A regional sweepstakes, using text messaging as the driver, brought in thousands of entrants for an entertainment publication and delivered a new car to the winner.
The promotion was run recently by free entertainment publication Quick, owned by the Dallas Morning News, to build readership. The car giveaway was featured in print ads and asked consumers interested in participating to text the word “COBALT” to a promotional number.
The 2005 Chevy Cobalt Giveaway received 5,541 total entries, 3,568 received from consumers who used text messaging. The contest received 1,943 entries online at Quickdfw.com and 30 physical paper entries. The sweepstakes ran from Feb. 16 to March 2. One winner, drawn randomly, received the Chevy Cobalt.
The publication said it used SMS to reach its younger adult readership base.
“Our young, professional readers lead extremely busy lives,” Quick general manager Dave Schmall said in a statement. “We must be able to reach our audience while they are on the go. This contest reaffirmed our strategy and its impact, since 64% of the entrants opted to communicate with us through text messaging.”
The sweepstakes was publicized to readers via ads in Quick, which is offered free at hot spots for young adults in Dallas. The entire cover of the March 2 edition of Quick was wrapped in an ad for the last day of the contest. In addition, buses, radio spots and street teams dressed in Chevy apparel helped to promote the contest.
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