I miss Real Competitions

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Georginazn

Moderator
Apr 22, 2009
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I haven't seen a competition, for years, that doesn't require you to ring a premium rate telephone number to provide the answer to a question any person on the Western world could answer. This obviously pays for the prize, but I suspect that it doesn't have the associated benefits, marketing wise.
When I was a child, I could definitely develop a taste for any cereal with a free gift. My Mum always stocked up massively on items running a competition that required a number of labels to enter. She and Dad would ponder for hours over the tie-break slogans, ensuring that the product name was etched into all our minds.
Do you think the advent of TV heralded a demise in the imaginations of marketing execs? Is it laziness? Have they forgotten basic principles of product recognition?
 
J

Jorumian

Facilitator
Sep 1, 2008
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It's just an exercise in raising money from hope, rather like the lottery.

I wouldn't mind if the questions were questions, but they are often of the kind...

"My name is Peter James. What is my name? is it ;

A. Peter James
B. Leonard Rossiter-Pogesthorpe
C An Ankle bracelet
D. OooH Aaah! Lemurs!"

I find them insulting to be honest... I won't enter any of them. I much prefer the olden days when brains, wit and charm could be used.
 
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TracyG

Moderator
Apr 26, 2009
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I remember as a child the 'Find the Spaceman' competition in the free weekly newspaper that was delivered, which I entered every week. It was all about finding the tiny picture of a spaceman hidden somewhere in the newspaper and I remember spending what seemed like hours trying to find this spaceman. I'd then cut out the coupon, fill it in, and take it to the postbox. The prize was £5, which I never won, but it was a great competition.
 
Chutzpah

Chutzpah

Moderator
Jan 9, 2009
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Jorumian said:
It's just an exercise in raising money from hope, rather like the lottery.

I wouldn't mind if the questions were questions, but they are often of the kind...

"My name is Peter James. What is my name? is it ;

A. Peter James
B. Leonard Rossiter-Pogesthorpe
C An Ankle bracelet
D. OooH Aaah! Lemurs!"

I find them insulting to be honest... I won't enter any of them. I much prefer the olden days when brains, wit and charm could be used.
Click to expand...
The reason they set such questions is because a competition needs to be seen as a game of skill and not a game of chance.

A game of chance is seen as a lottery, and in the UK only one of those is allowed (funnily enough because the government makes money from it).

So the 'skill' element comes in finding the right answer. Very technically, under the law, it has to be reasonably challenging, but this law hasn't really ever been enforced, although they did look into it a few years ago.
 
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Rachelle

New Member
Apr 25, 2009
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That's exactly it isn't it? They can't be seen to be holding an illegal lottery but because revenue is to be gained by the maximum amount of people entering (via text or telephony normally) they don't want to put anybody off and so come up with the most ridiculous questions. I am now too embarrassed to admit that there have been occasions when I have not been entirely sure of the answers out there .....
 
Chutzpah

Chutzpah

Moderator
Jan 9, 2009
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Don't worry, sometimes I don't know the first question on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. It's only ever easy when you know the answer. The audience might laugh as they as a ridiculously simple question about who the landlady of the pub is in Eastenders, but I wouldn't have a clue and would have to ask the audience.
 
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