mgals
December 18th, 2002, 2:54pm
Beating the sweepstakes' odds
They've been around forever. And yes, it's possible to
win.
December 10, 2002: 4:01 PM EST
By Leslie Haggin Geary, CNN/Money Staff Writer
New York (CNN/Money) – Think it's impossible to win a sweepstakes or contest? Then
it's time to meet Carol Shaffer.
The 63-year-old grandmother from Illinois has won trips to Las Vegas, China, and San
Francisco, scads of appliances, a diamond necklace, and dinner with St. Louis Rams
running back Marshall Faulk. And that's just for starters.
What's her secret?
"Be creative," said Shaffer, who wrote "Amazing Contest Queen" to share her tips on
success.
Sweepstakes may require luck, Shaffer admits, but you can increase your odds of
winning the jackpot. Shaffer developed her techniques when she went back to
Southwestern Illinois College college after having raised her kids and graduated in
1990. Her major: marketing. Her thesis: sweepstakes.
Shaffer says her research found that 25 percent of
sweepstakes entries are disqualified because people
don't follow instructions. For example, they write their
names in cursive when told to print, for example. They
seal their entries in envelopes when told to mail a
postcard. They forget to stamp their envelope.
She also found that you have a better chance to win if
you make yourself standout. Decorate your entry
envelope with stickers. Spray entries with perfume or
soak them in colored water and let them dry before
dropping them in bins -- they'll be easier for judges to
see, smell and grab. If a local store or mall is hosting
a sweepstakes, submit entries at all of their locations
to boost your odds. (In fact, Shaffer once won seven
televisions this way.)
Is Shaffer afraid that by sharing her secrets she'll
have a tougher time winning?
"No," she said. "There are so many contests out
there," she said.
Where the money is
That's not an understatement. Companies currently spend $1.65 billion annually on
games, contests and sweepstakes to promote their wares and they're giving away a
variety of loot, said Beth Spethmann, senior editor at "Promo Magazine," an advertising
trade publication.
"It's a visibility thing," said Spethmann. "The value of sweepstakes or contests is that
they create excitement about a brand and show consumers how it fits into t heir lives."
Case in point: This January, Philip Morris will award 250 custom-made cowboy boots to
individuals who create winning boot designs using clip art on a CD-Rom program that
was included in two-packs of Marlboro cigarettes.
The infamous Pillsbury Bake-Off, which has been around since 1949, awards a fat
$1-million first prize to chefs who can dream up winning-recipes that contain Pillsbury
products as ingredients.
Needless to say, you don't have to be a talented chef to win. For example, right now
m&m/Mars is giving away $1 million Japanese Yen (worth about $8,000 U.S. dollars
,according to our currency converter) to the person who opens a bag of all-purple
almond m&m's candies.
There are smaller prizes, too. Check your Pepsi bottle top and you may found you're
among those who've won a $50 discount card to use at Foot Locker or Sam Goody.
Hershey's is hosting it's "Wrappers to Riches" sweepstakes. Just open one of the candy
wrappers and if you've got the winning combination you could score the $100,000 grand
prize.
You don't have to scout food and drink containers for sweepstakes opportunities. Go to
the Web instead. Publishers Clearinghouse advertises itssweepstakes on the Web so
you can enter on line with a minimal degree of effort. Royal Caribbean is giving away a
free family cruise that you can enter online. British Airways, the "official airlines" of 007
is giving away trips to James Bond's favorite destinations, including London,
Amsterdam and Cairo.
And at Contesthound.com and Grandmajam.com, and you can enter hundreds of games
of chance without ever licking a stamp.
That's not to say the odds of winning a national sweepstakes aren't long. In fact, the
odds of winning a big national sweepstakes can be five times as great -- or 100 million
to one -- as the odds for a typical state lottery, says John Mendenhall, a regional
director at the Federal Trade Commission, which keeps an eye open for phony
sweepstakes and contests. (States may also have strict laws dictating how they should
be run.) Contests, which require skill, may be easier to win since they attract less
entrants, experts say.
Still, there are instances when prizes aren't awarded, say, if no one buys that pack of
candy that holds the game piece or a winner can't be tracked down.
That's happened to many a sweepstake organizer, like the folks at Travelers Advantage,
which is now hosting an "Edge of Space" sweepstakes in which one winner and a pal will
get to ride in a Russian MiG 25 jet from Zhukovsky Air Base (with an English-speaking
guide) to the edge of the atmosphere. (The award also includes a two-night stay in
Moscow.)
Past Travelers contests have included trips to Paris or Club Med resorts, and Travelers
has re-picked a new sweepstakes winner if they couldn't find individuals who've won the
first round. After all, giving away prizes instead of hoarding them promotes goodwill
among consumers and engenders trust in the company, says Travelers Vice President
Julia Ryan. "People get jaded and think they can't win," she adds.
That's not to say scams don't happen. The sweepstakes and contest world suffered a
huge black eye in 2001 when it was revealed that employees at the marketing company
in charge of running McDonald's sweepstakes were fixing games by embezzling winning
pieces.
