Campaign Overview

To celebrate the summer travel season and reward loyal customers, TravelCenters of America partnered with Realtime Media to launch Summermania—a gamified, 102-day digital promotion built to drive daily engagement and encourage repeat customer visits.

Running from late May through early September, the campaign featured a Spin-to-Win game with daily instant prizes, bigger monthly prizes, and a sweepstakes grand prize: a trip for four to a U.S. destination of their choice. With 15,000 prizes and tiered incentives throughout the campaign, Summermania kept travelers returning to play and to stores all season long.

Our Solution

Realtime Media delivered a dynamic promotion that leveraged gamification and a mix of daily, monthly, and grand prizes to encourage repeat participation and capture seasonal momentum.

Our Approach

• User-Generated Content (UGC): The main online instant win campaign was accompanied by an Instagram sweepstakes that encouraged users to share summer road trip memories using #TASummermaniaSweepstakes. This supported broader awareness and created space for social connection, while aligning the brand with the joy of summer travel.
• Spin-to-Win Gameplay: Participants could play once per day for a chance to win instant prizes—free drinks, meals, and more—with gameplay doubling as sweepstakes entry.
• Prize Structure: Summermania offered a tiered prize lineup designed to keep excitement high throughout the season.
  • Daily Instant Win Prizes delivered quick rewards like free coffee, fountain drinks, and meals—perfect perks for travelers on the go.
  • Monthly Instant Win Prizes added excitement with higher-value items:
    • June: A year’s supply of candy
    • July: One free meal every week for a year at Country Pride or Iron Skillet
    • August: Free gas for a year, awarded as a $2,000 BP gift card
  • Sweepstakes Grand Prize: A dream-worthy six-day, five-night trip for four to any destination in the contiguous U.S., awarded at the campaign’s close.

Key Benefits

• Sustained Engagement: The campaign drove over 500,000 total spins, with more than 75% of participants returning to play multiple times. This high rate of repeat engagement demonstrates how a gamified structure and daily prize opportunities can foster ongoing participation and brand interaction.
• Seasonal Impact: By aligning the campaign with peak summer travel months and offering prizes tailored to life on the road, Summermania tapped into timely consumer behavior and delivered value when and where it mattered most.
• Layered Incentive Structure: The combination of daily instant wins, monthly high-value prizes, and a grand prize sweepstakes created multiple entry points and kept momentum high throughout the 102-day campaign—encouraging both short-term excitement and long-term involvement.

Conclusion

By aligning engaging gameplay with enticing prizes, Summermania helped TravelCenters of America connect with consumers all summer long.

Interested in learning more about how we can help with your next Digital Promotion? Get in touch with us today!