Contests as brand activation: events, launches & CSR

The diverse role of contests in brand activation and modern marketing

Most markets are already crowded, so brands often struggle to stand out. This is made even more difficult by the fact that traditional campaigns like ads and sponsorships don’t really do more than create awareness. They simply don’t have the ability to create lasting engagement or push brand loyalty, unlike contests.

When you use contests for brand activation, you get a chance to bring in customers as part of the experience, not just as participants. This then encourages them with your products and events in a meaningful way, creating a lasting impact.

In this guide, we’ll look at how contests tie into the bigger picture of successful product launches, events, and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

The power of contests in brand activation

Advertising, as we know it, is all about showing customers what a brand is all about. But in contests, the brand is reaching out to its audience and inviting them to be a part of the experience. They participate, compete with others, and share what they think about the brand.

This is quite powerful, as people usually associate the excitement of participation with the brand. Even if they don’t win, they’ll have enjoyed the experience and invested emotionally.

Beyond that, the contest is usually tied to the brand. For example, it may be about trying out a new product or engaging with a CSR course aligned with the brand values. Since this aligns with the brand’s business needs, everybody wins.

Creating effective launches through promotional contests

When you are launching a new product, you want as many people as possible to know about it. And while there are many ways of building this awareness, you should also optimize creating interest and encouraging people to try the product.

One of the best things about promotional contests for product launches is that they help you create anticipation even before the launch. They then generate excitement when you reveal the contest and the prize, and give you steady brand engagement afterward.

Unlike traditional promotional methods, contests for brand activation involve the audience in telling the story of the product. This is different from when you tell it yourself, and it helps create a stronger emotional connection and drives adoption.

CSR brand engagement through contests and prizes

Funding charitable events still works, but you can show some real impact by inviting the community to participate.

Here are some ways we usually encourage brands to use contests for brand activation:

• Cause-based participation: Instead of simply donating, you can encourage your audience to enter contests, with every entry (or 10^th entry) triggering a contribution to a charitable project.
• Recognition contests: You can hold contests that relate your brand to social good, then recognize participants.
• Behavioral changes: You can encourage people to adopt more eco-friendly practices, then share them within your contest. You’ll have tied your brand within it, so it’s also a method of experiential marketing with contests.

Such methods feel authentic as they relate directly to participants.

Contest-based event marketing

Events are a good opportunity for brands to connect with customers, but they can also feel “alone” in a crowded space. When you bring in contest-based event marketing, you give the participants a way to become engaged and also take the visibility beyond the event itself.

After integrating the two, you come up with a sort of hybrid event. You create the moments, and the attendees share them as they are a part of it.

This can be done through different approaches. You can create gamified experiences with things like trivia and scavenger hunts, and you can also create QR codes that allow people to also take part remotely.

All the way, you’ll be capturing leads, getting zero-party data, and creating a steady flow of user-generated content you can use for your other growth strategies.