The 'UPC' in contests and sweesptakes.

Contest and sweepstakes hints and tips #11.

Article September 2003 © Copyright Lots of Luck Advertising

The UPC is the Universal Product Code (also known as a bar code).  It is the series of narrow and wide lines on a product, with a set of numbers underneath.  Almost every product has a unique UPC, to distinguish that product from other products.  This is an invaluable invention, as it makes automated scanning of products at a store’s checkout for identification and price much faster and more accurate than a human could accomplish.

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There are many contest and sweepstakes sponsors, who require you to send in a UPC of their product (or a reasonable hand drawn facsimile of the UPC), in order to be eligible to enter their contest or sweepstakes. This is especially the case in certain countries like Canada.

These are mostly contests and sweepstakes that require a mail in entry. Most contests and sweepstakes that you can enter over the Internet don't require you to send in the UPC, however, some still require you to enter the UPC product number online.

There are two main reasons for sponsors to include the UPC requirement in their rules and regulations.  First, the sponsor wants to allow existing consumers of their product, to feel appreciated through easy participation in a contest or sweepstakes.  As existing consumers already purchase the sponsor’s product, they should have easy access to a valid UPC, in order to send it along with the entry to participate in the contest or sweepstakes. Second, the UPC requirement is a good way to entice or attract new consumers to the sponsor’s product.  This encourages a prospective consumer to purchase the sponsor’s product, and in so doing they may end up liking the product and becoming a loyal customer.

You can develop a kind of strategy with regards to UPCs and requirements for contests and sweepstakes.  Here are a few ideas to get you started on developing your own strategy:

• You could collect all the UPCs from the products that you normally purchase, label them (or keep the labels intact, with the UPC still on), sort them into marked envelopes and boxes by sponsor, company, or product brand.  This is very time consuming and requires lots of storage space.
  
• You could buy lots of the specified products that have the UPCs required for a specific contest or sweepstakes.  This is very expensive, requires lots of storage space, and may cause spoilage or waste of products, if they aren’t used in a short time span.
  
• You could look for the product already in your home, and if you don’t have one, then purchase and use just one of the products that has the required UPC.  Even if you enter a contest or sweepstakes just once, you still have a chance of winning.
  
• You could look for the product already in your home, and if you don’t have one, then purchase and use just one of the products that has the required UPC.  If the contest or sweepstakes rules allow you to have multiple entries, then you could hand draw multiple copies of the UPC to send in along with your multiple entries into the contest or sweepstakes.  It is relatively time consuming to hand draw UPCs, but remember that they don't need to be perfect.  In fact, you can even draw them while watching TV.

In recent times, some sponsors are becoming less likely to require a mail-in of the actual UPC. They seem to just want the UPC number of their product that their contest or sweepstakes is related to. This is assumed to be due to the added mass of materials that a contest or sweepstakes would bring in which requires a mail-in of an actual UPC. Sponsors seem more desireable to want to avoid the added paperwork (who can blame them).

These hints and tips articles are listed as guidelines only.  They are listed as information to help you to develop your own strategy in entering contests and sweepstakes. Click on a hints and tips article from the list below, and you will be taken to a more detailed page:

Contest and Sweepstakes Hints and Tips

1. Always read and follow all the Rules and Regulations of any contest or sweepstakes.
   
2. Keep a journal of your entries into contests and sweepstakes.
   
3. More important things to be aware of.
   
4. Where to find contests and sweepstakes.
   
5. A trend in rules and regulations.
   
6. Original entry forms only.
   
7. The best time to enter contests and sweepstakes.
   
8. Be aware of scams.
   
9. Dedicated contest and sweepstakes sites.
   
10. Automated entries.
    
11. The 'UPC'.
12. The four leaf clover.

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