Carry on comping!

Comping is a hobby that keeps you optimistic. It can help take your mind off health issues, personal problems – or indeed, a huge global crisis. Comping can result in wonderful friendships. It can be great brain training, and can help you to learn how to use new technology or apps.

Oh, and did I mention that sometimes comping can even win you amazing prizes?

We need to carry on comping. I’ve seen a few Facebook posts suggesting it’s not appropriate to retweet giveaways, to comment cheerily on Instagram or to share Facebook comps. But I think comping and smiling is exactly what we need to do, as a way to help us cope while we come to terms with the coronavirus crisis and life in isolation.

I don’t want my comping friends to miss out on our regular Comp Club meetings, so I’m organising Zoom, Messenger and HouseParty video chats with my comping friends locally and in the Midlands. These chats are easy to do, will put a smile on your face and encourage you to carry on comping until we can all safely meet up again. Perhaps you could see if anyone in your local Facebook comping group wants to chat? Many compers are older people staying home alone, so they might be grateful for the company.

How can we support promoters?

Companies and individuals all over the world are worried about how their business will survive during the crisis, and beyond. But we’re all in this situation together, and there are ways to help and support each other. It’s really important that we show our support to all those brands and bloggers that we love (big and small, local and national) by finding and following them on social media, interacting with them and – of course – continuing to enter any giveaways they’re hosting. If you’ve won a nice prize in recent months, share a photo and tag the promoter letting them know how much you’re enjoying it!

Shops and brands need customers in order to survive, so it’s in their best interests to do what they can now to attract new followers and fans, so that when we’re able to go shopping again – and when we feel we can afford to spend money – their brands will be at the forefront of our minds! For many businesses, they may have to do this at minimum cost via social media channels rather than their usual expensive bus stop, magazine or in-store advertising and promotions. A competition is a great way to attract attention, and with so many people stuck at home, we’re likely to see a steady trickle of giveaways on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Finding and following local businesses on social media (and joining their mailing lists) is a good way to show your support through these tough times too – find tips in my post on how to find local competitions and giveaways.

What kind of competitions are still running?

• Many unique code prize promotions and purchase-necessary instant wins are still running – and they should have much lower entry numbers over the next few weeks as people struggle to get to the shops, and are focused on only buying essential items. If you’re doing a supermarket shop, look out for the new Golden Wonder and Mentos promotional packs. Please do not go to multiple shops looking for flashed packs – only buy promotional competition products as part of your essentials shop, and ideally shop online.
• Promoters are running giveaways to reward NHS workers with essential prizes like shoes, glasses and bikes as well as treats like bouquets and perfume – for these, you have to nominate a friend who works for the NHS or is a key worker.  Check our key worker post in the Lucky Learners Facebook group for comps. 
• Many brands are creating competitions that involve tasks to do with the children while they’re at home (you can find lots of these creative kids competitions in my special blog post).
• We can expect to see more prizes that are codes easily sent by email – for example, e-vouchers, Deliveroo credit and Amazon vouchers – as well as voucher prizes with an expiry date of 2021.
• Competitions with cash prizes shouldn’t be too affected, as in most cases the prize can be arranged to be transferred by BACS. 

Prize promotions that have been cancelled or changed

For obvious reasons, certain promotions have been paused due to the crisis:

• Robinsons have completely cancelled their Wimbledon on-pack promotion, which was due to start in April
• McDonalds have delayed their annual Monopoly promotion until later in 2020, until they ‘can be confident that you can win, claim and redeem the prizes available’.
• Matalan have paused their Matalan Movies promotion, which offers monthly cinema ticket prizes.
• Carlsberg have cancelled their Co-op Glastonbury competition

But not all comps have been cancelled or postponed – a few promoters have been adapting their competitions to the current lockdown situation.

• Vodafone have switched their Find Unlimited Treasure Hunt from outdoors in cities, to a virtual Treasure Hunt at home! There are thousands of prizes to be won, and you don’t need to be a Vodafone customer.
• Coca-Cola have adjusted their Will your Minute Win It? Premier League promotion – all entries after 8 March 2020 will now go into a weekly prize draw to win guaranteed football prizes, with the first draw closing on 30 March 2020. This should actually offer a much better chance of winning than the original format!
• Chang Beer have extended their ‘Win a trip to Thailand’ promotion until December 2020, with the prize holiday now valid until 2021.
• Peroni have changed their Passegiata purchase-necessary promotion so the prize trips to Italy can be used until the end of September 2021.
• The Clarence Court prize draw is still running, but the prize Italian yoga retreat has now been postponed to 2021.
• Mallets Cider have managed to replace the Glastonbury 2020 tickets in their on-pack promotion with tickets for Glasto 2021! (originally they replaced the tickets with cider!)
• Weetabix are making the prize tickets valid for next year’s festival in their Isle of Wight Festival promotion
• The top prize of a Tokyo Olympics trip in the Whole Earth promotion will be rolled over, and all entries will go into the 2021 prize draw. The smaller prizes are still available to be won though!

It’s sensible to not bother entering for any event tickets at the moment, with everything being cancelled or postponed it’s tricky to know when (or if) they will happen! Even major film releases have been pushed back – No Time to Die is now set for a November release, and Peter Rabbit 2 in December.

Prize delays

Getting prizes to winners is proving problematic for those companies who aren’t working in their office, so if you do win a prize then you should allow a few months for delivery. PromoVeritas have already sent out emails to winners of the Oreo Twin To Win promotion to inform them of delays, but have said that hopefully their prizes will arrive no later than 17th May 2020. McVities have postponed all TeamGB prize training sessions, but hope to reschedule for later in 2020.

So let’s carry on comping through these tough times, keep on smiling for your Mentos and Pringles selfies, and try to remain patient and positive. Oh – and don’t forget to share your wins with fellow compers in my Lucky Learners Facebook group!