Fly Away Sweepstakes

The Fly Away Sweepstakes is a great example of a promotion that follows the basic principals of promotional marketing: It offers the right prize to the right audience; it builds the brand and meets the objective of which is collecting a qualified database of consumers.

IMA, In Flight Media Associates, sponsors this promotion. They are the creators of Global Trends in Travel a video series which airs on Continental Airlines. This program is the first of its kind in the airline industry to integrate in-flight video, print, audio and online together with a sweepstakes that's a branding opportunity for Continental as well as featured destinations around the world.

Each month a different featured destination is promoted that includes a sweepstakes offering a chance to win a trip to that destination. This month's (March) promotion is the Fly Away to Scotland Sweepstakes. It is not only promoted online and in the 6-minute in-flight video (which also appears of the promotional website), but also in Continental's in-flight Magazines and on the Continental Audio Talk Program which airs right after Larry King and Guests.  The promotion is now in its second year and one that I have been proud to be a part of through my company, DDC Marketing Group.

The way it works is that people that enter the sweepstakes can opt-in to receive destination information from the featured travel partner. So if you're interested in learning more about travel to Scotland or helicopter golf packages you just check the box and Scotland's National Tourist Board and Carr Golf & Corporate Travel will follow up. Myself being a golfer, I couldn't resist signing up to get information from both of then and I hope to visit soon. At the end of the month the travel partners then receive a qualified database of perspective customers who have specified that they want information.

The grand prize always includes round trip airfare on Continental Airlines since all the featured destinations are those that they service. For Continental it drives people to their website as well as builds their brand. By the way, travel is still in the top three prizes that people seek - Cash, Cars and Trips!

And for IMA, it promotes their video programming capabilities directly to Continental's passenger base that is made up mostly of those with a higher median household income, 40+ in age, and over 50% professional/managerial. So, it's a win-win situation all around.

Last year we had in excess of 25,000 entries nearly every month for a chance to win trips to Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, Mexico a Caribbean Cruise, and others. I've been the one to inform each winner every month that they have been selected and it is just a thrill to do this. Our last winner will be off to Ireland and since I have visited there before I was able to give him some suggestions as well as what the Travel partner, Discover Ireland provides. Next month, April, we'll be promoting Israel by partnering with their Ministry of Tourism which will be a new destination for this year.

So, go ahead and enter. We're all professionals that travel a lot. I'm sure any destination travel partner wouldn't mind having us in their database!

Comments

[Yvonne DiVita]

Wow! I can see this blog becoming a trusted resource for promotions. I'm clueless... about setting one up - not about playing! But, I can see this on blogs all across the net. Guess it's time to introduce you to the Lip-sticking readers. Are you ready?

[Donna DeClemente]

Thanks Yvonne for the vote of confidence and all you've done to help me get this blog started. Yes, please introduce me to your Lip-sticking readers. I plan on refering back to your posts quite often to keep introducing my Promo Talk readers to you as well.