5 Ideas for Digital Promotions that Celebrate Summer

Contests, giveaways and sweepstakes are proven to build brand loyalty and engagement while meeting strategic marketing goals, such as acquiring first-party data or supporting a product launch. Tying a promotion into the summer season — which often connotes feelings of freedom, adventure or relaxation — can increase positive brand associations while keeping your products top of mind and brand relevant.

Looking for ideas? We’ve got you covered. Here are five successful promotions brands can use to connect their product with the spirit of summer:

“Show Us Your Travel” UGC Contest

Weekend getaways, family vacations and road trips are especially popular during the summer months, and a user-generated content contest creates a fun opportunity to tie your product into their travel experience. Consider asking entrants to snap a photo with your product on their journey in the car or on a flight and post it to Instagram, TikTok, Twitter or Facebook for a buzz-worthy social media contest.

Embrace the Summer Atmosphere with Concert Giveaways

Nothing captures the feeling of summer like a concert, and many brands look to enhance the concert experience through a promotion. One client, an adult beverage brand, introduced a new summer product with a sweepstakes offering VIP experiences to a popular concert tour.

Tickets or exclusive experiences are popular prizes, but brands can also engage concert attendees through an SMS text-to-win campaign held live during the concert itself. In partnership with the performers, brands can invite audience members to text a short code to a specific number and select the winners during the event. Some ideas for prizing could be gift cards, artist/band merchandise or even a backstage pass.

Host a Summer Holiday Recipe Contest

Not everyone associates summer with the beach, but they can relate to the holidays — and foods — of summer. Memorial Day, Father’s Day, 4th of July and Labor Day are fun tie-ins for a recipe contest, where brands can invite users to share their favorite barbecue, picnic or cocktail recipes using their product.

Offer Summer Swag Prizes

A sweepstakes can be an easy way to connect any brand to summer, especially if the prizing feels seasonal. The summertime season is responsible for ushering in many of our favorite household items, such as Bluetooth speakers, beach chairs, grills, and coolers. These items enhance the summer experience and make outdoor activities more enjoyable. To take it a step further, some companies choose to customize their prizes with branding to boost the connection with the consumer.

Celebrate the Season with an Instant Win

One way to surprise and delight a customer? Give them a chance to instantly win something fun! For CPG brands, we recommend printing a QR code that leads to an instant win game right on the packaging or using in-store displays for the consumer to scan and play immediately after purchase. Instant Win promotions can be particularly useful for brands competing in aisles where consumers search for snacks, drinks and other products frequently enjoyed in warm weather.

Relevant prizes and fun themes can be a great way to spark your audience’s interest and drive entries to your contest or sweepstakes. If you want more inspiration, click on over to our case studies to see how we’ve helped brands like Netflix, LG, Walmart, Hershey’s and Maybelline connect with consumers through memorable promotions and prizes.