On competition site, consumers rewarded for watching ads

It's no easy feat getting consumers to pay attention to one's ads, but now new site Loffles is using prizes to ensure that they do.

It’s no easy feat getting consumers to pay attention to ads, but a new site uses prizes to ensure that they do. Based in Rhode Island, Loffles enters users into a prize draw for a gift they have selected, in exchange for watching and ad and answering a few short questions to prove they have done so. Visitors to Loffles — a contraction of “lottery” and “raffles” — begin by answering a few basic questions about themselves in a short registration form and then browsing through a continuously updated catalog of prizes from participating brands. Whenever they see one they’d like to win, they simply click on a button to watch a promotional video from a partner advertiser. After answering a short quiz about what they just saw, they’re then automatically entered to win the prize. Each successful entry, meanwhile, also earns them “loffles” points, which can either be redeemed for prizes at the site’s store or used as additional entry tickets toward the prizes they’re hoping for. The company’s website explains: “With Loffles, you don’t have to spam your friends, opt into newsletters, or sign up for subscriptions. You don’t have to scour the web searching for legitimate promotions or sign up for memberships to multiple sites. We’ve removed all these barriers to entry so that we can provide you with easy access to contests and provide companies with an engaged, relevant audience. While brands use sweepstakes to build excitement for their products, you earn the chance to win.” The video below explains the premise in more detail:

A full 80 percent of Internet users enter sweepstakes at least once a year, Loffles says. What’s more, 96 percent of consumers who have participated in a brand-sponsored contest or sweepstakes are subsequently more aware of the brand and more likely to consider it when making a purchase, the company notes, citing a Razorfish study. One to try out for your own brand — or to emulate in your neck of the woods?