News

Custom Design Marketing Announces Employee Recognition Program for less than $250 per employee per year

01.27.2009 Custom Design Marketing, a Kirkland Wash., based incentive and recognition marketing company, announced today a new employee recognition program that can fit most budgets and still deliver top performance.

For an average cost of $20 per employee per month, employers receive a complete employee recognition program in a box. The program includes a unique recognition vehicle in the form of a scratch-off card that can be issued to employees on the spot. Each card carries a guaranteed jackpot number of recognition award credits, so employees know that every card they receive offers a chance at that jackpot. Every card is a winner, regardless of how many wins are uncovered. Employees can accumulate cards and redeem for high value recognition awards. The employer can implement the program without tracking points or issuing statements.

Costs for the program, including all scratch-off cards, an implementation guide, an awards web site and redemption of recognition awards (regardless of the award value) are fixed at $5 per card.

“We are well aware of the true bottom-line value that an Employee Recognition Program brings to an organization,” says Bob Dawson, Vice President of Sales and Marketing of Custom Design Marketing. “We also know that these programs are often put on the back-burner during tough economic times, as we’re now experiencing.”

Studies show that engaged employees create engaged customers. Taking those first steps towards creating that atmosphere is often where a successful employee recognition programs can go astray.

“Budgets are hard to justify in lean economic times,” Dawson added, “but with our High Five Employee Recognition Program, HR Professionals cannot afford not to recognize employees and maintain morale.

Travel Community Issues Guidelines for Use of Meetings and Events

02.09.2009 Policies Support Prudent Use of Taxpayer Dollars, While Preserving Downstream Creation of Jobs, Economic Growth. Meetings and Events are Lifeblood of Many Local Communities.

Washington, D.C. – Leaders from key organizations representing the meetings, events and incentive travel industries united to issue guidelines on acceptable business travel practices to companies that have received emergency government lending. The guidelines, built upon existing corporate best practices, are designed to ensure transparency and accountability and protect the one million American jobs supported by corporate meetings and events.

”The business practices of our customers impact the welfare of our industry, our employee base and the economic health of the communities where we do business,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “Working collaboratively, associations representing the meetings, events and incentive travel industries are addressing an urgent public need by developing clear, prudent guidelines for companies that have received taxpayer dollars.”

The standards support President Obama’s recent call for the boards of directors of companies that have received emergency government lending to develop guidelines on conferences, events and employee recognition programs. Highlights from the guidelines include:
• Conferences or events with a cost exceeding $75,000 must be supported by a written business case identifying a specific business purpose and positive return on objective and investment metrics;
• At least 90 percent of incentive program attendees shall be other than senior executives (as defined by Treasury Department guidelines) from the host organization; and
• Total annual expenses for meetings, events and incentive/recognition travel shall not exceed 15 percent of the company’s total sales and marketing spend.

Meetings and events are responsible for 15 percent of all travel-related spending, create nearly $40 billion in tax revenue at the federal, state and local level and generate more than one million jobs. Without the jobs generated by meetings, events and incentive travel, the current unemployment rate of 7.6 percent would rise to 8.2 percent and cost the average American household an additional $136 in taxes annually.

“At a time when the Department of Labor reports a loss of nearly 200,000 travel related jobs in 2008 and U.S. Commerce Department data predicts a loss of an additional 247,000 travel related jobs in 2009, it is critical that every effort be made to protect beneficial meetings and events,” said Dow. “Our associations are hopeful that with stringent, transparent standards in place, policymakers and the business community can embrace meetings, events and incentive travel as responsible economic stimulants.”

While the metrics outlined in the guidelines are intended for the recipients of emergency government lending, the drafters understand that many other organizations may consider the policy. In those cases, it should be noted that the metrics may vary based on industry size, company size and market sectors.

Incentive Industry Veteran Joins Custom Design Marketing

05.01.2008 CDM is proud to announce the formation of a strategic partnership with Bob Dawson, founder of The Business Group. Bob will bring his extensive knowledge of how incentive recognition and recognition programs can actually produce a positive Return on Investment. With a focus on target marketing, Custom Design Marketing will be incorporating for its client’s incentive and recognition strategies into its enterprise wide promotional marketing campaigns that are designed to engage employees, customers and their partners.

Kirkland, WA—May 1, 2008— Custom Design Marketing, a Kirkland WA based promotional marketing company, announced today that they have formed a strategic partnership with Bob Dawson, founder of The Business Group, Inc.

“We are thrilled to have Bob as a member of our team and look forward to bringing his vast knowledge and expertise of how to design and implement incentive and recognition programs that create value, to our customers and prospects” says Elliot Lurie, President of Custom Design Marketing.

Unlike the traditional approach to incentive and recognition, where the focus is on the rewards, Dawson will be bring his extensive knowledge of how incentive and recognition programs can actually produce a positive Return on Investment for the companies that utilize them properly. With a focus on target marketing, Custom Design Marketing will be incorporating for its client’s incentive and recognition strategies into its enterprise wide promotional marketing campaigns that are designed to engage employees, customers and their partners.

Armed with the ability to provide targeted communications and awards for individuals, combined with the certainty of a demonstrated ROI, Custom Design Marketing will provide a tremendous opportunity for companies that utilize this highly specialized approach to incentive and recognition programs to create employee and customer engagement that will enable them to exceed stakeholder expectations and have a direct impact on their bottom line.

Hot, Hot, Hot News For CDM.

09.12.2006. We're excited to break the news that thanks to our many new clients and long term, loyal customers, we are able to open a new office in Scottsdale, Arizona. This company expansion from Seattle, Washington to the land best known for its warm welcome and dry heat means we will be able to service even more needs across America and around the globe. And as the pop poet laureate, Paris Hilton would say, "That's hot."

The Value and ROI in Employee Recognition - The Incentive Research Foundation - The Forum for People Performance Management - Human Capital Institute

07.02.2009. Increased employee engagement has a dramatic positive effect on improving job performance and capturing business value.

This paper outlines the various studies for a more effective use of Return on Investment (ROI) and other methods that can better measure the long-term gains in business value that are the hallmarks of successful recognition programs

View Complete Article (PDF) »

The Economics of Engagement - Human Capital Institute - Enterprise Engagement Alliance

06.01.2009. Engaged and disengaged workers of equal skills, knowledge and abilities do not contribute equally. Engaged workers are significantly more productive.

This paper describes and classifies the best measures that do exist, along with Return on Investment (ROI) methodologies that impact intangibles (such as turnover) but can be measured and therefore contribute to a quantifiable understanding of the benefits of employee engagement.

View Complete Article (PDF) »