44% More Revenue: The Case for Travel Prizes Over Cash

44% More Revenue: The Case for Travel Prizes Over Cash

Case Study: Engagement and Revenue Lift Through Themed Contests

Alpha Media ran a national travel-themed contest campaign offering deluxe vacation packages as prizes. Compared to previous campaigns that used cash giveaways, these travel promotions generated significantly more value for sponsors and gave local teams better tools for audience targeting.

What Happened

Instead of offering cash, Alpha Media invited users to enter a “Choose Your Trip” contest where four winners could select from over 20 vacation packages. Destinations included hotel stays, excursions, and full travel accommodations. Entries reset weekly to encourage repeated participation.

What They Found

By using themed prizes tied to experiences instead of money, Alpha Media:

• Increased sponsor revenue by 44% compared to cash giveaways
  
  
• Captured more detailed audience data through custom entry questions
  
  
• Enabled local markets to tailor messaging and offers around travel interests
  ‍

How It Was Used

With the data collected, Alpha's local teams could:

• Identify regional travel preferences
  
  
• Target users with relevant follow-up promotions
  
  
• Share back insights with participating sponsors to inform future campaigns
  
  

Takeaway

Experience-based prizes generated stronger returns than cash, encouraged repeat participation, and gave local markets actionable insight into their audience. For teams looking to improve both engagement and advertiser results, travel contests proved to be a high-performing alternative.

‍