Walgreens Sets Next 'Steps' for its Walk

Walgreens this month began transitioning members of its "Walk with Walgreens" health initiative to an enhanced "Steps with Balance Rewards" program.Similar to "Walk" but better aligned with the retailer's eight-month-old Balance Rewards loyalty program, "Steps" lets members log and track their walking, running and weight management goals via walgreens.com and/or through Walgreens' mobile application. Participants earn 20 points for every mile logged and 20 points for each day they record their weight. Like all Balance Rewards points, the totals can be converted into "Redemption Dollars" that, basically, equate to $5 for every 5,000 points.An online community launched in April 2011 that let members log steps to earn specific rewards, the Walk program had previously offered Balance Rewards members who synchronized their accounts 10 points for each mile logged. (See "Walgreens Unveils ..." in Related Articles.)Like Walk, the Steps program provides a forum for members to interact as part of a microsite on walgreens.com. One new feature is the ability to sync wireless fitness devices from Fitbit, Withings and BodyMedia to automatically load activity; linking a device earns 250 points."By enhancing our loyalty program to further promote healthy behaviors, we're encouraging customers to take steps to help them achieve overall wellness," Graham Atkinson, Walgreens' chief marketing and customer experience officer, said in a media release.Marketing for the launch includes an informational video starring Alison Sweeney, the host of NBC's The Biggest Loser who also helped launch Walk. The retailer also is staging a "Step Up to Win" sweepstakes and instant-win game from April 1 through May 31 that awards two grand-prize trips to one of four Biggest Loser Resorts in the U.S. from April 1 through May 31. Balance Rewards members enter on a promotional website accessible from the "Steps" microsite.The instant-win component has participants clicking on one of three walking paths to win a plethora of daily prizes from Walgreens and multiple promotional partners. (The total approximate prize value is $75,000.) Identified on the sweeps entry page, the partners are BodyMedia, Clorox Co.'s Brita, Merck & Co.'s Dr. Scholl's and Coppertone, Fitbit, Lions Gate Entertainment (which distributes The Biggest Loser videos), Unilever's Lipton, Omron, Redbox, Sony Inc.'s PlayStation, Subway, Withings, NBC Universal, and General Mills' Fiber One, Green Giant, Progresso and Yoplait. Southfield, MI-based PrizeLogic LLC administers.In related activity, Walgreens and The Biggest Loser have partnered to produce an eight-webisode series that follows a former contestant. "Together we are highlighting Walgreens' 'Way to Well Commitment' by sharing dramatic stories," Megan McCambridge, Walgreens' divisional vice president of customer relationship marketing, said in a release.

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