Walkers holiday comp investigation

Kirri

I didn't enter this, but some may be interested:

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/walkers-investigated-over-impossible-to-win-holiday-competition-a3293976.html

Midnighter

Thanks for posting, but it's already been mentioned in this thread.

Kirri

Midnighter wrote: »

Thanks for posting, but it's already been mentioned in this thread.

I did check first and couldn't see any mention of it..

mjm3346

It's reported across multiple news websites but there being an investigation doesn't really mean anything as if people complain to them the ASA generally have to investigate even if it is only to ask a company to provide details of how winners are selected etc.

ikkle87

The comments on articles on Facebook are quite amusing. Nobody ever wins competitions. All competitions are a con. People have eaten 25 bags of crisps so why haven't they won if it's not a fix etc

jaibaby

It's not "impossible" when winners have already come forward!

The_3rd_Zebu

I never entered this one as it looked too much like so many others comps in recent years where there is no guarantee that any of the prizes will actually be awarded.

I've just been looking through the Rules for the Walkers Spell and Go comp and it does not appear to mention whether any independent adjudicator was involved in the "random" distribution of the rare letters.

12 Winner Selection

:

• Instant Win Prizes: Winning sachets will be inserted via a secure process operated under the supervision of an Independent entity. Consumers who find a sachet in their bag of crisps will win an instant prize.
• Holiday Prize: Entrants who correctly spell out a name of a destination listed above will be a winner. On the dashboard, the cities that holidays can be won to will be listed in order of how close an entrant is to having all the letters for that destination.

It mentions the supervision of an independent entity for the Instant Prizes - but not for the more valuable Holiday Prizes.

I hope the ASA pick them up on that.

jamielmdjs

I think some will have been hooked by the previous Walkers comp for all the champions league goodies that was so easy to win, thinking this one would have a similar high chance.

Not the case unfortunately.

mjm3346

jamielmdjs wrote: »

I think some will have been hooked by the previous Walkers comp for all the champions league goodies that was so easy to win, thinking this one would have a similar high chance.

Not the case unfortunately.

Big difference between them is the champions league was a "winning moments" type where all the prizes (or almost all) would be won while this one probably needs the codes from every single promotional pack to be entered for there to be even a chance they would all be won.

Toffifee are running a similar one (unlike Walkers it is verified by the IPM) where the number of winners will depend on how many promotional codes are entered but it is clear from their blurb not all prizes will be won

Algorithm winner selection. 1 purchase = 1 entry. No purchase in NI. Please keep your pack. Not all prizes will be won.

and the T&C's say how winners will be selected

Winner Selection: Winners will be selected by an algorithm, which has been randomly and independently designed, based on the number of promotional products in the market place. This will ensure there is an equal chance of winning for everyone. Although all prizes will be available to be won, there is no guarantee that they all will actually be won

jamielmdjs

mjm3346 wrote: »

Yeah totally get that. Just think many, who haven't looked into the terms or the mechanics of the comp, will mistakenly think it'd be as easy this time.

Pretty dodgy way to run a comp advertising '20,000' which, while possible, would NEVER actually be won.

I know the company like going for the PR of 'oh, look at them, they're giving away 20,000 holidays' when in reality they'll spend a lot less than that, just seems pretty false for the average consumer to understand.

Shouldn't really be allowed.

McDonalds Monopoly the same? A fraction of the available prizes will be won. People go crazy for that comp though. It's amazing what a few 'free fruit bag' tokens can do.

mjm3346

jamielmdjs wrote: »

McDonalds Monopoly the same? A fraction of the available prizes will be won. People go crazy for that comp though. It's amazing what a few 'free fruit bag' tokens can do.

Very much like that where some of the "streets" to complete the major prizes are printed in very limited numbers and everyone can get the non rare ones.