Giveaways are popular because theyre simple to get off the ground and involve minimal investment. Theyre also a great tool forquickly building your email list and social followings. Unfortunately, most giveaways are poorly run and marketers end up leaving a lot on the table.
That being said, we looked for giveaway campaigns throughout history that successfully lured in the masses whether or not the outcome yielded positive gains for the company involved.
(1) Airbnb
In 2014 the rental platforms rebrand was met with much criticism, with social media fans suggesting its Belo logo looked much like genitalia and that it had been stolen from technology firm Automation Anywhere.
In this case, the firm developed a giveaway campaign that would raise further brand awareness in a good way this time. At the very beginning of 2015, Airbnb tried to generate random acts of kindness in local communities . To each of its 100,000 community members $10 was given alongside a challenge: Break down the taboo of strangers . The issued challenge was an attempt to erase the fear its non-users most likely felt at having to use someone elses house, or in turn have a complete stranger stay in theirs.
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According to Airbnb EU marketing manager Holly Clarke: By turning strangers into friends we can live a richer life wherever we go; we thrive on bringing people together and in reality our community loves the advantages that new connections can bring.
The campaign, an article on Real Business revealed, heavily focused on social media, with Clarke explaining that it provided a quick, visual and highly interactive mechanic for people to engage with.
Headed up by the #OneLessStranger hashtag, Airbnbs members shared how they spent their money. The company’s effort garnered lots of attention, including more than 300 media mentions, leading to public relations value that more than paid back the $1m that was spent.
Just offered a coffee & galette to Eddy my office’s window cleaner and made a new friend. #OneLessStranger #airbnb pic.twitter.com/Tr3ECrRGq1
” Nicolas Ferrary (@NicolasFerrary) January 7, 2015
(2) Jet2
February 2015 saw UK airline Jet2 take personalisation to a new level. It surprised 180 customers flying back to the UK from Alicante with a treat they, without knowing, chose themselves.
Much like Airbnb, the companys giveaway was part of a ploy to merely do something good for someone. For the Bradford-based business, however, it was all about embracing International Random Acts of Kindness Week.
At check-in, the staff produced survey flyers, asking them what they had most missed about Britain when they were abroad. Jet2 then asked employees at Leeds Bradford Airport to quickly shop for, and gift wrap, the mentioned items. After being slapped on with a name tag, the gifts were found on the luggage carousel waiting for their respective owners before the bags came out.
Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2, said: We want to make holidays as memorable as possible and our friendly service doesnt stop when people arrive back home. While it is our aim to ensure people holiday happy, we realise there are often things they miss from home when away. What better way to bring a smile to their face than with an extra special welcome home gift
Seeing the faces of the passengers as they spotted the gifts was heartwarming. And kindness can be contagious so were hoping this will have a ripple effect in fact the best acts of #Jet2kindness which have come to our attention will receive free flights.
@jet2tweets I didn’t have enough for my morning latte. ud83dude1e Someone upgraded me to a large and threw in a slice of carrot cake!
ud83dude47 #Jet2Kindness” Benjamin Goodwin (@benjorama) February 18, 2015
Read on to find out how Hoover’s free flight campaign led to incredible awareness, but also created chaos.
(3) Hoover
Unlike Airbnb and Jet2, its campaign started off incredibly well, but quickly turned into chaos perhaps to the extent that any awareness generated led to a loss in customers. Therefore, Hoovers tale, set in 1992, is one of precaution that too much of a good thing could end up turning sour.
The company crucially promised two free return flight tickets to those who bought a vacuum cleaner or washing machine worth more than 100. This was to shift a backlog of products that were merely gathering dust in its warehouse. It got exactly what it wanted, and consumers flocked to buy washing machines.
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Of course, this meant Hoover gained an overwhelming amount of attention far more than that received by Airbnb and Jet2s acts of kindness . But while its initial offer to Europe was expanded to the US, its travel agents struggled to cope with demand.
Certain consumers even bought more than one vacuum cleaner. However, many never received a single ticket, which led to Hoover being taken to court the legal battles did not end for another six years.
While no one should follow in Hoovers footsteps dont expand your campaign without making sure you can afford to it’s no doubt that the company achieved unsurmountable success by partnering up with travel agents in a giveaway campaign. The partnership element, at least, is the crucial takeaway here.
(4) McDonalds
Lets face it, if any company would be cited as having the art of giveaways mastered then it would be McDonalds. According to Eric Sclosser, the author of Fast Food Nation , nine out of ten children between the ages of three and nine visit a McDonalds once a month as they are drawn by the combination of playground facilities and giveaway toys hidden inside Happy Meals.
Arguably all fast-food companies have some form of link with the toy industry, and none more so than McDonalds, which is thought to actually be the worlds biggest toy distributer.
Just how successful this strategy of never-ending giveaways can be was illustrated by McDonalds 1997 Teenie Beanie Babies campaign. Launched in April 1997 and retailing them for $2, one week alone saw the company sell 10m Happy Meals. However, in one ten-day period of the campaign the toys were given away for free, which saw McDonalds sell over 100m Happy Meals.
“McDonald’s has traditionally been very good at marketing to children,” said Dean Haskell, an analyst at Everen Securities. “Beanie Babies is clearly a product that is in high demand by children and they should effectively drive more sales with this promotion. Kids will undoubtedly grind their parents down and parents will just give in against their better judgment.”
Trying to replicate its success, 2016 has seen McDonalds give away childrens picturebooks in its Happy Meals, including Paddington by Michael Bond and R.W. Alley.
