63% of Participating YMCA Members Increased Visits When Offered AIR MILES® reward miles
TORONTO, Feb. 12, 2014 /CNW/ - According to the results of a landmark program between AIR MILES for Social Change, YMCA Canada (YMCA) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), loyalty programs have an influential role to play in encouraging healthy behaviour. A recent nationwide pilot program, comprising over 46,000 YMCA members across Canada, gave AIR MILES® reward miles for visits to YMCA health, fitness and aquatics facilities. The pilot involved 15 YMCA locations across four YMCA Member Associations in Canada. This resulted in 63% of participating YMCA members taking part in physical activity between one to six more times per week in comparison to their activity during the same time in the previous year.
Overall, the YMCA saw a 6% lift in incremental visits compared against the control group. Given that 31.5% of Canadian children are now considered 'overweight' or 'obese'1 and coupled with declining levels of physical activity, a particularly encouraging aspect of this pilot was that 18% of participants whose visits increased were children and youth, a priority for PHAC and for YMCAs across Canada.
Commissioned by YMCA and PHAC to devise a cost-effective incentive program to help increase activities amongst adults and children, the pilot study launched in April 2013 and is still in market. Results reported here are up until December 2013. The program offered 25 bonus reward miles at sign-up, with an ongoing offer of one reward mile per two visits and a special bonus of 20 reward miles for three weekly visits during the months of September and October.
Over 46,000 YMCA members signed up for the program, greatly exceeding the target of 25,000.
"In the fight against chronic disease and obesity, cross-sector collaboration is a powerful approach. Partnerships like the one between AIR MILES for Social Change, YMCA and PHAC underscore this and show that together we can spark positive change," says Angela Simo Brown, General Manager and Co-Founder, AIR MILES for Social Change. "We believe that people are ready to make healthier choices — they just need the right incentive."
"In collaboration with AIR MILES for Social Change, we have taken an innovative approach to inspire and reward increased and sustained physical activity," says Darlene Frampton, Senior Vice President of Brand Strategy (Acting), YMCA Canada. "Anything we can do to promote healthy living for our members is a win and offering this program to incentivize physical activity has exceeded our expectations."
About AIR MILES for Social Change
AIR MILES for Social Change is a social venture within the AIR MILES® Reward Program, operated by LoyaltyOne, Inc. which is a global provider of coalition loyalty, customer analytics and custom loyalty services. AIR MILES for Social Change partners with government agencies, energy utilities, transit service providers, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to leverage the value of AIR MILES reward miles and the program's reach into more than two-thirds of Canadian households.
About LoyaltyOne
LoyaltyOne is a global leader in the design and implementation of coalition loyalty programs, customer analytics and loyalty services for Fortune 1000 clients around the world. LoyaltyOne's unparalleled track record delivering sustained business performance improvement for clients stems from its unique combination of hands-on practitioner experience and continuous thought leadership. LoyaltyOne has over 20 years history leveraging data-driven insights to develop and operate some of the world's most effective loyalty programs and customer-centric solutions. These include the AIR MILES Reward Program, North America's premier coalition loyalty program; a majority stake in European-based BrandLoyalty, one of the largest and most successful campaign-driven loyalty marketers outside of the Americas; and a working partnership with Latin America's leading coalition program, dotz. LoyaltyOne is also the owner of COLLOQUY, a group dedicated to research, publishing and education for the global loyalty industry.
LoyaltyOne is an Alliance Data company. For more information, visit www.loyalty.com.
About the YMCA in Canada
YMCA Canada is a federation made up of 45 YMCA and 5 YMCA-YWCA Member Associations. Each of the 50 Associations within the Federation serves local community needs and is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. As a registered charity, YMCA Canada is dedicated to building healthy communities by nurturing the potential of children, teens and young adults, promoting healthy living, and fostering social responsibility in order to create lasting personal and social change. Collectively, YMCAs in Canada serve more than 2.24 million people in more than 1,000 Canadian locations each year. Our focus on inclusiveness and accessibility means we welcome people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities through all stages of life. Through YMCA financial assistance programs and the YMCA Strong Kids campaign, the YMCA is accessible to all.
For more information please visit ymca.ca
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1 Karen C. Roberts, Margot Shields, Margaret de Groh, Alfred Aziz and Jo-Anne Gilbert, 'Overweight and obesity in children and adolescents: Results from the 2009 to 2011 Canadian Health Measures Survey'
Image with caption: "Air Miles for Social Change (CNW Group/LoyaltyOne)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140212_C9422_PHOTO_EN_36591.jpg
SOURCE: LoyaltyOne
Stacey Marson
LoyaltyOne
[email protected]
647.203.4870
Natasha Boeck
Environics Communications
[email protected]
416.969.2724
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