PLASCON AND TLC WORLDWIDE TURN SEASONAL SLOWDOWNS INTO SALES MOMENTUM

The Challenge

As a category leader, Plascon operates in a market where purchasing behaviour among trade professionals and consumers is often cyclical. Sales historically softened during certain periods of the year – particularly in Q1 and Q2 – when construction and renovation activity slowed. Despite strong brand loyalty, this seasonality created gaps in volume and reduced opportunities to stay front of mind among contractors, painters and consumers who are DIY enthusiasts.

Beyond seasonality, the broader economic climate added pressure. Rising costs, reduced discretionary spend, and operational challenges meant trade customers were more cautious about purchasing decisions. Plascon needed a way to stimulate demand without eroding value through discounting, while also reinforcing long-term brand preference. 

Why TLC

Plascon selected TLC Worldwide for its proven ability to engage the customer and influence behaviour through rewards that feel meaningful rather than promotional. TLC’s deep understanding of trade audiences, combined with its experience running high-volume, guaranteed-value programmes, made it a natural partner for the duo of campaigns. 

Further differentiating TLC was its ability to localise reward strategies to South Africa’s economic and cultural context, ensuring each incentive delivered real perceived value.   

The TLC Approach

TLC Worldwide worked closely with Plascon to design and execute two tailored campaigns, each aligned to the client’s specific business objectives and market conditions, while maintaining a consistent brand experience. 

Colour Connection 

The first campaign was launched in 2021 to address early-year sales declines. Drawing on extensive retail experience globally, TLC developed a simple, accessible model that allowed customers to unlock guaranteed lifestyle rewards by purchasing participating Plascon products and uploading proof of purchase via a dedicated redemption platform.   

Choose Strong   

Building on the success of Colour Connection, Plascon returned to TLC to launch Choose Strong in 2023. This campaign shifted focus toward retention and sustained engagement in a challenging economic environment. TLC curated a higher-value reward offering that reflected modern interests, including movie tickets, hotel vouchers, and excursions, as well as the more practical prizes such as Pick n' Pay and invertors. Once again, the redemption journey was frictionless, ensuring participation remained easy for busy contractors and renovators. 

Across both campaigns, TLC’s role extended beyond rewards – providing strategic insight, local market understanding, and operational support, which ensured that each campaign felt relevant, generous, and aligned with Plascon’s brand promise.