Hawk Incentives and Extole Collaborate to Combine Rebates and Referral Marketing, Elevating Promotional Power

LEWISVILLE, Texas, Aug. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hawk Incentives, a Blackhawk Network business that provides rewards and incentive solutions, today announced its new collaboration with Extole, a leading enterprise advocacy platform. Hawk Incentives can now connect with Extole's technology from its rebate solutions.

Hawk Incentives' rebate clients that also work with Extole are now able to include a refer-a-friend link in the online rebate submission process. From there, clients' customers can recommend the product or service they purchased to their friends and family via email or social media. Consumers who participate in a referral during the rebate submission process have the potential to receive an additional incentive. This integrated experience can extend the value of the rebate and encourage additional brand engagement for the sponsoring organization.

Independent research commissioned by Hawk Incentives^* shows that during rebate redemption, 81 percent of shoppers surveyed would be willing to do other things, including almost a quarter (22 percent) who would refer a friend to buy the same product or service.

"Marketers continue to embrace rebates because they respond to shopper demands for deals while providing great avenues for data collection and engagement," said Theresa McEndree, vice president of marketing, Hawk Incentives. "By assisting our customers in including a refer-a-friend incentive within their rebate experience, they can further engage with a customer with a demonstrated interest in incentives, and convert the rebate into a powerful customer advocacy driver. We are thrilled that our collaboration with Extole will make this promotional one-two punch possible."

"The moment when customers feel the excitement of a promotion or rebate is a natural time for them to refer. Sharing that feeling with their friends and family is a compelling combination for marketers and consumers alike," said Chris Duskin, vice president of marketing, Extole. "This collaboration between Hawk Incentives and Extole helps brands build on the engagement of delighted consumers by creating brand advocates and acquiring new customers."

Hawk Incentives now links to Extole's refer-a-friend capabilities within its Hawk Redeem solution, a configurable platform that enables the launch of customized and branded rebate redemption websites in days.

*About Hawk Incentives' deal-seeking consumer research
The deal-seeking consumer research was an online survey conducted independently by Leger on behalf of Hawk Incentives between February and March 2017. The sample size included 2,001 American respondents ages 18+.

About Blackhawk Network
Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAWK) is a global financial technology company and a leader in connecting brands and people through branded value solutions. Blackhawk platforms and solutions enable the management of stored value products, promotions and incentive programs in retail, ecommerce, financial services and mobile wallets. Blackhawk's Hawk Commerce division offers technology solutions to businesses and direct to consumers. The Hawk Incentives division offers enterprise, SMB and reseller partners an array of platforms and branded value products to incent and reward consumers, employees and sales channels. Headquartered in Pleasanton, Calif., Blackhawk operates in 26 countries. For more information, please visit blackhawknetwork.com, hawkcommerce.com, hawkincentives.com or our product websites giftcards.com, giftcardmall.com, cardpool.com, giftcardlab.com and omnicard.com.

About Hawk Incentives
Hawk Incentives, a Blackhawk Network business, delivers incentive programs that build relationships with easy-to-use platforms, global rewards and comprehensive service and support. Our solutions include consumer, sales, channel and employee incentive programs. With a focus on access, ease, rewards and speed, we help create an improved incentives experience that helps our clients grow their results. For more information, please visit hawkincentives.com. 

Hawk Incentives, headquartered in Lewisville, Texas, is a division of Blackhawk Network.

About Extole
Brands use Extole to turn customers into advocates. Our enterprise advocacy platform and team of experts create beautiful advocate and referral programs, so brands can harness the power of online sharing to the benefit of their bottom line. Extole enables marketers to connect with millions of advocates, scaling word-of-mouth to acquire new customers and increase loyalty using their greatest competitive advantage: their customers.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Ashley Jackson
719-332-3495
[email protected]

SOURCE Hawk Incentives, a Blackhawk Network business

Related Links

https://www.hawkincentives.com