Look for Brand Related Contest Opportunities

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, Oct, 1999

Sweepstakes still pull in huge numbers for circulators, but many readers consider them suspect. So instead of using sweeps, Playboy is using brand-related contests. "We think of what the brand has to offer that's appealing," says Phyllis Rotunno, vice president-subscription circulation. Contest prizes include brand-related items such as tickets to a Playboy jazz festival, a trip to the Playboy mansion, being a Playboy photographer for a day, meeting a Playboy bunny, and so on.

"Every magazine has the opportunity to do this if you really look for it," she says. "You have to find something that is appealing to your audience and play on that. Not every magazine has a mansion, but every magazine has something appropriate. This Old House could have a contest where the winner gets to work with Norm Abram on an old house, for example." There are also opportunities to get contest prizes from advertisers, she points out. Playboy has offered as prizes a Dodge Viper and a Titan Motorcycle. Now a guitar advertiser wants to offer a guitar as a prize. "Contests are difficult," Rotunno adds. "But there is no stigma attached to them. They are also short-term; prizes are awarded in a few months. They are good for advance renewals or one-time offers. You can't do them all the time, but we get away with it several times a year."