscribers and the merchants."
Charter lets its Reno subscribers know the monthly merchant-by-merchant value stored on their cards and highlights new participating merchants through bill statements and promotional collateral.
Complete Access also offers Charter's subscribers support by phone and online through a branded Web interface created by Complete Access where customers can track their usage, view participating merchants and the amount of credit they've posted for the month.
"When Charter's Reno customers think of Charter now, they don't just think of TV and their monthly bills," said William Roskowski, co-founder and president of Complete Access. "They think of Charter before and after they use their cards to treat themselves and have a good time, creating a strong and certainly pleasant association with the brand. The card also gives prospective customers a real incentive to switch over to Charter."
(Editor's Note: To view Complete Access' online customer interface for Charter Rewards, please visit http://www.vipspree.com/Reno/ . To access high-resolution images of the Charter Rewards card, Complete Access logo and VIPspree logo, please visit http://www.complete-access.net/logos/ .)
About Complete Access
Complete Access is based in metro Portland, Ore., and brings companies closer to their customers. The company uses its next generation stored-value technology to deliver branded customer-loyalty programs to corporations, drive traffic to businesses and save consumers money. Complete Access helps companies launch direct-marketing initiatives that reach both their target customers and their target markets in a cost-efficient manner. The company's co-founder, Kirk Nagamine, is the former senior VP of corporate development for Entertainment Publications who helped make the Entertainment(r) Book a household name and a leader in the local advertising market. http://www.complete-access.net/