The Idea

KDRV-TV is a television station owned and operated by Heartland Media in Medford, Oregon (DMA 140). We’ve successfully been running promotions and interactive content for years, but had high hopes that our Countdown to Christmas sweepstakes could be our best contest to date.

We wanted to create a sweepstakes that would not only generate tons of revenue and database growth for us, but also provide a lot of value for multiple advertisers – some have worked with us previously, but others had not.

The Execution

What we came up with was the Countdown to Christmas contest. This contest would feature 12 different sponsors, focusing on a new advertiser each day. Winners would be picked daily and a grand prize winner would be chosen on our bonus 13th day.

We began approaching potential advertisers in November. While some of the advertisers had worked with us before, many of them had not and we were hoping to secure a brand new partnership.

Our sales team began reaching out to potential sponsors in November. As we presented the contest sponsorship package, we wanted advertisers to immediately recognize the value of the promotion.

Valued at $7,000, sponsors were getting a lot from their sponsorship investment. For their $850 sponsorship investment, each advertiser would receive:

• On-air promotion of their business (valued at $5,000)
• 2-minute Business Showcase interview (valued at $1,000)
• Optional Facebook Like Box (valued at $250)
• Email opt-in data (valued at $250)
• Business info hyperlinked on the KDRV website (valued at $500)

In addition to their sponsorship investment, each advertiser was required to include two prizes from their business each valued at least $50. One prize would be awarded to the winner on the business’s featured day while the other would be included with the grand prize.

We were able to attract a variety of sponsors for the contest which was great opportunity for us to reach as wide an audience as possible. From seafood to golf to the zoo we had something for everyone as you can see from our list of sponsors below.

• The Wharf: Fresh Seafood Market
• The Coop de Ville Home Decor
• Gold & Gems Fine Jewelry
• The Bohemian Club Restaurant
• The Weasku Inn
• Paradise Footwear
• Centennial Golf Club
• Yellow Submarine Car Wash
• Harry & David Country
• Real Deals on Home Decor
• Elements Tapas Bar & Lounge
• Wildlife Safari Zoo

We ran the contest as one single promotion divided into 12 rounds. People could enter once each round and had the ability to get extra chances for referring friends to vote using their own unique link. Many users shared the contest on their social pages which helped drive participation.

Each day, we featured one of the sponsors in our Countdown to Christmas Business Showcase. They were given a short interview that we posted to our Facebook Page. Whenever we posted about one of our sponsors on social, we made sure to tag their business in the post.

Each evening during the 6 o’clock news, we congratulated the winner from the previous day and encouraged users to go online and get entered into the contest for their chance to win.

On the 13th day, one lucky winner won the grand prize: a gift package including all 12 of the prizes awarded throughout the contest, well over a $600 value.

The Results

This contest had spectacular results. We were able to generate $10,500 in revenue for our station. But beyond revenue, this contest surpassed our expectations for engagement.

The Countdown to Christmas received the most entries we’ve ever gotten from a single contest. Over 13 days, 3,961 people registered to enter the contest and together they placed 13,690 entries. We were also able to collect over 3,000 opt-ins for future marketing campaigns for us and our sponsors.

The contest was such a big hit with sponsors, that we’re making it bigger and better this year. Not only are we stepping up the sponsorship package itself, but we’re also opening up the contest from last year’s 12 sponsors to 15 sponsors.

This year’s contest will bring in $15,000 in revenue for our station ($12,750 in digital and $2,250 from spots), and we can’t wait to see the growth of entries and opt-ins we get from the contest this year.