Over the holiday season, Belk launched its Santa Baby Sweepstakes which generated the greatest number of email and mobile opt-ins among other Belk sweepstakes in 2013 and 2014.
Belk partnered with Helloworld, a provider of rich engagement solutions to offer a multichannel incentive program accessible across digital and mobile channels for the sweepstakes.
Jon Pollack, executive vice president of marketing, sales promotion and ecommerce for Belk, said the sweepstakes exceeded its expectations.
“In a relatively short promotional period, the sweepstakes absolutely exceeded our expectations and goals for driving traffic during the holiday season,” said Pollack.
Belk saw 233,500 total registrations and 1.1 million entries stemming from various activities across its microsite. The campaign generated over 1.6 million personalized eCards.
During the sweepstakes, consumers were able to play festive games and earn bonus sweepstakes entries by sharing the site across social channels such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as watching the Santa Baby television spot and following Belk on Instagram and Twitter.
Pollack said Belk has ongoing sweepstakes at various phases throughout the year. He said the company has found that promotional tactic to be a key driver in obtaining opt-ins and building long-term loyalty. “They’ll continue to be part of our overall strategy for the foreseeable future,” Pollack said.
He said one key challenge with sweepstakes for any retailer is finding new and creative ways to stand out in the holiday season, a period more cluttered than usual with advertising and promotions.
“We’re very pleased with the results and look forward to looking for innovative ways to spread our brand message,” Pollack said.
From the back-to-school period to the holiday season and other points during the year, he said, Belk looks for key opportunities to insert its brand into customers’ lifestyles and develop a marketing approach that resonates with its target audience.
