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Part Five Developing the Integrated Marketing Communications Program
Belch: Advertising and
Promotion, Sixth Edition
Exhibit 16-20 The Suzuki
Heisman Sweepstakes ties
into the popularity of
college football’s top award
V. Developing the
Integrated Marketing
Communications Program
16. Sales Promotion © The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
Sweepstakes and games can also be used to generate excitement and involvement
with a popular and timely event and/or as a way to get consumers to visit a company’s
website. For example, Suzuki sponsored a sweepstakes that was tied to its sponsorship
of the 2002 Heisman Trophy, which is the award given each year to the top college
football player (Exhibit 16-20). One official vote was placed in the selection of the winner
of the Heisman Trophy based on the results of the voting. Each person who voted
was also entered into the Suzuki Heisman Sweepstakes. The contest was an effective
way of associating Suzuki with this prestigious award and encouraging consumers to
visit the website, where they would learn more about the company’s vehicles.
Problems with Contests and Sweepstakes While the use of contests
and sweepstakes continues to increase, there are some problems associated with these
types of promotions. Many sweepstakes and/or contest promotions do little to contribute
to consumer franchise building for a product or service and may even detract
from it. The sweepstakes or contest often becomes the dominant focus rather than the
brand, and little is accomplished other than giving away substantial amounts of money
and/or prizes. Many promotional experts question the effectiveness of contests and
sweepstakes. Some companies have cut back or even stopped using them because of
concern over their effectiveness and fears that consumers might become dependent on
them. 42 The sweepstakes industry also received a considerable amount of negative
publicity recently. Lawsuits were filed by a number of states against American Family
Publishing for misleading consumers regarding their odds of winning large cash prizes
in AFP’s annual magazine subscription solicitation sweepstakes. 43
Numerous legal considerations affect the design and administration of contests and
sweepstakes. 44 These promotions are regulated by several federal agencies, and each
of the 50 states has its own rules. The regulation of contests and sweepstakes has
helped clean up the abuses that plagued the industry in the late 1960s and has
improved consumers’ perceptions of these promotions. But companies must still be
careful in designing a contest or sweepstakes and awarding prizes. Most firms use consultants
that specialize in the design and administration of contests and sweepstakes to
avoid any legal problems, but they may still run into problems with promotions, as
discussed in IMC Perspective 16-4.
A final problem with contests and sweepstakes is participation by professionals or
hobbyists who submit many entries but have no intention of purchasing the product or