Following the company's 15-year anniversary competition debacle, MTN has kicked off its summer campaign with another SMS competition.
The company revealed last night, at an event at Innisfree Park, in Johannesburg, that it was launching another competition to run alongside the campaign.
“Everyone has been affected by the current economic climate in some way, which is why we have decided to go all out with a campaign that gives everyone a chance to win fabulous prizes, and gets them connected and talking with products that are convenient, cost-effective and offer great rewards,” said MTN SA chief marketing officer Serame Taukobong.
The company's 15-year anniversary competition, which started in June, was dogged by controversy.
The competition was a quiz-based system, where entrants answered trivia via SMS to gain points, with SMSes costing R7.50 each. The more points accumulated, the more likely the entrant was to win a prize.
Allegations emerged around the way MTN conducted the competition and several customers spent thousands of rands attempting to win the prizes. Another storm surfaced a few days later, when it was alleged some of the competition winners had access to a list of entrants and each person's score.
However, MTN SA Fifa GM Anthony Garstang says the company has decided to take the cautious route with this competition. “We made some mistakes with the 15-year anniversary competition and you took us to task on it. We appreciate that,” he says.
He adds that the competition has been sent to the National Lotteries Board “as a courtesy” and for approval. It has also been passed by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The ASA ruled in September that the company misled customers during its 15-year anniversary competition.
The new competition will also only be charged at standard cellphone rates.
Ayoba!
The competition is based on the company's intent to capture the spirit of the coming 2010 Soccer World Cup and runs with the slang tagline “Ayoba”.
There is no direct English translation for the term; however, MTN describes it as “an exuberant expression of general delight or approval, rather than a word with a specific meaning”.
The competition will run until the end of January and will give away R28 million worth of prizes. “The prizes reflect the spirit of Ayoba, and offer something for everyone, including motor vehicles, R10 000 gifts cards, airtime vouchers, home entertainment systems, radios, cameras and limited edition Fifa soccer memorabilia.”
The company's grand prize for the competition will go to 10 winners and includes double tickets to 25 soccer World Cup matches, local travel, accommodation and subsistence costs. This essentially gives 20 people access to every game that will be played during the World Cup.
MTN hopes the coming competition will be well received by its customers and rebuild some of the trust it lost over its last competition.
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