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October 8, 2008 • Posted by Michael Ferrari

SmartyPig Down Under

 

Today we announced our partnership with Australia New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ) to provide innovative social savings to Gen Y Australian banking customers with http://www.smartypig.com.au. A-U, as we call it, will launch first of November. We could not be more excited!

Here's why: Australians are among fastest in the world to adopt new technology, and ANZ is THE bank when it comes to pushing the financial services envelope with tech upgrades. First to mobile and now first to the social side of saving - and they are seemingly poised to keep pushing to reach out to the next generation of banking customers... cool, hip savers like you. ANZ also has 6 million customers, close to AUD$400 billion in assets and is exposing SmartyPig to the largest emerging markets in the world.

That means we're working tirelessly to grow... and grow fast.

The partnership is only our first international expansion of SmartyPig, and ANZ is the perfect partner to prove the model overseas because ANZ has a clear strategy to reach a very important, very socially plugged-in demographic. And as you sit here reading this, we are planning our next move.

See, we know we can't save the world, but we know we can help the world save. It's a message that resonated from coast to coast inside of three months of our public launch and is now without borders. Why? Because people know they need to rethink how they approach their finances, no matter where they are from. This "foreign" mind-set is attracting their banks, which are, in turn, contacting us. It's flattering that it's catching on so rapidly, but it truly is little more than common sense: save up before you buy something.

People don't typically read press releases, but here's what ANZ Chief Executive Officer, Australia, Brian Hartzer, said on ours, "We know that young people have unique needs when it comes to their finances. They look for simple, efficient and secure ways to manage their money and are more likely to bank online, as they are very comfortable with the technology. We're particularly excited about launching SmartyPig in Australia, as it's a forward-thinking savings product that appeals to the tech-savvy and time-poor consumer. Partnering with companies like SmartyPig who can innovate and get to market rapidly helps us extend our point of difference."

Mr. Hartzer's claim of SmartyPig being "forward thinking," we think, hits the nail on the head. In this economy - in this global economy - you can't look back. You have to move forward, aim high, get out from under, examine things differently. See, it's all about setting goals. Goals are optimistic. Working together and sharing an experience makes it more meaningful. We at SmartyPig are ecstatic that people are taking notice, but to be honest, it is you all that are doing the real work.

Thanks for letting us be a part of it. And please help spread the word about Simple, Smart, Saving.

Tags: anz   •  smartypig   •  australia

4 Comments |

October 2, 2008 • Posted by Erica Adams

October (September) Twitter Winners Announced

We rolled the dice to find out who won our $100 Twitter contest this month and had a blast! We had over 70 correct answers within 10 minutes to our question "Who is our new retail partner and what percent is the boost?"

The answer is Overstock.com with a 6% boost! You can read about our new retail partner on our blog.

Three lucky Twitterers won $100 today - one of whom has made it into the top 20 in almost every contest and finally won today!

Watch the video:

Congratulations to ku5h, chrispunke and soZealous! chrispunke confirmed that it pays to play and finally won!

Good luck in next months contest to all.

Here were the top 20!

ku5h, q2mobile, justbrady, mattsnyder, urvile, chrispunke, abbieshipton, 4danj, abbylaner, davereid, chewbocka, broox, jensir, ericos, jennoz, CourtneeCee, trenttsd, soZealous, dajwhite, Tony_Leo

Tags: twitter contest   •  gift cards   •  smartypig   •  video

2 Comments |

September 29, 2008 • Posted by Michael Ferrari

Overstock.com New SmartyPig Retailer With 6% Cash Boost!

We are not typically at liberty to share the cash boosts offered by our retail partners, but then Overstock.com is not your typical retailer. So gung-ho are they to offer their wares to our customers they trumped our highest cash boost of 5% and didn't care if we told you all about it.

Our agreement with each retailer dictates that we cannot disclose the exact boosts until a customer is ready to close their account, as the boosts can change and we cannot promise a number now that may be different months or years into the future when you reach your goal. The good news is that we are already seeing retailers who want to negotiate with us to make sure they get your business, as well as new retailers who are ready to put their money where their mouth is. Case in point: Overstock.com.

Overstock.com is able to deliver quality, name-brand products at deep discounts, while we at SmartyPig have always insisted that sensible consumers have the option of earning more money for their money. Together, it will be next to impossible for the discerning shopper to find a better deal online, which is key when budgets are tight. And we're excited to continue to maximize our customers' savings as our audience grows.

See, a SmartyPig customer who saves up for a new $1,400 flat screen TV for a year (after making a $100 initial deposit to set up their goal and making 12 additional $100 deposits over the ensuing 12 months) would earn nearly $25 in interest, and the boost from Overstock would be approximately $80 at time of redemption. That's an extra $100 on a smart $1,300 investment. And more importantly, at the end of the day, you own the television, not your credit card company.

Tags: overstock   •  smartypig   •  retailers

0 Comments |

September 25, 2008 • Posted by Erica Adams

Twitter Contest Rescheduled

Well - we tried to hold our contest - but guess what - Twitter went down! Instead of seeing the dreaded 'fail whale', this time, we were all treated to a pop up to log into their staging server. Nice one.

We will reschedule the Twitter contest for the same time, same place next week - Thursday, October 2nd.

We did, however, happen to get our September question out there, so we won't reuse that one - that would be too easy! Sorry for the inconvenience, but hopefully this gives everyone enough time to brush up on their SmartyPig trivia and win big next Thursday.

Contest will be

• Thursday, October 2nd at 3pm CST.

Tags: twitter contest   •  gift cards   •  smartypig   •  video

0 Comments |

September 22, 2008 • Posted by Erica Adams

September Twitter Contest Announced

We'll be rolling the dice on Thursday, September 25 at 3pm CST! SmartyPig will be giving away three $100 gift cards through our monthly Twitter contest. We will tweet a question and give our followers 15 minutes to reply to us. We've had so much fun doing our past contests, that we are really looking forward to this one - and to a new way of choosing our winners!

1. After 15 minutes, we will be picking 20 random people with a number generator from the pool of correct answers.
2. We will then roll a 20 sided dice to pick the lucky winners.
3. We'll make sure to document everything by video and post it here on our blog!

Make sure:

1. You're following us on Twitter
2. We'll ask the $100 question on Thursday, September 25 at 3pm CST
3. Answer the question correctly for your chance to win!

Remember: if you don't already have a SmartyPig account, it's Free to set one up! Winner must be in the US.

Good Luck!

 

Tags: twitter contest   •  gift cards   •  smartypig   •  video

1 Comment |