Methods to enter competitions

Entering and winning competitions used to be as simple as filling your details onto any entry form, whacking on a stamp, and into the mail. Of course you can still win competitions in the old fashioned way, however the past decade has seen a surge in new entry methods, but is technology always the best?

In the early part of the century (does that seem like an age ago?) entry forms yielded to 1900 phone numbers as the methods preferred by promoters and their agents. Reason being they were a lot less messy, and could even in some rare cases pay part of the cost of the promotion.

SMS entry again proved popular, and to a large extent still is, however our research tells us that not even three years ago mail was still considered more popular than both SMS and 1900.

There have been a few reasons for this, but one put forward often is the cost of entry. This is a case where perceptions can rule reality as the cost of a stamp and envelope can cost more than the 50 cent entry levy of the others.

We also have found that 1900 numbers can dissuade those of us in the population that don’t like to leave messages. Our last survey found that only 10% of respondents preferred 1900 phone.

But in truth, we believe the reason for the popularity of the humble envelope lies in the physical act of taking care of the entry. People like to write, press-seal (not lick) and post.

Having said that, in the last half decade the web has increasingly firmed as the favourite method of entry, and mostly due to ease and cost. Entering online is a relatively simple process, except for a few bugs and transmission problems along the way.

To be fair, all of our research has been web-based, so we are aware that the sample was not statistically pure (to those in the market research field)

As an online competitions guide, CompetitionsGuide.com.au no longer lists competitions that don’t have an online entry component. However, when it comes to the death of entry by envelopes, there is more than a hint of sadness!

*Want to know more about how to win online competitions? - You can buy "Competitions - The Book" online here for only $13.95 including delivery. Click here to order


©Craig Bradley Market Engineering Pty Ltd. 2009. All articles are original content and opinions of the author Craig Seitam. Copying of all or part of any content without the expressed permission of the author is prohibited.