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Pepsi “Play for One Billion” Number Match
When Pepsi-Cola North America decided to design a promotion to increase awareness and sales this summer, they looked to their agency, TLP, and SCA Promotions. Together, SCA, TLP, and Pepsi designed a summer-long promotion that would offer one lucky consumer the opportunity to become the world’s next billionaire. Only SCA, could make it happen...coverage for $1 billion.
Objectives:
- Boost Pepsi product sales and increase brand awareness with consumers.
- Capture consumers’ interest by offering the largest cash prize in promotion history for a national brand - $1 billion.
- Gain sponsor support by partnering with the WB Network, Marriott Hotels, and United Airlines.
Strategies:
- Offer the billion dollar prize on a bottle cap promotion that culminates with a live game show on the WB.
- Invite consumers to visit www.billionsweeps.com and enter a unique sweepstakes entry code found on specially-marked products.
- Randomly select 1,000 contestants to play a game of chance on the WB’s live show for a guaranteed one-million dollars and a chance to take home one billion dollars.
- Each of the 1,000 selected contestants would choose a six-digit number on the day of the game show. The 10 contestants whose number was closest to or exactly matched the one selected by the chimpanzee, Kendall (A.K.A. “Mr. Moneybags”), advanced to the elimination round.
- Play a suspenseful game of elimination to determine the final player. In return for forfeiting their chance at the billion dollars, players were offered an increasing cash prize during each round.
- Award other great prizes during the game show to continue the excitement.
- Coordinate additional coverage for the one million $15 instant win bottle caps. SCA’s coverage protected Pepsi from an unexpectedly high rate of redemption. SCA estimated the redemption rate and covered the cost of redemptions over that amount, keeping Pepsi on budget and risk free.
Results:
- Four million consumers submitted more than 20 million game entries. Pepsi captured important demographic information for future marketing efforts.
- Richard Bay, a graphic design teacher from Princeton, WV, was the final contestant and won the guaranteed $1 million. To win the billion, his six-digit number would have had to exactly match Kendall’s. He was only two digits away from an exact match.
- United Airlines presented two around-the-world trips, Marriott gave a life-long time share membership, and three Mitsubishi cars were awarded.
- Pepsi paid a total of $390,000 to the six contestants who opted for the cash in the elimination round.
Pepsi “Win the First Place Cash at Talladega” Sweepstakes
Moving more product and leveraging its relationship with Talladega Superspeedway were the goals of Pepsi-Cola North America. Teaming up with SCA, Pepsi was able to boost its sponsorship for racing star Jeff Gordon by offering a Pepsi drinker the chance to win the motorsports icon's race purse up to $205,000, if Gordon was the first to the checkered flag at the Aaron's 499 race.
Objectives:
- Catch NASCAR fans' attention.
- Sell more product in Pepsi's southeast region.
- Leverage Pepsi's sponsorship of Jeff Gordon and the #24 DuPont/Pepsi racecar.
- Co-sponsor the event with local bottling distributors.
Strategies:
- Display signage and entry forms at point-of-sale and on-pack specially marked products.
- Choose one entry to win two VIP tickets to the race, as well as a pit tour and passes to the Talladega Hospitality Club.
- Award the grand prize of $205,000 cash to the lucky winner if Jeff Gordon wins the race.
Results:
- More than 6,000 entries were received.
- Jeff Gordon won the race, and Pepsi awarded $205,000 to a couple from Alabama, courtesy of SCA.
- Due to the excitement generated around the large check presentation ceremony, Pepsi received media coverage by local television stations.
- "This program was a great success based on the high number of entries received and the excitement the promotion generated among Pepsi consumers."
