"We took an integrated "layered" marketing approach to aggressively promote and assist with sell-through for the promotion"
Ron Evans, Marketing Director, Furniture and Appliances Now

FAN customer Jackie Gilcreast (left) of Little Rock and Store Manager Derrick Tate. Ms. Gilcreast won a $100 Wal-Mart shopping card in the sweepstakes promo

Furniture and Appliances Now (FAN), a 17 store rent to own chain based in Jonesboro Arkansas, is generating customer excitement with a "Live Free For A Year Sweepstakes" promotion. "The sweepstakes idea came about as our marketing committee was planning the grand opening for FAN's 16th store back in September," said Ron Evans, Marketing Director for FAN. The company wanted a promotion that all Furniture & Appliances Now stores could participate in during the 4th quarter. "Our collective 'big thinking' yielded such ideas as car and motorcycle giveaways," said Evans. "In the end, it was a clever idea conceived by company president Geron Vail (who's who) that the company chose...the "Live Free for a Year" campaign.

Ron Evans, FAN Marketing Director

All sixteen FAN stores are taking registrations throughout the months of September, October, November & December for a $100 Wal-Mart shopping card. One shopping card is awarded each month at each of the 17 stores. Just prior to Christmas, FAN will draw the Grand Prize winner whose rent or mortgage note will be paid by FAN each month throughout 2005. "The combination of the $100 shopping cards and rent or mortgage payments totals $16,000, and that's how we came up with the $16,000 Live Free for a Year Sweepstakes," said Evans

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FAN has promoted the campaign in flyers, radio and television (broadcast and cable TV) advertising, on the company's website and at the store level through window clings, ceiling danglers and POP print items. "We took an integrated "layered" marketing approach to aggressively promote and assist with sell-through for the promotion," Evans explained. FAN is also an official sponsor of the Arkansas RimRockers, the state's first professional basketball team, and is promoting the campaign through banners, PA announcements, and a click-thru link on the team's website.

"Customer reaction has been extremely positive," said Evans, "after all, wouldn't we all like to "Live Free for a Year?"

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Ribbon cutting at FAN's newest location; Paragould, Arkansas

In 1996 Fred Pearson (who's who) and Geron Vail opened the first FAN Rent-To-Own store in Trumann, Arkansas with a commitment to their customers of "making owning easy." They have continued to open stores across the state emphasizing customer service and guaranteed satisfaction. FAN recently acquired it's 17th location in Paragould Arkansas. The company held a ribbon cutting Tuesday with the Chamber of Commerce (picture at right).