The Scoop on PromotionsProject Support Team Blog

April 23rd, 2009

Is A T-Shirt Enough!?!

‘What’s the right draw, the right quantity, the right prize?’ Difficult decisions in planning is one of the most complicated parts of a promotion, however it’s often an afterthought in many promotions. People don’t enter promotions to win just a T-shirt, think about who your customers are and what excites them about your brand. Historically cash, trips, and cars were the most popular prizes in the promotional world. But they are getting slowly edged out by experiential and practical prizes.

For example, if you’re a sports company and can leverage athlete relationships, a trip to meet a famous athlete would be the best choice for your prize. It’s also important to not overload your prize structure with giving away too much. We’ve had the pleasure of administering a promotion that was giving away 5 separate trips to locations all over the world, all to one winner. It was an awesome prize that would create a lifetime of memories and experiences, but not exactly the most appealing to someone who has to take over a month of vacation time throughout a year to enjoy the trips. The tax burden for this type of prize is a huge concern as well.  In our opinion, one great trip would have been perfect.

It is also important to consider how many prizes you are giving away. Time and time again we will see promotions being run by national companies with one Grand Prize, a trip. What about the other prizes? As a sponsor you should consider if the carrot being dangled is enough. Consumers may ask, “Do I have a chance to win?”. That’s where secondary prizing helps out. Throw in a few well-placed first and second prizes and create excitement and energy. Secondary Prizing must entice more people to enter your promotion and to change their perception of their odds of winning.

You know what drives your customers and we know what motivates entrants. Together we can develop a prize structure that is compelling and drives entry.