The Gadget Show Competition

Leopard

BillScarab wrote: »

I doubt if you have more chance of winning the lottery. The odds on winning the UK lotto are 14 million to one, I very much doubt if anywhere near that number enter the gadget show competition.

Surely the whole point is to publicise the gadget show. By offering a huge prize they get people talking about it and hopefully watching the show.

I disagree. The whole point of it is to earn money from optimistic mugs making expensive 'phone calls. If they offer £30,000 worth of items (that they only have to deliver to one place, in a truck) and half a million people ring in to try to win it, they make a huge profit. They can then boost their advertising rates as well, by being able to say, "Look, half a million people watch our show." (To which a wised-up advertiser would retort, "Well, you got half a million 'phone calls but how many of them were from people ringing several times?")

It's possible they would stick stooges into an audience to claim that they had been winners but it could backfire if they were exposed (for example, by a newspaper). They're more likely to have shipped in past winners free-of-charge and with the lure of lavish hospitality.


nomoreheroes,

I could understand you wanting to win £30,000 in cash (with which you could buy whatever of those gadgets you wanted) but why on earth would you want to win four laptops, five televisions, two hoovers and three tents? And where would you put them? The way it's run, whole thing is just a gross and cynical exploitation of mindless greed.



PS. The odds of winning the jackpot in the National Lottery may be 1 in about 14 million (1 in 13,983,8i6, to be precise) but a ticket still costs only a pound. Significantly, though you might have to share the prize. Still, you'd be likely to get a lot more than £30,000. And you could win £30 million.

The odds of winning the "5 numbers + Bonus Number" come down to 1 in 2,330,636 and the odds of winning "5 Numbers" drop to 1 in 55,491 (point 3, recurring). And a lot more than 55,500 people watch The Gadget Show.

Big numbers, perhaps, but they're totally dwarfed by the £1,300,000,000,000 (count the zeros!) that Gordon Brown has managed to get the country into debt. Paying that lot back (with interest) will cost you a lot more than a pound a week.

fitshase

I enter on the odd time that I watch the show. However, I cannot see the logic behind people complaining about multiple prizes.

If I won I wouldn't keep everything (same as if I won the lottery). For example, PS3 and X-Box would go to brother-in-law who is a gamer as I am not that into games. Any spare laptops would go to other family members, along with spare TVs, etc. iPods and such like would go to friends who are into music.

If the prizes were split up and you only had the chance to win an iPod, how many people would text in at the cost of £1? The large prize tempts people to enter as it is a good return if you win. Just like the lottery.

p.s., list of winners for all Five competitions is here.

Leopard

I'd be interested to know how many winners get burgled after a large truck has pulled up outside their house and publicly disgorged £30,000 of goodies.

You'd need to get your house contents insurance raised before it was even delivered!

I wonder what happens if it's won by somebody who lives in a one bedroom council flat at the top of a tower block?

chelms38

I love that show and would probably die of shock if I ever won the competition.Do you think the hosts get free gadgets for their homes?

Leopard

I'm shocked that you could even suggest such a thing!

I have to say that I'd be interested to see what they declare on their personal tax returns. :cool:

barrymoney

I'm sure the extra advertising works, but I am becoming immune to that part of the show, I go off and make a cup of tea. Anyway, cant complain, I love the show and theres not much tech on tv.

Darksun

Leopard wrote: »

It's possible they would stick stooges into an audience to claim that they had been winners but it could backfire if they were exposed (for example, by a newspaper). They're more likely to have shipped in past winners free-of-charge and with the lure of lavish hospitality.

Well, I'm sure that free tickets to the live show are sometimes part of the advertised prize bundle, which would explain why there are winners in the audience

Stompa

I always turn over when the competition comes on, it's just an additional advertising break in the programme.

Owain_Moneysaver

I always assumed the prizes were the 'ex-demo' products that had been used on the programme.

MX5huggy

This is a money making exercise for FIVE, that is all. I think you can enter by post now.

They have once or twice given away 25 (or so) LCD TV's to 25 different winners. I expect they got less entries so made less money with this offer so gone back to the single huge prize pool.

People like the big prize look at how many extra people enter the Lottery when there is a rollover.