Technology
Successful Giveaways and Promotions: Multidisciplinary Team and Robust Technology
4 min read
Promotions, especially giveaways, are attractive ways to boost sales and build brand reputation. In this article, we’ll help you identify the key steps that require the most attention to successfully launch projects like these:
CWI is well-acquainted with this topic, having been responsible for the technology behind various Coca-Cola giveaways. One example is the “My Magic Recipe” promotion, which garnered over 7 million entries via the website we developed.
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Case: “My Magic Recipe” Promotion
Building the Team Behind a Promotion
Multidisciplinary teams are essential for a successful consumer promotion. Many areas are involved beyond marketing, such as technical, legal, and financial. Besides that, the timeline of a promotional campaign includes complex stages: before, during, and after the participation period.
“It’s a huge undertaking with many people involved, numerous checkpoints, and plenty of meetings,” points out Nathalia Rodrigues, co-founder of Trio Promo and project manager at Holding Clube / Agência Samba, where she works with Coca-Cola promotions. That’s why hiring experienced professionals is essential.
“When I started in this field, promotions were still run on Facebook and Twitter, and Caixa was still the regulatory authority,” Nathalia explains. “The market has changed a lot.”
This evolution in legislation and oversight often surprises those working on a promotion for the first time. For example, the company cannot immediately contact the drawn participant and declare them the winner. They are, in fact, only pre-qualified.
The Structure of Coca-Cola’s Promotion Teams
CWI has partnered with Coca-Cola on strategy and technology for various campaigns, including “In the K-Wave Rhythm,” “What Goes Around, Comes Around,” “Back-to-School Flavor” (Del Valle Kapo), “Turn Up the Volume at The Town,” and “New Home with Everything Ready to Cheer” (World Cup).
As a representative of the specialized agency, Nathalia has also partnered with Coca-Cola on various promotions, working from the initial phase and interfacing with suppliers and multiple departments within the multinational. Additionally, Coca-Cola’s Business (Frontline) and Legal, and Marketing departments also get involved in promotions.
Choosing Secure and Robust Technology for Giveaways
If you plan to run a prize giveaway promotion, consider how robust the system behind it needs to be. The application must ensure there are no redundancies or errors.
“Consumers are familiar with lucky number formats, but the system must be thoroughly prepared to handle this,” Nathalia explains. “And the regulations must align with how the system selects or disqualifies participants.”
Among the elements custom-developed by CWI for Coca-Cola giveaways is an algorithm that identifies peaks in participation. This technology prevents any individual from gaining an advantage over other participants.
Additionally, it’s important to consider how the system handles periods of high volumes of simultaneous entries. It’s crucial to ensure that one person is not able to participate in the promotion at the exact same time as others, as this would complicate the determination of the winner.
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The Challenges of Promotions and Giveaways for Consumers
How to Handle Prizes in Giveaways
The company proposing to conduct a giveaway has a legal commitment to deliver exactly what was promised. Therefore, prize delivery logistics must be carefully planned (for example, can the item be delivered intact to any region covered by your promotion?).
When the prize is a trip, it’s important to ensure that the winner does not incur any costs related to it. Operational complexity also needs to be considered, including preparation for different possible scenarios.
“We even consider details like whether the person speaks enough English to order water or choose food when the guide isn’t around,” Nathalia notes.
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Case: “Back-to-school Flavor” promotion
Communication: The Achilles’ Heel of Promotions
Nathalia observes that, after the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers have been preferring promotions that offer financial benefits. However, it’s not possible to offer cash prizes directly, which is why companies opt for solutions like prepaid cards and gold certificates.
“This [communicating the financial advantage] also creates a communication challenge,” the project manager summarizes. “And communication is always the Achilles’ heel in promotions. Many promotional materials have little space to include all the requirements, such as regulations, legal text, FAQs, customer service contact information, and so on.”
As a solution, Nathalia believes that landing pages are essential from an informational standpoint. “All the essential information can be consolidated into a landing page—and it’s also a very important participation channel.”
While WhatsApp is becoming a solid tool for promotions, Nathalia recommends using landing pages for longer customer journeys. Identifying the best mechanics for your particular promotion requires evaluating your audience’s characteristics; aim to offer the best possible user experience.
Many steps demand attention, but the first step to a successful promotion is having good partners. Count on CWI to plan the strategy and develop the technology for your next giveaway!
