Promotional Services

Program Administrative Services

HITS offers clients a complete menu of services when it comes to promotional marketing games, which include sweepstakes, games and contests. Services include:

Promotional Website Development:

HITS offers website services to its clients, ranging from simple consulting to turnkey creation and maintenance of the promotional micro-site.

A typical micro-site consists of approximately six pages that can be linked within the clients existing central website.  We have provided in each page description a sample of the respective page.


Splash page

The splash page is the initial “branding” page which introduces the promotion and supports the messaging of the client.  Many clients use such a page, but the page can be eliminated and combined into the Registration page.


Registration page

The registration page consists of instructions for providing contact information and any other information, such as market research data, that is of marketing value to the client.  This data must be linked to the client’s database system, or can be captured by HITS and provided to the client.  Typically, these form pages are HTML formatted.


Contest Decoding page

This page is instantly revealed to the customer after they have filled in the registration information.  At this stage, they place their game piece over the revealed blue screen to see either a message or information on what they have won in the contest.

 

 

 

 

 

Drafting Official Rules:           

All games of chance – regardless of the scope, prize pool, geography – should have a set of official rules which governs the execution of the promotion. Clients who conduct a promotion without a set of official rules do so at their own peril. HITS will draft a set of official rules – based on answers to a 16-question client questionnaire – according to generally-accepted industry standards and conventions. We submit the rules for the client’s review and approval, and we revise the rules until the client’s Legal Department deems the rules to be “complete and approved”. 

 

 

 

Privacy Policy

Most companies have a written Privacy Policy on their websites that can be linked to from the promotional micro-site without creating a completely new site.

 

Prize Page

Many clients will construct a simple page that shows the prizes available by category of winner.  It is not necessary or required, but is a valuable opportunity to continue branding since many people will go to such a page to see what can be won.

Opinion Letter:

If the client’s Legal Department does not feel comfortable reviewing and approving the official rules, we can obtain an opinion letter from an outside law firm that specializes in promotional law. The opinion letter will state – upon review and possible revision of rules – that the official rules conform to existing interpretations of federal and state statutes. Please note that – in the end – this is still the client’s promotion to review and approve. As such, neither HITS nor the outside counsel will issue a letter of indemnification to the client.

State Registration:

For any consumer promotion that offers a total prize pool in excess of $5,000 in retail value, the states of NY, FL and RI require that the sponsor register the promotion with their state regulatory bodies. This involves filling out their forms (which we have) and submitting the final Official Rules governing the promotion. They also require filing fees of $350 be paid (in total). After the promotion has ended, these states require that a certified list of prize winners be sent to the states.

 

Surety Bonds:

Any promotion that offers a total prize pool in excess of $5,000 in retail value that is registered with the states of NY and FL require that a surety bond be posted for the full amount of the retail value of the prize pool. We work with a promotional insurance company that specializes in promotional surety bonds. These bonds need to be signed by a corporate officer of the client.

 

Promotion Administration:

This service includes a variety of functions including setting up dedicated PO Boxes to handle free game piece requests, prize claims, winner’s list requests, official rules requests, second chance drawing entries, etc. Administration also includes trafficking affidavits and releases, winner notification, prize verification, second chance drawings, other random drawings, and other services associated with the execution of the promotion.

Random Seeding Reports:

Using random-number generation software, HITS can generate a report which provides seeding instructions of major prize-winning game pieces. This is an important component whenever a promotion is subject to state audit.

Prize Fulfillment:

HITS can arrange for the storage, pick & pack and shipping of prizes to prize winners through our strategic partners’ state-of-the-art, third-party fulfillment warehouses.