Thorntons Case Study

Thorntons Inc. POP Promotions & Sweepstakes

Thorntons Inc. is a gasoline and convenience store chain with locations in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee. It was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, and is one of largest privately held corporations in the Commonwealth operating hundreds of gasoline and convenience stores, car washes and travel plazas in Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee.

In.Mode became Thorntons marketing and public relations of agency. The success of a multitude of marketing, public relations and sales programs for which in.Mode was responsible included the initiation of humanitarian and philanthropic affiliations; chain-wide expansion of

beverage and food offerings, along with market- specific specials; marketing management for the geographic expansion into the Florida market; social media management and creation; and the conception and launch of the following programs we wish to highlight.

Thorntons Refreshing Rewards Program – Launched in 2014, Thorntons’ original loyalty program is still as popular today as four years ago, and offers fuel discounts, rewards and more. Based on visits, not on points or purchases, customers receive personalized rewards based on their favorite items, with no cost to join the program. Cards are registered online and via Thorntons’ iPhone and Android mobile apps. Originally rolled out in Lexington, Kentucky and Nashville, Tennessee for a limited time, it caught fire in no time and was

launched chain-wide shortly thereafter. Special in- store events including live music, giveaways, free samples and more proved very popular during the initial launch.

FREEquency Rewards Program Expansion –

Created as a value add for Thorntons’ proprietary Refreshing Rewards loyalty program, the expansion of its FREEquency

Rewards program gave customers more value for their most frequently shopped favorites. It provided them with special offers on fountain drinks, packaged beverages, candy, snacks, and more. Customers were automatically

eligible for FREEquency Rewards items when they registered for the existing Refreshing Rewards loyalty program, with the perk being extra discounts on what they bought the most, e.g. buy a certain set amount of specially marked FREEquency Rewards products, receive the next round free. Customers could track progress towards free product via the Refreshing Rewards mobile app and at thorntons.com. (

You Pump, We Pay Swipestakes – A 9-week promotion which was hugely successful (who wouldn’t want to win free gas?!) and one in which Thorntons’ Refreshing Rewards Members were entered to win free gasoline for one year. A total of 90 lucky members ultimately won the grand prize, with an additional 225 winning one free fill-up as part of the promotion. The specifics: members who swiped their registered rewards cards at any Thorntons for the 9-week period were automatically entered, and they were also able to enter via a specially created mobile app and at thorntons.com. No purchase was necessary and up to five entries per person per day was allowed