Competitions Discussion Thread Part 8

toniq

50+

jill36 wrote: »

Hi Everyone so I've you all. What I mean to say is I agree to receive all mailing from the company running the competition + 3rd mail contacts.

Like Toniq said earlier, you do get early notification of comps, + I still think the companies putting up the prizes want something back from us.

Entering comps on line is not the same as going into their shop, browsing, and then buying something to be entered into the competition IMO.

I would be interested in knowing a bit more about Mailwasher and anti-virus spyware. So if Toniq is around maybe she could arrange a masterclass.:D

Jill xx

errr.................no!
mailwasher

xxx
your spyware is down to your personal preference, no way am i gonna be liable if anyone gets anything on their puter from anything i recommend xx
the techie board has a list of best free ones xx
My oh is a Techie by trade so i have the best that he can get on my puter xx

dementedhousewife

50+

Helpmesave wrote: »

I can't see it. I know Gilliana usually puts it on, but I can't see one for last week either.

I'll put it on now.

Thanks hun, I thought for a moment that they had stopped doing it xx

krailton

50+

I have a question and wonder if someone can help me?
The competitions they have running in the onlinepaper like the greenochtelegraph and also slough observer, and are listed on here have the same prizes and closing dates...can we enter them both, or are they all the same? Its just i have found another onlinepaper that as the same prizesand competition closing dates , so not sure to post it or not?

thank you

luvvabargin

As has been said, companies give stuff away as an advertising promotion, and they expect to get something back from that, just as they would from advertising on TV or Newspaper etc.

Companies will measure the cost of sending out hundreds of prizes or freebies, against the returns they get by way of increased sales or enquiries etc.

So, by opting for no contact, and filtering out every email apart from winning notifications, you may well do a lot of unintended damage in the long run. Good email marketing systems are fully monitored to see if the emails are opened by the intended recipient, or rejected by mailwasher etc. or simply bounce.

So what I mean by this is that if companies get a set of figures back from a freebie / prize comp promotion that has cost them £X and they have only got a few sales leads / website hits / email deliveries from it, then they are unlikely to run that kind of promotion again, and stick to traditional advertising that has been more effective in the past, especially in these tight times for everyone. Like anything in business, it is all about return on investment.

So I would suggest a quick browse around the promotors website after you sign up for their freebie or comp, and again if they send you a follow up email, have a quick look back at their website - it only takes a few seconds after all. All these visitor stats are very carefully logged and analysed by boffins, and if the promotor is getting good value for the stuff they are giving away, they are more likely to do it again in the future (which means more free stuff for us all!)

mpython

I disagree Luvabargain, if a competition is genuine, it has to be run above board and not require purchases or reading emails unless the competition specifically says its a requirement of entry.

Companies use competitions as a way to 'promote' their product, rather than sell, compared to other less efficient non-competition routes. They know they will have a higher retention/ recall for their product or company via competitons which will often get them free column inches/ radio air time, so will justify their costs without the need for people to sign up unecessarily.

IMHO the number of on-line competitions has grown steadily over the last few years and has been unrelated to whether people signed up to emails or websites.

toniq

50+

Mpython, have u been hiding? xxx

chickaroonee

50+

I have won loads from comps over the last year or so, and always opt out of communication. Maybe there are some "rogue" comps where it makes a difference, but not the vast majority.

mpython

Hi Toniq,

Yes, I started a new job a couple of months ago and only get online occasionally now.

toniq

50+

tsk! dont they understand u need to comp! xxx

luvvabargin

Mpython - I didn't say that if you didn't read emails you wouldn't get entered into the competition - I wasn't at all suggesting that competitions were 'fixed' in that kind of way.

I was saying that unless the companies that give out the prizes see some return (IE that their promotion has been successful and has brought some more people to their website, for example) then they might think twice before doing the same thing again...

I was suggesting that if companies feel that all they are doing is giving away never ending freebies to what they might consider to be professional free-loaders, then they might start to clamp down on free prize comps or give-aways.

NO - before I get flamed, I AM NOT calling anyone a f-r-e-e-l-o-a-d-e-r - However, if I was a business that gave away 1000 thingamys, only to discover my prize competition had ended up being entered by 90% professional compers that had no interest in my marketing message, then I wouldn't bother with it a second time... However, if I got the stats back to say that 90% of people who claimed a freebie or entered my comp had also had a look around my website whilst they were there, then I would probably think it was a worthwhile exercise...

Think on, and please READ what I have written before commenting!