Dated: 3 January 2003
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Janice McIntosh
Public Relations & Promotions Executive |
“Shop at Courts and you’ll be a big winner!” Sounds familiar? It should. That’s the hook line furniture giant Courts (Jamaica) Ltd., has been using for years … and it works. Courts doesn’t make empty promises to consumers and the pay off is that the company has secured for itself the loyalty of generations of Jamaican consumers and pride of place in many homes. Thousands of shoppers have embraced Courts as their own, so much so that if you look in the dictionary for the word “furniture”, chances are you’ll see the name “Courts” written somewhere there in bold.
The 26 stores scattered across the fourteen parishes is nearly twice as many as that of Courts’ main competitor, and that dominant presence speaks volumes for the the furniture and appliances store’s image. Also, Courts has employed a combined advertising and marketing strategy that is second to none. Full page, full colour advertisements dominate the various print media; glossy magazines are published regulary showcasing their goods, sevices and prices; and television is bombarded with colourful Courts ads.
With its penchant for turning shoppers into not just winners, but millionaires, Courts has added excitement to the marketplace and has seen other stores making feeble attempts to compete. For the year 2003, the Courts promotions packs a whallop. A record $48 million is up for grabs in what is dubbed Courts Treasure Chest.
This month, Marketing News goes one-on-one with manager, Mrs. Janice McIntosh, Public Relations and Promotions Executive at Courts (Jamaica) Ltd.
| Q: |
How many COURTS stores are there island
wide? |
| Janice: |
There are currently 26 branches island
wide. |
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| Q: |
What is the most recent addition? Are there
plans to open more stores locally? |
| Janice: |
The most recent will be in Junction, St. Elizabeth
which is slated to be open by the end of this month (January). |
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| Q: |
From all indications, Courts had a bumper
year, especially during the Christmas season. Is this really so and how
was this achieved? |
| Janice: |
Our performance in 2002 was up to our expectations
and we were able to reap the rewards of the various initiatives that we
implemented. There was a combination of factors that led to a good Christmas
period. Prior to the season we introduced the COURTS PRICE, the lowest
price guarantee offer which demonstrated our sincerity in keeping our
prices competitive. We also introduced new products to our already impressive
range of brand name goods. This included the Club Collection, a new range
of contemporary furniture and Bright Lights, showcasing all types of attractive
lighting. We streamlined our delivery system making it more efficient
and with every effort to improve what we currently have, we’ll be
adding another distribution centre in the early part of this year. With
respect to credit, we lowered our interest payments by 9%. This undoubtedly
contributed to the success of the Christmas period.
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| Q: |
How long has Courts been making millionaires
of its customers? |
| Janice: |
Since 1984 we began our BIG PRIZE promotions with
Silver-Sale-a-bration to the current promotion Courts Treasure Chest, which
has worked well for the company. |
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| Q: |
How central is the chance of customers winning
big bucks to Courts’ marketing strategy? Would Courts have the same
clout without this ‘carrot’? |
| Janice: |
 |
Beenie Man(L) and Hayden Singh,
Courts Managing Director |
That’s an interesting question and I believe
the best way to answer would be to say that we focus first and foremost
on our core business and customer service.
We endeavour to always try
to exceed the expectations of our customers. A lot of time and effort
is spent on the training and development of the staff to perform well
in their jobs. Additionally, we ensure that our infrastructure is sturdy
as it relates to delivery, after-sales service, getting our stock levels
just right, improving our credit terms and ensuring that we know the demands
of the public and try to met or exceed it. So, one could say that after
being fed the ‘carrot’ by what we offer, the prizes would
be the icing on the cake. We also like to give back to the community in
which we operate and we derive great pleasure in seeing the effect these
prizes have on the lives of our winners. It certainly does change their
lives. |
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Q: |
How would you rate this year’s competition?
Is it the most exciting ever; or is the buying public getting a little indifferent
to this trend of give-a-ways made popular by Courts? (The one that sticks
in my mind is Bimmermania, which probably also rode on the Carlene and Beenie
Man hype at the time. Can this newest competition rival that?) |
| Janice: |
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| Wenches and Gents Dance At The Launch Of Courts' Treasure Chest |
We pride ourselves as being innovative and the
leaders when it comes to big promotions such as Bimmermania etc. Every
year, just as much as the public waits, we too anticipate what we’ll
be coming with next and that makes it exciting. We have not been disappointed
in any of the promotions we’ve had or the artistes who have campaigned
with us. We try to make it fun and exciting and that is the essence of
the promotions.
Courts Treasure Chest, I will admit, is unique
in that it’s not only one type of prize you’ll get but a variety
of prizes such as cars, houses, money, school fees etc., that are attractive
to customers. Our initial feedback is that this new promotion has been
well received (even acknowledged by our competition), and there are some
schools of thought who say that it is probably the best in Courts’
history. |
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| Q: |
Is Courts a good corporate citizen? To
what extent? |
| Janice: |
Courts believes in giving back to communities in
which it serves. We are very involved in Education, offering millions in
scholarships annually, Health, offering support to the inner-city children
with heart surgery, giving monthly contributions to many entities that would
have otherwise closed, the Sickle Cell foundation and the Mona rehabilitation
centre has been a recipient of our generosity. We are also involved in the
Children’s Services division, more specifically the Walker’s
Place of Safety of which we funded part of the money to acquire a house
to accommodate the over 30 children. Giving to the less fortunate and to
those in need is part of what defines Courts and we continue to make significant
contributions annually to worthy and deserving causes.
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