Designing Effective Promotional Games: Opportunities and Problems

Abstract

Games such as sweepstakes and contests have become increasingly popular parts of promotional and advertising campaigns. Despite their wide use, very little academic theory or research exists about how consumers perceive and respond to promotional games. This paper presents a conceptual model of why consumers decide to participate in games, and how the process of play and game outcomes influences attitudes, self-perceptions, and behavior. The model provides a theory-based perspective for the design of promotional games that considers both the opportunities and ethical dilemmas that game sponsors face. Managerial implications are provided and hypotheses are suggested for future research.