They've been around forever. And yes, it's possible to
win.
December 10, 2002: 4:01 PM EST
By Leslie Haggin Geary, CNN/Money Staff Writer
New York (CNN/Money) – Think it's impossible to win a sweepstakes or contest? Then
it's time to meet Carol Shaffer.
The 63-year-old grandmother from Illinois has won trips to Las Vegas, China, and San
Francisco, scads of appliances, a diamond necklace, and dinner with St. Louis Rams
running back Marshall Faulk. And that's just for starters.
What's her secret?
"Be creative," said Shaffer, who wrote "Amazing Contest Queen" to share her tips on
success.
Sweepstakes may require luck, Shaffer admits, but you can increase your odds of
winning the jackpot. Shaffer developed her techniques when she went back to
Southwestern Illinois College college after having raised her kids and graduated in
1990. Her major: marketing. Her thesis: sweepstakes.
Shaffer says her research found that 25 percent of
sweepstakes entries are disqualified because people
don't follow instructions. For example, they write their
names in cursive when told to print, for example. They
seal their entries in envelopes when told to mail a
postcard. They forget to stamp their envelope.
She also found that you have a better chance to win if
you make yourself standout. Decorate your entry
envelope with stickers. Spray entries with perfume or
soak them in colored water and let them dry before
dropping them in bins -- they'll be easier for judges to
see, smell and grab. If a local store or mall is hosting
a sweepstakes, submit entries at all of their locations
to boost your odds. (In fact, Shaffer once won seven
televisions this way.)
Is Shaffer afraid that by sharing her secrets she'll
have a tougher time winning?
"No," she said. "There are so many contests out
there," she said.
Where the money is
That's not an understatement. Companies currently spend $1.65 billion annually on
games, contests and sweepstakes to promote their wares and they're giving away a
variety of loot, said Beth Spethmann, senior editor at "Promo Magazine," an advertising
trade publication.
"It's a visibility thing," said Spethmann. "The value of sweepstakes or contests is that
they create excitement about a brand and show consumers how it fits into t heir lives."
Case in point: This January, Philip Morris will award 250 custom-made cowboy boots to
individuals who create winning boot designs using clip art on a CD-Rom program that
was included in two-packs of Marlboro cigarettes.
The infamous Pillsbury Bake-Off, which has been around since 1949, awards a fat
$1-million first prize to chefs who can dream up winning-recipes that contain Pillsbury
products as ingredients.
Needless to say, you don't have to be a talented chef to win. For example, right now
m&m/Mars is giving away $1 million Japanese Yen (worth about $8,000 U.S. dollars
,according to our currency converter) to the person who opens a bag of all-purple
almond m&m's candies.
There are smaller prizes, too. Check your Pepsi bottle top and you may found you're
among those who've won a $50 discount card to use at Foot Locker or Sam Goody.
Hershey's is hosting it's "Wrappers to Riches" sweepstakes. Just open one of the candy
wrappers and if you've got the winning combination you could score the $100,000 grand
prize.
You don't have to scout food and drink containers for sweepstakes opportunities. Go to
the Web instead. Publishers Clearinghouse advertises itssweepstakes on the Web so
you can enter on line with a minimal degree of effort. Royal Caribbean is giving away a
free family cruise that you can enter online. British Airways, the "official airlines" of 007
is giving away trips to James Bond's favorite destinations, including London,
Amsterdam and Cairo.
And at Contesthound.com and Grandmajam.com, and you can enter hundreds of games
of chance without ever licking a stamp.
That's not to say the odds of winning a national sweepstakes aren't long. In fact, the
odds of winning a big national sweepstakes can be five times as great -- or 100 million
to one -- as the odds for a typical state lottery, says John Mendenhall, a regional
director at the Federal Trade Commission, which keeps an eye open for phony
sweepstakes and contests. (States may also have strict laws dictating how they should
be run.) Contests, which require skill, may be easier to win since they attract less
entrants, experts say.
Still, there are instances when prizes aren't awarded, say, if no one buys that pack of
candy that holds the game piece or a winner can't be tracked down.
That's happened to many a sweepstake organizer, like the folks at Travelers Advantage,
which is now hosting an "Edge of Space" sweepstakes in which one winner and a pal will
get to ride in a Russian MiG 25 jet from Zhukovsky Air Base (with an English-speaking
guide) to the edge of the atmosphere. (The award also includes a two-night stay in
Moscow.)
Past Travelers contests have included trips to Paris or Club Med resorts, and Travelers
has re-picked a new sweepstakes winner if they couldn't find individuals who've won the
first round. After all, giving away prizes instead of hoarding them promotes goodwill
among consumers and engenders trust in the company, says Travelers Vice President
Julia Ryan. "People get jaded and think they can't win," she adds.
That's not to say scams don't happen. The sweepstakes and contest world suffered a
huge black eye in 2001 when it was revealed that employees at the marketing company
in charge of running McDonald's sweepstakes were fixing games by embezzling winning
pieces.