For TV stations searching for a way to deliver detailed demographic data to clients and have viewers eagerly provide that information, look to Randy Stone, general sales manager at KLJB-TV in Davenport, Iowa, who believes he has accomplished just that.
“I have never seen anything so measurable and so accountable,” Mr. Stone said of the TVLotto.com ad sales promotion that his Quad Cities TV Acquisition Corp.-owned Fox station began offering annually three years ago.
TV Lotto is a market-specific, free online sweepstakes offering daily chances to win $1 million or other prizes such as a flat-screen TV or dinner for two. Viewers play the game at the ‘s Web site by selecting the names of six TV shows, all of which air on the network, that they think will pop up on the balls during that night’s drawing. Any combination from three out of six to all six correct will yield a prize.
To win prizes, local residents must register their contact information online and answer two demographic questions, such as, “Are you looking to refinance your mortgage in the next year?” They then submit their forms by clicking through to one of three banners linking to a local advertiser’s Web site.
The lottery-style game is operated by Odds On Promotion in Reno, Nev., which supplies the ball machine, marketing materials and top prizes and tabulates the demographic data.
“It is a great product to get people to sample a newscast,” said TVLotto.com General Manager Ted Meirs. “The watch-and-win capabilities are second to none and it can increase revenue tremendously.”