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Just the passing thought of travel to exotic places creates an instant sense of adventure within us. Featuring a destination of your target customer’s dream voyage allows marketers to instill a form of brand euphoria with their travel contests and giveaways. Mentally embarking on a new travel experience releases endorphins, the chemical associated with the natural high we get from taking a risk, facing danger or exploring the things our deepest desires are made of.
For example: A romantic kayak adventure circumventing the Island of Maui, Hawaii including beach side luxury camping and gourmet meals await you and your partner…AHH doesn’t that draw you in?
A vacation sweepstakes captures immediate attention and gets your message read. Contest and giveaways, featuring a travel related adventure, engages a person’s brain even more. When entering a contest we use our mental muscle to answer a question or complete a task. This process connects us with the featured destination. The sudden squirt of endorphins, associated with adventure, ties into your message to begin a brand relationship.
Determining Dream Destinations
Among those of us in the US the top dream destination has been Hawaii for the 30 years I have been in the promotional business. US News & World Report’s best places to visit survey identified the top 5 US destinations as Maui; Yellowstone; Washington, DC; San Francisco; and New York City. That’s an eclectic variety of adventures!
It comes down to the demographics and psychographics of your target. Families with young children would jump at the chance to win a Disney Sweepstakes, while a sophisticated woman may prefer a shopping spree in New York City.
Match Product Function with Customer Wants for Emotional Appeal
Identifying customer wants using research such as personal interviews, focus groups and website analytics will move you toward identifying the emotional appeal that hits a nerve with your target.
Assuming your product or service competes with other brands, tying in the functional use of your product with the dream vacation creates a stronger emotional connection.
For example in a search of online sweepstakes Fireball Whiskey’s: Hotter Than Hell Sin City Getaway, targets men with a hot Las Vegas weekend for two including a Valley of Fire Helicopter ride and poolside Fireball Whisky service. Sounds like a fun brand, sign me up!
Expanding Your Offer to Increase Engagement
Ironically a travel industry company may already have the person’s adventure mindset activated as they search for their next escape. Wyndham Vacation Resorts is currently running a promotion that anticipates this challenge.
Their Grand Giveaway Sweepstakes offers a choice of three free sweepstakes prizes, a Free Wyndham Vacation for 10 years which they termed ‘the vacation of the decade’, a free Vehicle of your choice up to $50,000 or $25,000 in cash. The objective is to capture names for WyndhamVacationResorts time-share sales, so they covered all the bases to appeal to the top dream prizes in every category.
Help Prospects Discover Your Brand’s Essence
Building awareness and positive brand essence associations are the first steps to attracting customers and creating a relationship. The objective of sweepstakes and contests is to capture immediate attention and get your message read. Creating a tie-in with that unique feature that sets your brand apart and an adventure sweepstakes makes your product BIGGER as you engage prospects to create a positive brand perception.
Whether they see the exciting adventure sweepstakes online in other forms of media, budding relationships require making a good impression. Creating a temporary endorphin release stimulated by a travel adventure can be just the right mild euphoric state needed to attract new customers.
