Sport Chek contest gives customers the gear

Tuesday May 8, 2007
Norma Ramage

Sport Chek is trying to put its online marketing into high gear with a new contest.

The Get into Gear Giveaway, which launched May 1 and runs until June 30, offers a grand prize package that includes a 2007 Subaru Forester and $2,000 in Sport Chek gear.

Running in tandem is a Contiki Holiday contest which offers the chance for an 11-day European vacation for two.

"The Contiki holiday is the viral part of the campaign," explains Lorissa Dong, promotions and sponsorship manager for the Forzani Group, which owns Sport Chek. Each time a Get into Gear entrant e-invites a friend to play, they are automatically entered in the Contiki contest. The "invited" friends can enter the Get into Gear Giveaway by using a code number on their Sport Chek store receipt or by submitting contact information. "The idea is to build traffic back into our Sport Chek stores," says Dong.

The contest also builds the subscriber database for the sports retailer's weekly e-newsletter. A week after the contest was launched, Dong says the retailer has already signed up 3,000 entrants and recorded 1,000 forwards. "And that's before our partners Air Miles, Student Price Card and Contiki holidays have even sent out their contest invitations, so we are very pleased with the response."

Sport Chek's first ever contest last October was a success, says Dong, creating 40,000 new members for its weekly e-newsletter and other online marketing information. "It's definitely working for us," says Dong, adding that the company is allocating a bigger chunk of its marketing budget to online initiatives and TV spots it feels will connect with a younger customer demographic.

The Get into Gear Giveaway contest, created by Calgary's Strategic Direct Marketing Group, is supported by spots on TSN, ads in Sun Media newspapers, flyers and in-store advertising.