Using branded promotional items in a prize draw is a simple and effective way to attract new customers and engage with them. They are relatively easy to organise and administer which makes them attractive to anyone wishing to create a buzz and can be run on websites, on social media, on-pack and in-store, often generating thousands of entries and creating countless happy winners.
But beware,
badly run promotions are vulnerable to abuse, cheating and public reprimands
from the Advertising Standards Authority which can badly damage your brand’s
reputation and finances.
So we asked
PromoVeritas for their hints and advice. This long established company helps to
shape and implement prize draws for some of the world’s favourite brands,
making sure that promotions are safe and compliant in order to protect
consumers’ rights and to keep the brand free from risk, fraud and negative
publicity. Here are their tips for keeping your next prize draw free from
trouble.
Always plan ahead – Determine
the key aspects of the prize draw before you begin to promote it. Consider
things like number of prizes, how long the promotion will run for and how people
enter first. For instance, there may be a long lead time for the promotional
item you want to giveaway, the postage may be prohibitive or you don’t have a
clue how to organise a Facebook contest – issues like these need to be resolved
before you begin.
T&Cs are the key – Invest
in using experts to create a solid set of Terms and Conditions. These should
cover the most important elements of the promotion – how to enter, the open and
closing dates, the number of prizes on offer – as well as other legal
disclaimers that will protect your promotion from abuse by scammers. T&Cs
are an essential legal agreement between the promoter and they can’t be changed
once the promotion begins. And don’t forget to include them in any social media
post relating to your promotion.
Be Independent – Many
promoters do not realise that they cannot just ask a member of staff to pick a
winner. There are strict rules surrounding independent winner selection. The CAP Code is the
rule-book for sales promotions in the UK (there are different rules in every
country) and it requires promoters to demonstrate integrity and fairness by
ensuring there is independent supervision of winner selection (Rules 8.24,
8.25, 8.26). Using an independent service such as PromoVeritas will guarantee
your promotion is totally compliant.
Commit to your winners – Once the
promotion has ended and you have had your winners independently selected you
must send out the prizes within 30 days – another CAP Code rule. And make sure the
prizes are the ones specified or you could get into big trouble with Trading
Standards too. Promoters also need to publish a list of major winners (surname
and county only).
You must
simply remember to be fair with your prize draw – don’t try to mislead
consumers – and you won’t get into too much trouble. To find out more about how
PromoVeritas can help make your next prize draw a success visit www.promoveritas.com or call
+44 203 325 6000.
