Where have all the contests gone?

There has been some buzz recently about a consumer contest that Google and Nestle launched, in the run-up to the introduction of Android 4.4 KitKat. Special packs of KitKat chocolates were marketed by Nestle as part of this contest, and consumers buying these packs stood a chance of winning a fabulous Nexus 7 tablet. Then, a sudden controversy erupted. Some Indian winners of the contest complained they had received the 2012 Nexus 7 tablet, an older version, whereas what had been promised was the “all new” 2013 Nexus 7 tablet. After significant and fairly animated chatter on social media, the matter now appears to be satisfactorily resolved, with Nestle announcing it would give all winners the all new 2013 version.

Big contests of yesteryear Keeping the Nestle controversy aside for a moment, this buzz shows me that consumer interest in contests conducted by brands is strong and alive. Notwithstanding the increasingly hectic pace of life, consumers do take the time and energy to participate enthusiastically. However, over the past few years, the number of such contests appears to have come down dramatically. I still recall the 1970s and '80s, when one could find a host of interesting ones being featured in virtually every newspaper. In all these contests, you had to buy a pack (purchase was encouraged but not compulsory, for statutory reasons), answer a few simple questions, and write a slogan, typically in fifteen words or less. And voila, you could well be the recipient of a grand big prize!

I recall contests run in those distant years by big national brands such as Brooke Bond, Farex, Colgate, Singer, Nutramul and Bournvita. My mother was an enthusiastic participant. She would specifically shop for these brands, and then take time to write a nice rhyming slogan which would go into her contest application. Once, she won a Singer sewing machine as a prize, which was cause for big celebration at home. The contests made her think about these brands, and she would often discuss the slogan over dinner – which made us all think a little bit about the brand in question.

On social media So where have all these contests gone today? We don’t find too many brands announcing big consumer contests on television or newspapers. Some have migrated to social media. For instance, on Instagram, Ben & Jerry’s ran an interesting contest asking followers to submit an image that best depicted the joy of eating their ice creams, and committing to use the best images in their advertisements. Four Seasons Hotel ran contests in cities such as Hong Kong and Toronto asking people to click and post inspiring pictures of that specific city, and offering weekend stays in their hotels as prizes. Closer home in India, Woodland Shoes recently launched a Facebook Hunt, where applicants were requested to share online pictures or videos of their adventurous exploits. Winners would get an all-expenses paid adventure trip to explore the planet.

On Twitter too, a host of brands do small contests all the time. I have seen Twitter contests in India by brands such as Audi, Disney, Domino’s Pizza, Jockey, Tata Nano and Louis Philippe. In most of these, the consumer is required to follow the brand’s Twitter ID, answer some questions, and also engage in some retweeting. The objective appears to be merely to gain as many Twitter followers as possible, which, if one believes popular online wisdom, will help in increased brand salience. Unfortunately, in many of these contests, there is often little connection to the overall brand strategy, and I am not convinced of the benefits to the brand either.

So while these social media contests are nice-to-do forays, they sadly lack the large impact, immense excitement and national reach that the big multimedia brand contests of yesteryear had. This is because only a small fraction of Indian consumers of FMCG or durables brands are active on social media such as Twitter or Instagram or Facebook. Also, there does not appear to be any breakthrough creative thinking behind designing these social media contests – perhaps because they are viewed as one more small thing that a junior marketing executive will do from time to time, rather than as a big strategic brand initiative which deserves focus and support.

Strong consumer triggers That is unfortunate, because I think big and creatively exciting brand contests are an excellent method for brands to engage with their loyal and potential customers. Why do I say this? First and foremost, all consumers love winning big prizes, which is what big contests offer. Who would not like to win an all expenses paid trip across the world, or a beautiful red car, or a kilogram of gold, or an opportunity to meet Sachin Tendulkar? Some of these prizes, which cannot normally or easily be purchased – such as pavilion tickets to the finals of World Cup cricket, or dinner with a Bollywood celebrity – are even more attractive. Within residential colonies or housewives’ groups or families, the offer of such fantastic prizes can create a new buzz around the brand.

Second, there is inherent excitement in the process of applying to contests. Most people like the exciting challenge of being able to figure out the correct answers to questions, as they aim to win prizes – witness the sustained popularity of television quiz shows such as Kaun Banega Crorepati or the Bournvita Quiz Contest . Many consumers also take pride in their creativity and like to exercise it through small and finite steps such as framing interesting slogans. Perhaps this is because such activity breaks the monotony of their daily lives and routines. Of course, the effort involved should be simple, and not too time-consuming.

Third, if the contest is well designed, it ensures that people engage with specific aspects of the brand in detail, which always yields more loyal consumers. For instance, a brand which wants consumers to understand its key benefits very well can frame a nice and provocative contest centred around these very benefits. This leads to participative discovery of what the brand offers, which is far more effective than mere one-way advertising communication.

Fourth, a well promoted large contest can create high clutter cut-through and salience for the brand, as well as new excitement around the brand, all of which can lead to higher purchase by consumers, hence stronger sales growth. Contest designs can also include built-in links for rewarding channel members (for instance, a retailer can also win if his consumer wins a prize), which can also result in stronger trade support for the brand.

Finally, in today’s day and age, the internet provides consumers easy methods to participate in contests. Many years ago, my mother had to take the trouble to cut out a contest panel from a newspaper or a contest flyer, fill in her responses, put it into an envelope, paste a postage stamp, and snail mail it to the organisers. Today, websites provide easy online access to contests, and make the process of application relatively instantaneous and hassle-free. This will lead to higher contest participation, particularly in Indian cities and urban areas where access to the internet is relatively high.

For all these reasons, big brand contests can work very well as part of a balanced marketing mix. Marketers who are looking for new methods of triggering growth and excitement (which definition I think will include all marketers, particularly in today’s challenging times) should sit up and take note.

Harish Bhat is Managing Director and CEO of Tata Global Beverages, and author of Tata Log : Eight modern stories from a timeless institution. These are his personal views. bhatharish@hotmail.com

The author acknowledges the assistance of Dhwani Kothari, Tata Global Beverages, in researching some inputs for this article.