I was just listening to the radio and it went into commercials. One of the commercials was for a contest where if you text-messaged with your phone, you’d win a Ford Thunderbird (I think…). That got me thinking: do you think anybody really wins these things? Why don’t we ever hear about those who do? In my opinion, I think all these contests are just a marketing scheme to get more people to buy their products. And admittedly, I think it’s a good idea.
I remember when we got a call because we had entered some stupid contest at the mall to win a car (you know, those ones placed randomly everywhere). The people who called told my parents to go this meeting to find out how to claim the prized car. That meeting turned out to be a timeshare demonstration. They didn’t mention a single thing about any car once during that demonstration. It really ticked off my parents, and all they came home with was a frozen pack of t-bone steaks (which really weren’t bad, but it ain’t no car).
Only old people with nothing to do durring the day wins them
My grandmother knows about 10 old people who’ve won from contests like that, from cars to campers to hundreds of thousands of dollars. She, on the otherhand, has yet to win anything :-\ So much for my birthday
I feel that there are some legitimate contests but the grand majority are bunk.
Most people that hold the contests are profitable companies. That said I know that prizes are going to people that have the potential to generate more revenue for the company.
CASE AND POINT:
Last year at one of our tradeshows I had the idea of raffleing off an item. I thought an x-box was appropriate. All you had to do was throw your business card in a fishbowl and at random a name would be pulld and they would win the xbox displayed next to the bowl. I though this was a great way to generate new leads for the company.
In theory this was a good idea. but our sales force decided that they would pick through the cards in the bowl and find the most promising opportunities for new business.
I was not at the show the day they picked who would win the x-box. So some clown from some company got it. As far as I know there was no order from his campany after.
I remember McDonalds had that one scam a while back for its monopoly contest. I think the odd’s are so slanted that it just seems like nobody wins. I think the lottery is the only thing that gets in the news when someone wins it.
I thought there was a group that’s whole purpose was to make sure that companies had fair and legal contests. Like if you say 1/12 will win something, then 1/12 better have won something, whether they claim the prize or not.
I doubt they just said if you text message this thing you get a car. I bet they had one of those fast talking guys say like you only have a 1/100,000 chance of winning the car or something. But I don’t see how it’s legal for a company to be able to stand in front of a group of people and say they’ll win a car if they sign up for spam, then no one win.
