“Gift Smart” Campaign by the RGCA​

Transforming the gift card safety narrative

While fraud involving gift cards affects only a small fraction of total gift cards sold, media coverage in 2023 had become disproportionately negative, potentially discouraging consumers from purchasing one of America’s most requested gifts and damaging the industry’s reputation. Lawmakers also began to take notice.​

During the 2024 holiday season, the non-profit Retail Gift Card Association (RGCA) launched a comprehensive consumer education campaign to reframe the conversation around gift card safety. As individual retailer and other members are often reluctant to address fraud publicly, the RGCA was uniquely positioned as the industry’s trade association to take the lead on this sensitive but crucial conversation while providing added value to its membership.​

The campaign strategically combined broadcast media tours, audio news releases, social media advertising, infographics, videos, and proactive media outreach to shift coverage from alarmist warnings to balanced, solution-oriented consumer education. ​

All campaign content directed consumers back to RGCA-managed GiftCardSafety.org, where visitors can learn more about spotting and reporting fraud year-round.​

The Results.

• ​Transformed media narrative from crisis to education:​​
• ​Coverage shifted from “avoid gift cards” to “how to gift safely”​
• Stories highlighted gift cards as top holiday choice while educating on smart shopping
• Positioned the industry and RGCA members as proactive leaders in consumer protection
• Successfully balanced fraud awareness narrative with practical safety tips

• National and regional broadcast coverage in nearly 290 US markets via 1,400+ television airings across major networks including Lifetime, Family Channel, and YouToo America​​

• 1,350+ radio broadcasts across ABC News Radio, CBS Radio, and Main Street Radio

• Exceptional social media engagement:​​
• ​80% engagement rate on carousel ads (industry benchmark: 5-10%)​​
• 445K+ post engagements​
• 25K+ clicks to campaign landing site​

• Significant website impact:​​
• ​86%+ increase in total site traffic​​
• Campaign landing page became #1 most visited page (69% of all website traffic)​
• 9,800% year-over-year growth in campaign landing page visitors​

• Secured positive media coverage topping 212M+ in reach in top-tier national media outlets such as:​​
• ​GoBankingRates (syndicated to MSN, Yahoo! News, AOL)​​​
• NBC affiliates
• AARP Bulletin​