The Westfield Mall wasn’t interested in traditional advertising – until a cutest couple contest inspired them to rekindle their relationship with the paper
Background
The Signal is a 9,500 circulation daily newspaper in Santa Clarita, California. The paper has been running online contests since 2008.
The Idea
Vince Johnson, the Chief Multimedia Officer at The Signal, had found great success with a cutest couple contest at the Statesboro Herald, the 8,500 circulation paper in Statesboro, Georgia where he had worked previously. He thought that a similar cutest couple contest had great potential to thrive in The Signal’s community. Turns out, he was right.
The Execution
To enter the contest, couples submitted photos of themselves. The winner was chosen by an online vote.
The 2013 Cutest Couple Contest was sponsored entirely by the Westfield Valencia Town Center, a local mall, and the grand prize winner received a prize package from 4 of the individual stores in the mall worth more than $1,000. The prize package included the following:
From Ivy Day Spa:
50-minute Facial or Massage for 2
VIP Grotto Experience for 2
Facial & Body Products from Creations Garden
Full use of all spa facilities
Value: $500
From Kay Jewelers:
Love’s Embrace Heart Pendant
Value: $115
From Sisley Italian Kitchen:
Dinner for 2 with a bottle of Champagne
Value: up to $100
From J Ferrer Salon:
Haircut for 2
Deep Conditioning Treatment & Scalp Massage for 2
Blowout for 2
Complimentary Champagne
Value: up to $360
The Westfield Valencia Town Center logo was included on all contest promotions, including run-of-site banner ads, weekly ¼ page print ads, email messages, and numerous social media posts. The contest was also promoted on the Facebook cover photos of The Signal’s Facebook page and Westfield Valencia’s Facebook page. Furthermore, the Westfield Valencia Town Center created stickers to put on the mall doors and The Signal created a prize presentation segment for their Studio Santa Clarita video show.
The contest ran on the Westfield Valencia Town Center Facebook page in addition to on The Signal’s website, and both were optimized for mobile devices.
The Results
The contest generated $2,000 in revenue for The Signal. This was the first time that the Westfield Valencia Town Center had spent any money with the paper in more than 3 years, since they were not interested in traditional local advertising.
The sponsor was thrilled with the results of the contest, especially the 70,000 votes that were received and the 1,415 email opt-ins for the mall, and The Signal’s partnership with the mall has continued to grow as a result.
As Vince said,
The key was the prize and the distribution. The prize created a frenzied voting period, and we really got the word out using our multiple platforms combined with the reach of the mall. It created a partnership that built the audience for both parties.”
Now that’s a successful contest.
Why It Worked:
The prize was valuable enough to encourage many people to enter the contest.
Most couples already have photos of themselves on hand, so the appeal of the contest was high and the barrier to entry was low.
The contest was promoted heavily in print, online, and on location at the mall.
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