Rewarding referrals

Reference Rewards is an appreciation program for one of Canada’s leading banks that recognizes and rewards their mortgage referral sources.

Program participants can browse through a curated catalogue and redeem points for a variety of merchandise, travel rewards and exclusive offerings.

My Role

Lead Designer on the annual project.

Main Goal

Develop a printed catalogue of rewards that participants can redeem, but can also double as a marketing tool to be used in branch or at meetings.

Living la vida loca

Reference Rewards is a luxurious program, that incentivizes mortgage referrals to the bank, with the ultimate reward being an all expense paid trip for its top performers—plus a guest! It’s predominantly travel focused and heavily curated to provide top of the line products and exclusive offerings.

Program participants have come to expect nothing shy of premium quality and annually strive to achieve a ranking that will earn them a trip of a lifetime.

Re: the user

Users must be able to shop via the catalogue, so product imagery and descriptions are most important. Lifestyle photography makes up a large portion of it and sets the tone for the kind of experience participants can look forward to.   

Tried and tested

Since the catalogue is produced annually, there’s a tried and tested process established. It begins by reviewing the client’s brand guidelines for any updates or changes. Once brand application has been settled, it’s time to source cover images that will set the tone and direction for the catalogue.

Got you covered

The cover often speaks to the nature of the trip that’s planned for the year, and products cater to the audience with factors like availability, brand and category considered.

Out of stock

One of the challenges of print is that it’s static, yet product inventory is constantly changing. So what might be offered at the start of the project’s term could no longer be available towards the end. That being said, products can often be replaced toward the final days leading up to print.