King of Prussia District launches gift card campaign, initial effort sells out in 27 hours

Source, Pottstown Mercury, Donna Rovins

The King of Prussia District on Tuesday launched a new campaign designed to focus attention on the businesses in King of Prussia as they reopen and look toward more normal operations.

The campaign — Get More KOP — kicked off with a series of flash sales of “upgraded” gift cards for participating King of Prussia businesses.

“We are excited to give people even more of an incentive to dine, stay, shop and play in KOP, while providing KOP businesses with a much-needed boost in revenue,” Eric Goldstein, executive director of King of Prussia District, said in a statement. “KOP is open for business, and our restaurants, hotels, attractions and retailers are ready to safely and responsibly welcome you back.”

The first flash sale started at noon on Aug. 4 and featured 1,000 $25 gift cards to participating businesses. For each card purchased on VisitKOP.com during the Get More, KOP promotion, King of Prussia District upgraded the cards to $35 by supplementing the additional $10.

Within hours, the initiative had dramatic results.

By about 4 p.m., Tuesday, 670 cards had been sold. By 1 p.m. on Wednesday, just 100 cards remained, according to Rachel Ammon, marketing and communications director for the King of Prussia District. And by 4 p.m. Wednesday the first 1,000 cards were sold out. The list of participating King of Prussia businesses includes restaurants, hotels, fitness centers, attractions, retailers and service providers.

“The goal of the program is to drive more business to King of Prussia at a time these businesses need some help,” Ammon said. “The campaign will allow us to infuse the local economy with some much needed cash and encourage people to — safely and following guidance — start to visit the businesses of King of Prussia. They need our help.”

Ammon said the idea is something the King of Prussia District has seen implemented successfully in other parts of the country during the coronavirus pandemic.

“We have spoken with others that implemented campaigns like this in other areas and have had sell outs in minutes,” she said, adding that while the King of Prussia District was “tempering” its expectations, “we have no reason to believe it won’t go well.”

Additional rounds will be added based on the success of the promotion, according to the organization. Ammon said the district is planning a second round of sales, telling MediaNews Group the second round might come later this month.

To find out more information about the initiative and future flash sales visit: visitKOP.com.

The King of Prussia District reached out to area businesses to see if they wanted to participate in the initiative at no cost to the business.

“We see it as a win-win. We’re not asking anything of the businesses, we’re not charging a fee,” Ammon said. She added that additional businesses will be recruited for future flash sales.

Ammon said the cards can only be used in the businesses’ King of Prussia locations.

“We really wanted to keep the money within King of Prussia. That’s our mission — to bring more traffic here,” she said.

The gift card initiative is part of Let’s Go KOP — a marketing and advertising campaign to welcome the public back to safely enjoying all that King of Prussia has to offer, including hotels, restaurants, retailers and attractions.

King of Prussia District’s Let’s Go, KOP campaign will highlight KOP’s hospitality and tourism industries through a large-scale media buy, signage, merchandise and additional promotions. The District will also continue to produce KOP Shop Hop, a Facebook live program launched during quarantine featuring interviews with restaurants, retailers and other businesses.

“We launched KOP Shop Hop as a way to promote curbside pickup and take-out, and keep KOP businesses top-of-mind during the shutdown,” said Goldstein. “Now we will use this platform, our blog and the Let’s Go, KOP campaign, to welcome everyone back to KOP and share the protocols that their favorite restaurants, retailers and other businesses put into place to keep them safe.”

King of Prussia District is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, special services organization. The organization engages public and private partners to collaboratively improve the economic environment in King of Prussia.