• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, June 12, 2015

Eight O’Clock Coffee recently updated a classic promotional offer — bonus packs — by employing a sweepstakes supported by social media, along with digital advertising and in-store promotion.

The brand wanted to leverage bonus packs to increase engagement and sales among young, family-oriented consumers, reports Denise Blasevick, CEO of The S3 Agency, which created the campaign.

The “Go Big for Hawaii Sweepstakes” asked participants to upload fun photos of themselves or family members flexing their muscles for the chance to win a family trip for four to Hawaii.  

The muscle-flexing theme was developed to tie in with some of the brand’s packages “bulking up”: Limited-edition 11-ounce ground and whole bean bags of original-variety Eight O’Clock were giving 25% more coffee for free.

To spur repeat engagement, a participation trigger was implemented that allowed daily entrants the chance to instantly win Eight O’Clock Coffee bonus packs or additional entries into the sweepstakes.

In addition, the campaign incentivized sharing and engaging by having those activities increase consumers’ odds of winning the grand prize.

The campaign also included digital advertising and an in-store activation that required consumer participation.

Results: Between February 2 and May 31, the sweeps generated 195,637 entries from more than 20,000 unique users. Consumer engagement exceeded predetermined campaign benchmarks by more than 230% and increased engagement with the target demographic by 100%.

The interactive social media campaign “not only hit, but eclipsed all program objectives,” sums up Eight O’Clock brand manager Michael Scalera.