R1.50 per entry + 20c per 20 seconds?
Something tells me that if they get enough people entering, they'll more than break even on this little competition.
Oh no doubt, they wouldn't run it if they don't at least break even. Forgetting the USSD code cost for a minute:
R5,000,000 / R1.50 per entry means they'll need 3,333,334 to break even, that's less than 186,000 entries per week I don't know what the distribution numbers of all those titles are, but that seems doable to me. But this isn't where the bulk of the money is coming from, the increase in sales is. Because people like me, who don't buy any of the publications, will start just to get an entry or two. And if I figure buying the publication is worth it, they've scored another customer.
Plus I doubt they'll need too much marketing spend on this, winning a R5 million Ferrari is sure to generate massive hype that spreads via unpaid channels (word of mouth) - my entire office is talking about this. Oh, and the "free" advertising they get from news sites (like MyBB) picking up and running with the story is also something to consider.
It's a ballsy move, but one that I'm sure will pay big time.
Sign up with Google
