Wests Tigers, the NRL club, used Campaignware to run a signed bobblehead giveaway promoted only on Facebook and Instagram. Half of all entrants were people the club had never had contact with before, against a typical 25 to 30% for its campaigns. The competition was built in 25 minutes, using a prize from the club shop.
The challenge
Wests Tigers wanted to grow its contact database with fans it could market to directly, during a season of mixed on-field results. Earlier campaigns had shown that player-signed merchandise had the strongest pull with fans.
The club already sold bobbleheads in its shop. Having some signed to give away as prizes, timed around a high-profile player milestone (Jarome Luai’s 150th NRL game), was an easy, efficient and cost-effective way to turn stock the club already had into new fan data.
What they did
The club built the competition in Campaignware in 25 minutes. Direct access to players meant the signed prizes were secured well in advance, which removed the usual bottlenecks around procurement and logistics.
- A short entry form. The club trimmed data capture to the essential fields, so fewer people dropped out before entering.
- Social only. The giveaway was promoted exclusively on Facebook and Instagram, not email, because the people already in the database were not the target.
- Repeated pushes. A launch post, a second push and urgent "last chance" reminders with carefully chosen don't-miss-out messaging.
- Instagram Stories. Stories proved especially effective at drawing in the younger audience the club wanted.
Entry data was pushed into the club's Salesforce, ready for marketing.
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The results
- Half of all entrants (50%) were people the club had never had contact with before, against a typical 25 to 30% for its campaigns.
- The club generated new contacts at double the rate of its typical campaigns.
- Thousands of entries across two bobblehead campaigns.
- Built in 25 minutes, with a prize the club already stocked.
The club put the result down to two things: a prize fans valued highly, and an entry experience with no friction.
In their words
“50% of entrants were unknown to us prior to this campaign. That's a huge growth in people we can directly market to.”
Lachlan Roache, Marketing Manager, Wests Tigers
“We know our fans love unique, signed memorabilia. We wanted to give them something they’d really value, and make it easy for them to enter at the same time.”
Lachlan Roache, Marketing Manager, Wests Tigers
“The quicker and easier we can make entry, the more successful the campaign.”
Lachlan Roache, Marketing Manager, Wests Tigers
“We’ve found a very noticeable uptick in the performance of campaigns the more times they’re promoted. It is one of the biggest factors in a campaign's success, and one of the easiest to influence.”
Wests Tigers
Key takeaways
Lachlan Roache's lessons for other clubs:
- Keep your audience engaged throughout. Borrow from ecommerce with repeated reminders, such as "last chance" and "just in time".
- Look again at your club's assets. Go beyond traditional offers to create genuine excitement.
- Be inventive with incentives, so your campaign stands out in a crowded market.
“Don’t just repeat the same old contest, find something your audience truly wants and make it irresistible.”
Try it for your club
If your club shop stocks it, you already have a prize fans want. Run a giveaway with the sweepstakes template, promote it on social, and every entry adds a contact you can reach again. See more fan engagement ideas for clubs and leagues.