Sweepstakes marketing is a great consumer promotion tactic that engages loyal customers and drums up awareness with new ones.
Digital sweepstakes are especially appealing to consumers because they're easier to enter and offer richer, more rewarding experiences than traditional models (mail-in, for example). Digitally focused sweepstakes involve a lot of moving parts, but they’re an important and fun aspect of your marketing strategy.
Our experts have years of experience in sweepstakes management for global brands. Read on to discover our best practice recommendations and innovative sweepstakes examples that show you just how effective and versatile they can be.
First things first: what do we mean by sweepstakes?
A sweepstake, commonly referred to as a giveaway, involves nothing but chance. Sweepstakes winners are chosen at random. This differentiates them from traditional contests, which require specific skills or talents to win.
When it comes to holding a fair sweepstakes, there are a few other aspects you must consider. These include:
We live in a technology-driven society. Gen Z – the first truly digital native generation – represents an increasingly large percentage of today’s consumers. And with consumers’ use of technology growing daily, the days of entering a sweepstakes by simply filling out a card and dropping it in a ballot box are far behind us.
Digital sweepstakes and contests resonate more than traditional formats because:
Let’s take a look at various ways you can incorporate digital sweepstakes in your marketing and promotional strategies.
Today's consumers expect consistent, omnichannel experiences that allow them to interact with brands when, where, and how they choose. Leveraging omnichannel for sweepstakes and other promotions can be difficult, but Snipp streamlines the process for your brand and your customers.
Omnichannel sweepstakes example. Goose Island (AB Inbev), a craft beer manufacturer, wanted to offer consumers a more cohesive, omnichannel shopper experience by seamlessly unlocking consumers' transactional and behavioral data from their offline and online UK network. Goose Island relied on partner ZX Ventures and Snipp's promotions solutions and transaction processing platform to put in place an engaging tactic to collect first party consumer data.
Consumers could scan an image of their receipt for any Goose Island qualifying product, or upload an image of a Goose Island pint glass to a specific webpage. Snipp integrated our receipt processing and image validation technology via a widget on the Goose Island’s site for a seamless consumer experience. A valid receipt or image gives consumers an entry into a sweepstakes program for a chance to win selected rewards.
Influencers can help promote and be a part of your sweepstakes. 69% of consumers trust influencers, friends, and family recommendations more than brands. Take advantage of this to create promotions that really resonate with your customers.
Influencer sweepstakes example. GlaxoSmithKline used stories of celebrities who've quit smoking to help drive awareness and sales for their Nicorette products. They offered a sweepstakes opportunity for friends and family to connect with their loved ones through these stories.
GSK asked friends and family to register on their website to enter the sweepstakes and nominate someone in their life who could benefit from a personalized video from a celebrity. At the end of the program, winners were randomly chosen and received a personalized video with that celebrity to encourage the nominee to stop smoking. Snipp’s turnkey Sweepstakes solution brought the program to market quickly, while Snipp also provided a customized solution to GSK for winner notification and fulfillment.
When you think of a sweepstakes, you might think of a big grand prize. But you can use multiple smaller prizes as well for your marketing. Small prizes - like gift cards - are an opportunity to drive retail-specific sales, just like Under Armour did with Canadian retailer, Sport Chek.
Gift card with sweepstakes example. Under Armour held a national sweepstakes where consumers could purchase any Under Armour product(s) at Sport Chek to earn an entry into the sweepstakes. Consumers had the option to submit their receipt by text or web for the chance to win one of five $500 Sport Chek gift cards and one Grand Prize of an ultimate VIP NHL Experience for four.
No purchase necessary (NPN) sweepstakes can be just as effective at driving awareness and sales as purchase-based promotions. Why? Because it lowers the barrier to entry, simplifies the user experience, and increases engagement.
No purchase necessary sweepstakes example. Snipp worked with Beam Suntory Hornitos to create a non-purchase sweepstakes that increased awareness of the brand's status as the official tequila of the Boston Red Sox and Hornitos Cantina. Customers who registered on the promotion's age and state-gated microsite earned the chance to win four free tickets to a Red Sox game and, best of all, the opportunity to throw the first pitch at the iconic Fenway Park.
Combining your sweepstakes promotion with a traditional punch card program is a great way to increase engagement and sales. The punch card element helps to drive repeat purchases, while the sweepstakes at the end offers extra motivation for customers who may have less interest in your brand or offering.
Punch card sweepstakes example. Monster Energy create an innovative punch card promotion with a sweepstakes overlay. During the promotion, anyone who purchased 10 cans of the brand's energy drink earned a branded snap-back hat. Additionally, every receipt submission – validated by our market-leading receipt processing platform – at a branded microsite gave the entrant the chance to win a Monster “Strat Guitar.”
Snipp's turnkey sweepstakes services include winner drawings, winner notification, and a mail-in alternative method of entry (AMOE) to meet “no purchase necessary” guidelines.
A sweepstake is one of the most effective ways to drive consumers to specific products. But by pairing it with a classic gift-with-purchase promotion, you can provide customers with additional gratification which, in turn, helps to increase brand awareness and loyalty.
Gift-with-purchase sweepstakes example. Air Wick worked with Snipp to drive sales at two of the brand’s key US retail partners. Shoppers who spent more than $15 on Air Wick products and uploaded a picture of their receipt to the promotion website earned a $5 gift card. They were also entered into a grand prize sweepstakes for the chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip to Yellowstone National Park.
The best part of being a loyal brand customer is the perks, like early access to deals and limited swag. Why not run a loyalty members-only sweepstakes to re-engage your biggest fans?
Members-only sweepstakes example. Blue Buffalo wanted to build awareness and drive sales and loyalty for their Blue Wilderness line of dog and cat food. Snipp built a customer loyalty program, where pet parents could register and submit receipts of their Blue Buffalo purchases via web upload, email, or SMS. This earned them points for every dollar spent on Blue Wilderness products.
The application included a PetSmart-exclusive sweepstakes, where people who shopped at the retailer earned an entry for a chance to win a Petsmart gift card in a monthly random drawing.
Whether your brand is breaking into a new retailer or you want to show some love to an existing retail partnership, retail-specific sweepstakes are a great driver of traffic and sales to strengthen that partnership.
Retail-specific sweepstakes example. Kraft Heinz Canada created a dynamic, cross-brand sweepstakes program with Budweiser and the Toronto Blue Jays to drive sales at Sobeys and Safeway. Customers who upload a picture of their receipt on any Heinz Ketchup 750ml bottle or Budweiser non-alcoholic beer 6-10 packs were entered into a grand prize sweepstakes. At the end of the promotion, the 10 lucky entrants won a once-in-a-lifetime Blue Jays weekend for two.
See more Sweepstakes Examples here.
Sweepstakes marketing can be an incredibly powerful tool with multiple advantages – especially when entry is as easy as texting a photo! Make sure to work with the right sweepstakes agency.
Snipp’s Customer Acquisition, Retention, and Engagement (C.A.R.E.) platform allows you to leverage receipt processing for your sweepstakes and promotions to make entry easy while providing you with vital zero-party customer data!
We help you handle the technical, operational, and legal aspects of sweepstakes management, including steps like accounting for geographic range, age-gating, and prize fulfillment. Learn how to develop, run, and measure successful sweepstakes with Snipp.