News

Sep
23
2016

21,000 Olive Garden Pasta Passes Sold Out in Less Than One Second

That's a lot of fettuccine alfredo!

Less than one second after making their triumphant return to the marketplace, all 21,000 of Olive Garden’s Never-Ending Pasta Passes were snapped up by thousands of people who are apparently unfamiliar with the phrase “too much of a good thing.” To put it in perspective, that’s enough Alfredo-slurping, breadstick-wielding Pasta Pass holders to fill Madison Square Garden.

Pasta Pass holders will be able to gorge themselves on seven weeks’ worth of unlimited pasta, soup or salad, breadsticks, and soda, as often as they want — or are physically capable of? — between October 3 through November 20.

Last year, Olive Garden offered 2,000 passes, all of which were claimed in less than a minute. This year, the chain opted to sell 21,000 in honor of its 21st anniversary — and seemingly could have sold many more.

Sales went live on Thursday at 2 p.m. EST. According to a spokesperson, the first 21,000 people to click “purchase” were able to claim their Pasta Passes: “Everyone else received the sold out message, which for them occurred in less than one second/immediately.”

There are still a handful of passes left — though those who want one will have to duke it out on eBay, where 21 are currently being auctioned to benefit Feeding America. Fair warning: Prices are already well past the original $100, with some bidding as high as $810.

Now the question remains: Will any of this year’s Pasta Pass holders be able to eat more chicken Alfredo than OG superfan Alan Martin, who in 2014 consumed some $1,840 worth of Olive Garden pasta in just seven weeks?

Source: Eater.com, by Virginia Chamlee - September 16, 2016

 

A Team Effort

The success of the Olive Garden Never-Ending Pasta Pass wouldn't be possible without the collaboration of several vendors who work regularly with Darden Brands. Travel Tags, Inc. had the pleasure of partnering with Darden Brands (Olive Garden) for another year on the card production and fulfillment of the Never-Ending Pasta Pass. We're honored to be part of an impressive group of vendors who can implement such a successful marketing campaign as the Never-Ending Pasta Pass, year after year!

 

MEDIA CONTACT:
KATIE SINSKY | MARKETING DEPT.
651 554 8533
KRLasee@traveltags.com 

TAGS:   card fulfillment, card manufacturing, Gift Card Services, Loyalty, Rewards and Membership, trends

Aug
26
2016

eBay Sells Gift Cards for Gifting Company Stock

Offering gift cards is nothing new for eBay, but on Monday it began carrying a very different type of gift card - one that allows recipients to purchase shares of stock in publicly-traded companies.

 

 

"eBay and Stockpile have teamed up to make it easier than ever to access the US stock market," according to the announcement. "With the launch of Stockpile gift cards on eBay's US marketplace, eBay becomes one of the first ecommerce companies to offer this new category of digital gift cards for stock."

eBay has launched a new wine category and live-auctions in recent years, and eBay CEO Devin Wenig has been hinting that new categories were coming. But as with other new categories, don't expect to be able to sell the items yourself.

In fact, to be clear, no one is selling actual shares of stock on eBay. Rather, PayPal Digital Gifts is selling Stockpile gift cards on the marketplace - and shoppers go to the Stockpile site to consummate the trade.

eBay spokesperson Ryan Moore pointed EcommerceBytes to the eBay Gift Card policy. "We allow PayPal to sell third party retailers' electronically delivered gift cards on eBay. Because we believe that PayPal's digital platform allows buyers to purchase these items on eBay in the most risk-free way, PayPal is currently the only entity allowed to sell electronically-delivered gift cards on eBay."

Shoppers who purchase them pay more than the value of the card. Currently PayPal Digital Gifts is selling a $25 gift card delivered via email for $29.95 and a $50 gift card for $56.95.

The description explains, "If you redeem a $50 gift card and the stock price is $100 when you redeem, you'll get half a share of stock."

General Manager for Gift Cards at eBay Wafa Dahel said Monday, "We're proud to be one of the first ecommerce companies in the nation to offer gift cards for stock, a new category for eBay. This innovative and unique gifting idea of stock speaks volume to what eBay is about - smart, fun and engaging with our customers."

 

Source: ecommercebytes.com, August 16, 2016 -- Ina Steiner

MEDIA CONTACT:
KATY LASEE | MARKETING DEPT.
651 554 8533
KRLasee@traveltags.com

TAGS:   Gift Card Services

May
12
2016

TTi is recognized for Elan Awards at the 26th Annual ICMA Expo

Inver Grove Heights, MN - Travel Tags, Inc. has been recognized for excellence by the International Card Manufacturers Association (ICMA), a global trade association for card manufacturers, personalizers, issuers and suppliers, at the 2016 Elan Awards for Card Manufacturing Excellence.

Jeffrey Barnhart, ICMA founder and executive director, revealed the winners at a festive carnival themed evening reception and dinner held April 6 at Universal's Loews Royal Pacific Resort in Orlando, Florida, during the 26th Annual ICMA EXPO. 

TTi participated in the Loyalty, Promotional and Gift Cards category, wining both Finalist spots for the Cabela's Shooting Clay Lenticular card, manufactured for Cabela's, and the Starbucks Special Edition Kona Heritage Card, manufactured for Starbucks Coffee Company. 

 
Cabela's Shooting Clay Lenticular Card

Cabela's was interested in a lenticular card for their gift card offering and approached an expert in the field. Travel Tags' Creative Team was able to enhance Cabela's artwork and make it lenticular-ready with multiple motion and depth effects. For this particular card, the lenticular print features an up/down multiphase effect, flipping between three stages of a person shooting a clay disc mid-air. 

 

Starbucks Special Edition Kona Heritage Card

This special-edition Kona Heritage Card is made with recycled burlap coffee bags and features a design of the original Pike Place, celebrating the birthplace of Starbucks Coffee Company. This one-of-a-kind Kona paper is the result of converting post-consumer waste into a whole new element. It is estimated that more than 10 million burlap bags of coffee are traded globally, providing thousands of tons of burlap for repurposing into products like this paper. In each card, a slight rough texture can be felt with noticeable pieces of jute, or paper fibers. The card features beautiful gold foil stamping, informing the recipient of its unique elements. In addition, the top layer has been debossed in register to the printing, highlighting the Pike Place storefront.

 


In the global arena of world-class cards, the ICMA Elan Awards for Card Manufacturing Excellence celebrates the pinnacle of design innovation, security, and technical achievements in the industry by leading manufacturers from around the globe. "We're proud to be recognized in conjunction with the pretigious brands we work with. It's our mission to engage with clients to not only provide them with a product but to create growth for their brands through innovative solutions," says Jeff Horst, Creative Director for TTi. 

Click here for a complete list of winners and finalists of the 2016 Elan Awards. Congratulations to all for their achievement!

 

MEDIA CONTACT:
KATY LASEE | MARKETING DEPT.
651 554 8533
KRLasee@traveltags.com

TAGS:   Gift Card Services, ICMA, ICMA Elan Award