Savings.com And Valpak® Kick Off National Coupon Month With 10,000 Reasons To Save Campaign Celebrating Long-Term Impact Of Couponing

LARGO, Fla., Sept. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The majority of Americans dramatically underestimate the impact of coupons  – in fact, not one respondent to the 2013 Valpak Readership Survey was aware that couponing has the potential to save them as much as $10,000 annually, and only one-third are using coupons to save today for future spending. To help consumers realize their long-term savings potential through couponing, Savings.com and Valpak have teamed up to launch 10,000 Reasons to Save, a campaign intended to educate and empower consumers this National Coupon Month.

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As part of the campaign, Savings.com and Valpak will host a 10,000 Reasons to Save Contest, which will award one winner $10,000 to jumpstart his/her savings efforts. Now through September 15, consumers are invited to enter by sharing their personal reason for saving at www.ReasonstoSave.com. The site will also feature money-saving tips and resources to help consumers take control of their finances with an eye toward the future.  

"National Coupon Month is the perfect time to celebrate the tangible benefits of couponing," said Michael Vivio, President, Cox Target Media, provider of Valpak – a longtime leader in the couponing industry. "Too often, consumers equate couponing with short term savings, but a consistently mindful approach to shopping also presents opportunities to save for an education, a home, even retirement. The 10,000 Reasons to Save campaign is a way for everyday shoppers to start making small changes now that will impact their budgets in a big way later."  

Valpak and Savings.com are also joining forces with more than 30 Savings.com DealPros – many of whom have saved their families more than $10,000 a year through couponing. The DealPros will share expert advice on how to shop smarter, trim expenses and live a better life on a budget via their blogs and the campaign website. On September 3, select DealPros will lead a Twitter chat about saving money, and interested consumers can RSVP by visiting http://www.savings.com/blog/post/Reasons-To-Save-Twitter-Party.html. To join the conversation, consumers can follow @savings and use #reasonstosave. Later this month on September 26, DealPros will co-host a webinar on the same topic.

"The DealPro network is comprised of passionate everyday people who possess unmatched coupon expertise and savings ability," said Loren Bendele, President, Savings.com. "Through this campaign the DealPros, together with Savings.com and Valpak, are committed to helping others start down a path that will ultimately lead them to their savings goals no matter how lofty."

Kasey Trenum, cofounder of the popular savings site Time2SaveWorkshops.com and author of Couponing For the Rest of Us: The Not-So-Extreme Guide to Saving More, will be one DealPro sharing her remarkable story in hopes that it will inspire others to start saving. Trenum, along with Sami Cone, owner of SamiCone.com, will also select five finalists in the 10,000 Reasons to Save Contest based on the following criteria: offers a long-term, obtainable goal (40%); tells an emotionally compelling personal story (40%) and demonstrates thoughtfulness and care taken in writing the entry (20%). The public will then be invited to vote for their favorite entry and help select one winner to receive the $10,000 cash prize; four-runners up will each receive $500.

"After my husband was downsized and bills began piling up, my family started couponing to help rebuild our savings," says Trenum. "My biggest advice for anyone just starting out is that couponing doesn't have to be extreme to make an impact – it can fit into anyone's life with a little bit of practice and a steadfast commitment to your future."   

For many, including Trenum and Cone, the benefits of couponing regularly extend beyond monetary. In fact, according to the Valpak Readership Survey, couponing also has strong emotional and experiential benefits as well, with at least half of Americans saying that saving money makes them feel happy and satisfied. Other findings include: 

• Nearly half of respondents age 18-34 said they feel responsible when they use coupons.
• The top five emotions felt after using a coupon were: satisfaction, happiness, smart, responsible and accomplished; one in five consumers said they feel victorious after using coupons.
• Groceries or personal hygiene products, dining and clothing were identified as top areas where people most want coupons.
• Respondents list vacation, growing family and new home as their top reasons for saving long-term.
• With an additional $10,000 each year, the majority (35%) of those surveyed said they would use it toward a vacation.

About Valpak®
Valpak, one of the leading direct marketing companies in North America, is owned and operated by Cox Target Media, along with Savings.com. With nearly 170 franchises across the United States and Canada, the signature Blue Envelope® delivers savings and value to nearly 40 million households each month. Annually, Valpak will distribute some 20 billion offers inserted in more than 500 million envelopes. Valpak also offers digital solutions with http://www.Valpak.com, an online site for free coupons, e-commerce and coupon codes, which has nearly 70 million offer views each month, as well as mobile coupon app for smartphone platforms For more information about advertising with Valpak, please contact 1-800-676-6878.

About Savings.com
Savings.com helps you find the best deals on everything you want. Tell us what stores and categories you like, what city you live in, and we deliver the best deals for you. In addition to providing personalized recommendations, Savings.com has one of the most in-depth databases of online coupons. Shoppers can access thousands of exclusive offers from the biggest retailer names along with up to 100,000 active deals from online and national retailers, daily deal sites and grocery brands. More than 5 million shoppers turn to Savings.com each month as their trusted resource for deals and to interact with the site's popular community of online coupon experts, the DealPros™. Savings.com was recently ranked as one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S. by Inc. Magazine, and it's won top awards from advertiser partners, including the 2011 Innovative Publisher of the Year from LinkShare and 2010 Advertiser's Choice Award for Top Publisher from Commission Junction.

About Cox Media Group                   
Cox Media Group is an integrated broadcasting, publishing, direct marketing and digital media company that includes the national advertising rep firms of CoxReps.  Additionally, CMG owns Cox Target Media, which operates Valpak, one of North America's leading direct marketing companies, and Savings.com, a leading online source for savings.  The company's operations currently include 14 broadcast television stations and one local cable channel, 57 radio stations, eight daily newspapers and more than a dozen non-daily publications, and more than 100 digital services.  CMG currently operates in more than 20 media markets and reaches approximately 52 million Americans weekly, including more than 30 million TV viewers, more than 4 million print and online newspaper readers, and 14 million radio listeners.  For more information about Cox Media Group, please check us out online at www.coxmediagroup.com.

About the 2013 Valpak Readership Survey 
The 2013 Valpak® Readership Survey was fielded online with Valpak consumers in partnership with Research Now® Market Research in May 2013. The nationwide sample was comprised of 1,652 consumers (970 female and 682 male), unless otherwise noted; at the 95% confidence level, survey results are +/- 2.4 percentage points for the total sample. The margin of error for each sub-group varies. Survey results are +/- 4.9 percentage points for ages 18-34 and +/- 5.7 percentage points for long term savings.

Media Contact: Ashley Herendeen | [email protected] | 212.894.8323

SOURCE Cox Target Media