Blackhawk Network Honors Excellence in Gift Card Industry

"The Hawk Awards are an opportunity for Blackhawk Network to highlight the best practices that have contributed not only to the success of Blackhawk, but to the advancement and growth of the industry overall," said Donald Kingsborough, president and chief executive officer of Blackhawk Network.

The Hawk Awards were distributed to industry leaders in five key areas; Card Design, Promotion, Product Innovation, Industry Achievement and Best Overall Gift Card Program.

• Best Card Design - Southwest Airlines. Southwest Airlines' clear impactful execution successfully conveys their brand's messaging, attracts their loyal customers and promotes purchases by standing out in busy retail environments.
• Best Promotional Program - Universal Orlando(R) Resort. By demonstrating the ability to effectively showcase their product while creating a compelling call to action with their Halloween Horror Nights campaign, Universal Orlando(R) Resort successfully raised awareness of their product and increased sales.
• Most Innovative Product or Service - NetSpend Corporation. NetSpend Corporation exhibited their commitment to the development of prepaid financial products that empower consumers with the launch of Visa Travel Money, the first co-branded Visa Travel product ever to be retailed in the grocery/third-party channel.
• Industry Achievement - iTunes. iTunes' break through marketing and merchandising programs have significantly increased overall consumer awareness of the third-party category, sold record levels of cards and increased visibility and consumer involvement for the entire industry.
• Best Gift Card Program - Target. Target continues to excel in all areas of the gift card marketplace including product design, marketing and advertising. Target's commitment to gift cards is evident in their support of the industry and the growth of their in-store program. Target was recognized for their overall program and the contributions they have made to the entire industry.

Blackhawk Network, is a prepaid and payments network, a market leader in card-based financial solutions and the largest provider of third-party prepaid cards. Blackhawk Network develops unique products in easy-to-use formats and delivers them to consumers through an exclusive retail network of leading grocery, mass, convenience, drug and specialty retailers. The network includes more than 60,000 storefronts and reaches more than 135 million consumers each week. Headquartered in Pleasanton, California, Blackhawk Network has offices worldwide including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. For more information please visit www.blackhawknetwork.com.