People Do Win Prizes

One of the UK’s leading marketing promotion consultancies says more should be done so that consumers feel totally confident they are not being ripped off when they take part in competitions and promotions.

Neil Barnes, managing director of Bristol-based Enable (Marketing & Promotions) Ltd, believes too many people think that no one wins the major prizes and that many legitimate promotions are scams with the prizes offered only being used to tempt consumers to buy the product in the first place.

Neil said: “It’s vital the industry helps dispel the common misconception that many sales promotions and competitions are cunning scams. Contrary to popular belief every competition that is run and promoted legitimately does result in someone winning the prize or prizes on offer.”

Enable, which supports high profile clients such as Shell, McDonalds, Heinz, and Eurostar and makes sure the fair and fully-compliant running of promotions has helped hand out more than £30 million in cash, thousands of concert tickets, hundreds of cars and electrical items and six homes.

Neil added: For all promotions there is a legal requirement to provide a winner’s list and show that a reasonable effort must and has been made for people to win the prizes on offer. It’s this sort of information many people don’t know about resulting in suspicion of the actual promotion.

“Our role is to ensure all promotions are legal and fair and the rightful winner gets the prize. We make sure the promotional logistics and security are all in place so everything runs smoothly.”

Neil and his team makes sure their clients abide by the industry’s CAP Code which comprises the rule book for non-broadcast advertisements, sales promotions and direct marketing communications.

Consumer complaints about non-compliance can be made through the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Meanwhile media and industry organisations that subscribe to the CAP Code can refuse advertising space to anyone who breaks the Code.

“Getting it wrong could put promoters at risk of heavy fines, negative PR and damage to the brand’s reputation or mean that prizes are awarded to fraudulent claimants. But most important of all is making sure the public feel they are not being misguided and that they have a fair chance of winning the prize.”

For further information visit www.enablemp.com or call T: +44 (0) 1934 853770.