Selected "One of the Ten Best Internet-Based Loyalty Programs"

CBS SportsLine.com, the leading global Internet sports media company, was engaged in a daily head-to-head battle with its competitors. In an effort to distinguish its site and maintain its leadership position, SportsLine partnered with Kobie Marketing to develop a ground-breaking online loyalty program to reward people simply for visiting the site.

The assignment:

Turn occasional site visitors into loyal customers, and in the process, learn enough about those customers to market to them on a one-to-one basis.

Kobie insight:

Sports fans who visit sports Web sites are passionate about their favorite teams and favorite sports, and will respond to offers built around their specific sports interests.

The Kobie program, SportsLine Rewards, enrolled visitors in a free loyalty program that rewarded them with points for various Web site activities: visiting selected pages, clicking on specific URLs, entering trivia contests, completing a member survey and more. And by participating in paid activities such as using partner services, entering fantasy games on the site and shopping at the SportsLine Store, members could earn much higher point credits.

Working closely with SportsLine and our own network of vendors, Kobie was able to create and manage a multi-level, multi-faceted program, in which SportsLine Rewards members responded to irresistible sporting rewards and perks: autographed sports memorabilia, team merchandise, gift certificates to restaurants and retailers to name a few. A higher tier, SportsLine Rewards Plus, offered more exotic rewards, including private lunches and dinners with sports stars and celebrities, and impossible-to-get tickets to concerts and sporting events.

SportsLine Rewards was named "One of the Ten Best Internet-based loyalty programs" by Ellen Reid Smith, a noted loyalty marketing expert. It achieved all of its objectives, including member page views, member transactions, and increased site involvement as determined by various measures. According to Larry Kruguer, Vice President of Marketing: "SportsLine Rewards has been very successful in achieving its purpose. This program, in its first year, grew to more than one million members and continues to distinguish SportsLine.com from the competition." Read more of what Larry had to say about this innovative program.