The Big Pay-Off: Rewarding Tween Behavior with Prizes, Perks and
Rewards
Prizes, special benefits and rewards add excitement to your campaign and
pay-off the anticipation of your campaign’s promise. Research shows that tweens
value incentives and public recognition. Build an image of inclusive exclusivity
by rewarding the physical activity of all tweens who participate (inclusive)
with prizes and rewards that are just for VERB Scorecard participants
(exclusivity).
Prizes and rewards also appeal to parents, who revealed in previous VERB
Scorecard campaign focus groups that valuable prizes, like YMCA memberships,
increased their willingness to support their children’s participation in the
campaign.
Prizes can be donated or purchased. Persuade partners/vendors that
prize contributions are a good advertising opportunity by including their name
or logo on VERB Scorecards and other promotional materials.
Campaign Incentives: What prizes, perks or rewards will you offer?
Most VERB Scorecard campaigns have offered small prizes for all tween
participants as well as significant grand prizes for some participants. Small
prizes for each tween who turns in a completed VERB Scorecard makes every child
feel included and rewarded. Previous VERB Scorecard campaigns have awarded a
limited number of valuable, appealing grand prizes by randomly selecting winners
from all completed VERB Scorecards. Friendly competition for the limited number
of grand prizes can motivate tweens to be more active.
Prizes also identify tweens after the campaign is over as a VERB Scorecard
participant when they use their incentive prize in public – keeping the campaign
buzz buzzing.
Of course, choosing prizes that reinforce physical activity makes sense.
Video games and fast food coupons may be offered, but your planning team can
decline prizes that don’t fit the VERB brand.
Special events (see page 19), classes or clinics just for VERB Scorecard
holders are perks that bolster the inclusive exclusivity image for the tweens.
Ask your partners/vendors to offer special hours or events just for VERB
Scorecard holders. Recruit local high school or college athletes to conduct
special classes or skills clinics.
The small prize distribution and grand prize drawing can be held at a grand
finale event (see page 19) just for VERB Scorecard participants. Distribute
small prizes to each tween as the completed VERB Scorecard is turned in. For the
grand prize drawing, keep in mind that not every prize is desirable to every
tween. It works well to let tweens pick the prize they want in the order in
which their cards are drawn. For example, the first name drawn selects a prize
from the grand prize list. The selected prize is crossed off the list, and the
second name drawn picks from the remaining prizes, and so on.
If a culminating event isn’t included in your campaign design, there are
several options that previous VERB Scorecard sites have used.
- Hold the grand prize drawing with just representatives from your partner
organizations present. Afterward, notify the winners and mail prizes.
- Tweens can turn in their completed VERB Scorecards and receive their
small prizes at some of the VERB Scorecard partner/vendor sites (libraries,
schools and after school programs). Your planning team needs to stock their
supply of small prizes beforehand, and collect the redeemed VERB Scorecards
afterward.
Wolfe County, Kentucky distributed their prizes through the school classrooms
that they targeted, with a prize awarded to the student in each class who had
been the most physically active.
Page last reviewed: August 1, 2007
Page last modified: August 1, 2007
Content source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention
and Health Promotion, Division of Adolescent and School Health |
