eNewsletter: October 2008

Welcome to our first Rewards Direct eNewsletter! 

In each issue of the newsletter, we will track merchandise trends, feature a hot new reward and share relevant industry information with you. We hope you find this first issue informative and helpful as you plan your reward programs. As always, you are invited to learn more about us and explore our merchandise catalog at rewardsdirect.com.

In this edition:

Hot new item: Garmin's Nuvi Widescreen GPS

Workplace Wellness Program Participants Are More Loyal and Engaged

Trend Watch: Staycations are Here to Stay

What People Want Right Now: Sporting Goods

Brand Spotlight: Callaway Golf

Hot New Item

Garmin's Nuvi Widescreen GPS

Participants in merchandise-based corporate programs—sales incentives, wellness programs, safety initiatives, training programs, etc.—are quickly making Global Positioning System (GPS) devices a "must have" item. GPS units are now in the top three of most commonly redeemed items. The newest generation of GPS devices feature verbal turn-by-turn assistance.

And one of the hottest GPS devices currently in the marketplace is Garmin's Nuvi Widescreen GPS. Easy to use and preloaded with City Navigator NT street maps, including an encyclopedic points of interest (POI) database with hotels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. It even announces the name of exits and streets so you never have to take your eyes off the road. Simply touch the color screen to enter a destination, and Nuvi takes you there with 2D or 3D maps and turn-by-turn voice directions. In addition, Nuvi accepts custom points of interest, such as school zones and safety cameras, and lets you set proximity alerts to warn you of upcoming POIs. Nuvi sports a sleek, slim design, and comfortably fits in a pocket or purse.

Workplace Wellness Program Participants Are More Loyal and Engaged

Workplace wellness programs leave people feeling good… about their jobs. A recent study by Maritz reveals that not only do wellness programs benefit companies by lowering health costs and improving the health of employees, they also contribute to employee engagement. The Maritz study found wellness programs are connected to well-being beyond employees' health. Employees at companies offering wellness programs are significantly more satisfied with their jobs, more likely to remain with the company long term, and more likely to recommend the company as an employer to a friend or family member. Even the people who only occasionally participate in a wellness program are significantly higher on the listed measures of employee engagement than the people who never participate.

"With the U.S. drowning in health care costs, which are projected to top a whopping $4 trillion by 2015, and with three-quarters of current spending being squandered on chronic conditions that are largely preventable, it's no secret that employers and insurance companies see corporate wellness programs as a lifesaver that could keep them afloat," said Mindy McGrath, vice president of strategy for Maritz' health care sector. "We hypothesize employees who participate in wellness programs may see them as a lifesaver as well, which may give them a heightened perception their companies care about their personal well-being, making them feel better about their workplace." The most successful, engaging workplace wellness programs feature consistent communication and regular and compelling rewards. "It's critical to offer rewards at key points during the program – not just at the launch," said McGrath. "Those rewards must stir the imagination, encourage goal setting, allow reinforcement, repetition and create lasting goodwill and behaviors."

Trend Watch: Staycations are Here to Stay

Many of us enjoyed the joys of a "staycation" this summer: no exorbitant gas and restaurant prices, no sitting in traffic, no lines, etc.  The pleasures of the staycation are clear as pricey vacations simply don't fit the budget. After all, vacations are supposed to be relaxing, not stress-inducing!  The Rewards Direct catalog features numerous items that help make a staycation as restful, rewarding and rejuvenating (and fun!) as a trip to some far-off resort.  Here are just a few examples:

Weber Gas Grill	Breville Coffee Machine
Uniflame Outdoor Firehouse	Aloe Up Spa Gift Basket

For more information about these rewards or to view our catalog, please visit rewardsdirect.com.

What People Want Right Now: Monthly Gauge of Most Desired Products

In each issue, Rewards Direct takes the pulse of thousands of corporate rewards programs to find out what participants are most jazzed about.  Here's the top 10 in the sporting category from September 2008:

For more information about these rewards and to view other categories, please visit rewardsdirect.com.

Brand Spotlight: Callaway Golf

Straight from the clubhouse…

What if we made it bigger? What if we made it from multiple materials? What if we created a new material or replaced the dimple with a hexagon? For more than a quarter century, Callaway Golf has asked questions like these to challenge the status quo and move beyond conventional thinking to a place called better. Big thinking is what drives our innovation and technology. This maverick, no-holds-barred quest for innovation was a trademark of Founder Ely Callaway, and it's a tradition that lives on in the game-changing Callaway Golf products and services of today. Without asking the difficult questions, we would never have brought you revolutionary breakthroughs like S2H2, the original Big Bertha Driver, Fusion Technology or HEX Aerodynamics, to name just a few.

Sure there have been doubters. Some even laughed. Back in the early 90s, who ever thought a big–headed driver named Bertha would transform the most-feared club in the bag into the most-loved? Who imagined playing a golf ball with hexagons instead of dimples, or teeing up a square-headed driver made of multiple materials? We did. And every day, we still ask the big questions that lead to new innovations, advanced technologies and more ways to help every golfer become a better golfer. Phil Mickleson, Rocco Mediate, Ernie Els, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and Annika Sorenstam, to name just a few, are Callaway golfers.