Blackhawk Network Campaign Named Winner in Eighth Annual Paybefore Awards

PLEASANTON, Calif., March 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackhawk Network, Inc., a leading prepaid payment network, announced today that it has won the prestigious Paybefore Award for its innovative "BEFORE YOU" marketing campaign and has been selected as Best-In-Category for the Up with Prepaid marketing category.   

This ongoing program is a multi-media campaign, which is communicated through visuals that include in-store signage and print advertisements, as well as circulars and posters. The campaign is presented through multiple communication points both inside and outside of retail stores. By executing the campaign in a cartoon-style, three-strip format, it is easy to understand and makes for a fun display in retail locations. The campaign highlights how cards for top brands and telecom services can be purchased to accrue bonus points in the retailers' incentive programs, such as fuel points.

Chosen by a panel of five industry experts, Paybefore has selected BEFORE YOU as a 2014 Paybefore Awards winner in the Up with Prepaid Marketing category, which—once again—attracted a record number of entries from around the world. Moreover, the Best-in-Category results were tallied from the votes of three outside judges—David Parker, Polymath Consulting; Lori Breitzke, E&S Consulting; and Brian Dunne, SVM Europe and IMA—as well as DeBonis and Paybefore CEO Marilyn Bochicchio as well as Sixth Vote Judging from 11,000 participants.

"At Blackhawk Network, we always strive to put our consumers' needs first and are honored to be awarded for our commitment to delivering value," said Teri Llach, Blackhawk Network Chief Marketing Officer. "We're also excited that our BEFORE YOU campaign won the Best-In-Category award at the All Payments Expo."

For eight years, Paybefore Awards has conferred the most prestigious recognition of worldwide excellence in the prepaid, mobile and emerging payments industry. The awards are presented annually by Paybefore, whose publications are the leading source of industry information for alternative payments executives.

"An industry is only as good as its innovators. This year's Paybefore Awards have demonstrated that prepaid, emerging and mobile payments companies always find new ways to address consumer, government and business needs," said Loraine DeBonis, Paybefore editor-in-chief and chair of the judging panel. "We are proud to recognize Blackhawk Network's contributions to advancing the industry."

"The companies and programs recognized in the 2014 Paybefore Awards are great of examples of what can be accomplished when innovators apply thoughtfulness and payments technology to address real-world needs," added Marilyn Bochicchio, Paybefore's CEO.

About Blackhawk Network 
Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAWK) is a leading prepaid payment network which supports the program management and distribution of gift cards, prepaid telecom products and financial service products across a global network. Blackhawk's digital platform supports prepaid across a network of digital distribution partners including retailers, financial service providers, and mobile wallets.  For more information please visit www.blackhawknetwork.com.

About Paybefore
Paybefore is the leading information provider to prepaid, mobile and emerging payments industry professionals, offering the latest news, commentary and analysis. Paybefore's family of industry publications includes: Paybefore.com; Pay News^TM; Pay Gov^TM; Pay Week^TM; Pay Op-Ed^TM; Pay Magazine^TM, a biannual print publication featuring in-depth articles on the opportunities, challenges and trends in the global payments industry; and the only industry directory, Pay Connect^TM buyer's guide, available online and in print. Visit us at www.paybefore.com.

Contact:
MWW for Blackhawk Network
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SOURCE Blackhawk Network, Inc.