A primary aim of any prize promotion should be to engage your audience. But when it comes to the prize itself, what will inspire that all important buzz?
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all, and offering material goods or even cash can work extremely well for promotions with large numbers of winners seeking instant gratification. But if you’re keen to create conversation and build a longer lasting glow, wrapping your brand up with a potentially life-long memory,- experiences are the way forward. The trend for ‘experience over stuff’ is rife in millennial and Gen Z circles, as shown in a recent study by Eventbrite in which 66% of respondents said “they felt more fulfilled by live experiences than purchasing an item of the same value”. Your brand can tap into this trend by flying the flag for experience in your prize promotions. Give away a once-in-a-lifetime holiday, kick up excitement with tickets to a dream event, or create some noise with an immersive brand experience, and you’ll start the buzz that drives entries and gets your audience sharing.
Immersive brand experiences
An enticing prize can move consumers to enter your competition, but position your brand at the heart of an experience and you’ll benefit from their social media shares too. Younger generations are keen to enrich their feeds with experiences – FOMO is real! – and you can get involved in their posts by offering an Instagram-worthy prize experience with your brand front and centre.
Immersive experiences have never been more popular – escape rooms have made their way in some shape or form into almost every town in the UK, and events like Secret Cinema have seen enduring success over the last few years. Holiday snaps from a luxury holiday are one thing, but a prize trip or experience intrinsically linked to your brand will insert the competition winner into the world of your product, creating lasting memories with your brand in the leading role – just like this once-in-a-lifetime event we organized for Crunch Fitness to celebrate their 30th anniversary. We took over a private island in Belize, installed branding, and jetted 15 competition winners and their guests in to enjoy an exclusive three-day boot camp in paradise – definitely one for the feed!
Putting the winner in the driving seat
Immersing competition winners in the world of your brand isn’t the only way to harness the power of experience. Why not set your consumers’ imaginations alight by putting them in the driving seat? Cash, cars and tech definitely have a place in promotions, but give a winner a chance to bring their dream holiday to life or tick that must-do experience off their bucket list, and you’ll ignite conversation and create incredible content to be shared long after the competition closes. In this post-pandemic era, people have never been more ready to explore – you can give your winners a chance to let their imaginations – and their wanderlust – run wild!
Whether you dunk your winners headfirst into a brand-focused event or give them a chance to take charge of their own prize trip, put the spotlight on experience and you’ll create a truly memorable prize promotion with your brand at its heart.
Speak to Sarah if you would like more information on +44 (0)20 8871 9959 or email sarah@element-london.com.
