GOLD ticket winner - Stern and JJP ! New idea !

[Caveoftreasures]

I had an idea tonight, something I reckon both Stern and JJP should do. (I am going to send my idea in to both Gary and Jack)

Thinking about the famous Gold ticket idea from the movie - Charlie Wonka and the chocolate factory, why couldnt the pinball companies have a deal wherby when u unbox your BNIB pinball machine, you send in your purchase certificate and it goes into a draw with the pinball manufacturer you purchased your machine from. (no gold certificates in the machines cause the pinball machine dealers would nick them out etc).

So, u send in your purchase certificate, it goes into a draw, and the draw could be held twice a year per title, say in December, just before Xmas, and the 2nd draw just around the end of June.

Now, what do u win. Well this is the good part.

Stern does 2 x GOLD Edition pinball machines only per title, one winner each 6 months, and the winner is drawn out of the hundreds of pinball purchasers purchase certificates which obviously has your Stern serial number on it.. This Gold Edition Pinball machine is a very special machine, available as a free prize only, for anyone who has purchased a Brand New in Box Pinball machine from that manufacturer. Dealers are exempt, only end users, home users are eligible.

The draw can be a huge event at Stern for example, and people would be totally obsessed with winning a Gold Edition machine, that only a handful would ever exsist. If Stern held this for example, you would buy your brand new Stern title, knowing u would go into the draw to win the ultimate Gold Edition pinball. It might have a one off translite, a special something on the cabinet, say Gold rails or something, and a special plaque that only the special few machines would have. Overnight, it would become highly highly collectable.

If I knew how to use photoshop I would do a Gold Edition version but I have no skills in that department.

Anyway, it was an idea to give something back to the end home user, and it was a idea to help the pinball manufacturers give a extra bit of incentive for people to buy brand new in box versus 2nd hand, just to win that Gold Edition pinny once or twice a year.

Anyone think its a decent idea ?    

[robm]

Nice idea but i doubt it would get up.  A promotion needs to increase sales more than the cost of the promotion, and i really doubt that this type would.  I can't see that someone would make the decision to buy the machine based on the fact they have a small chance of winning, hence, no increase in sales (in my opinion).  Its simply too big an investment.  Slightly different with higher turnover items (even if they are more expensive), such as a car, where there are heaps of manufacturers.  So if Ford have a promotion where you can win a special edition, or get $10k off or something, this may sway people towards Ford rather than Holden or Toyota.  With pinnies, operators will buy based on pure business decision, collectors/random people who want a theme will justify the expense to themselves.

A much better promotion would be a solid advertising campaign, showcase private collections.  This will

1. Blow people away with the collections some people have
2. Hopefully show the fun you can have
3. Make people aware that you can actually buy pinnies still!

[Ant68]

Its Willy Wonka 

I had an idea tonight, something I reckon both Stern and JJP should do. (I am going to send my idea in to both Gary and Jack)

Thinking about the famous Gold ticket idea from the movie - Charlie Wonka and the chocolate factory, why couldnt the pinball companies have a deal wherby when u unbox your BNIB pinball machine, you send in your purchase certificate and it goes into a draw with the pinball manufacturer you purchased your machine from. (no gold certificates in the machines cause the pinball machine dealers would nick them out etc).

So, u send in your purchase certificate, it goes into a draw, and the draw could be held twice a year per title, say in December, just before Xmas, and the 2nd draw just around the end of June.

Now, what do u win. Well this is the good part.

Stern does 2 x GOLD Edition pinball machines only per title, one winner each 6 months, and the winner is drawn out of the hundreds of pinball purchasers purchase certificates which obviously has your Stern serial number on it.. This Gold Edition Pinball machine is a very special machine, available as a free prize only, for anyone who has purchased a Brand New in Box Pinball machine from that manufacturer. Dealers are exempt, only end users, home users are eligible.

The draw can be a huge event at Stern for example, and people would be totally obsessed with winning a Gold Edition machine, that only a handful would ever exsist. If Stern held this for example, you would buy your brand new Stern title, knowing u would go into the draw to win the ultimate Gold Edition pinball. It might have a one off translite, a special something on the cabinet, say Gold rails or something, and a special plaque that only the special few machines would have. Overnight, it would become highly highly collectable.

If I knew how to use photoshop I would do a Gold Edition version but I have no skills in that department.

Anyway, it was an idea to give something back to the end home user, and it was a idea to help the pinball manufacturers give a extra bit of incentive for people to buy brand new in box versus 2nd hand, just to win that Gold Edition pinny once or twice a year.

Anyone think its a decent idea ?    

[Caveoftreasures]

Yep, willy wonka is correct.lol  charlie is his cousin.lol 

It could soon be Jack Wonka or Gary Wonka...........

The cost for Stern/JJP to do a few free machines per annum for a competition i thought would be peanuts, and i reckon alot of people would buy a BNIB machine versus a 2nd hand Stern if they knew they had a chance of winning something spectacular......

How great would it be if you got a email saying you had won a Gold Edition BNIB machine, that would be unreal, something all your fellow pinheads would be envious of i reckon.

Just an idea anyway. Who would say no to winning one, certainly not me.lol

[Discodan]

I think it's a great idea, it could well work. It's going to be targeted at the existing enthusiast market rather than expanding the market but if it moves a few more units and gets some good publicity it's got to be a good thing. GT bikes did something similar a few years ago where you could win a golden bike but you had to earn it rather just by luck but they are highly sought after now

http://uncrate.com/stuff/gt-golden-bike/

[Caveoftreasures]

yes, great idea as well.

pinheads love limited edition machines, and the 200 and 300 Stern currently make, become highly collectable ofcourse a year or two later when everyone wants one, but no one can really get one.  A GOLD LE Pinball machine, won only prize etc, would be even more collectable, and that I reckon would add incentive for someone to pull the trigger on a new Stern. (or JJP)

I mean Stern or JJP could even do a per country GOLD LE winning machine, so that Aussies know they are in with a chance etc.
You have to be in it to win it as they say, and if a few hundred Sterns get sold in Australia per year, a 1 in 200 chance is still worth while, cause someone lucky would win. Any idea to bring new people to the brand new in box market, or an increase in the new in box market is a good public relations winner for the pinball manufacturers.

[studley67]

good idea,but in my opinion "pigs will fly" have another cone brett.lol.

[coon82]

I like the idea. It's breaking the mould of standard marketing ideas to more of a quirky way. A golden ticket would be cool because it makes the opening of a NIB pin even a little more exciting (at least for a moment) just like in the Willy Wonka movie just with chocolate, but it's a good point

(no gold certificates in the machines cause the pinball machine dealers would nick them out etc).

Something like this could create a bonus incentive for some to buy but ultimately the individual would have really wanted that pin in the first palce because 6K + is a large outlay in the first place. So similar to what robm said I don't think the primary affect will be that it influences someone to go out and by a NIB game.

So IMO:

Bonus - Yes, I wouldn't knock it back.
Another good form of marketing to collectors - Yes
Incentive that makes or breaks buying NIB pin - Not really but still like the idea.

[studley67]

well the nib bib broke the bank and i cant see another nib grabing my attention,so,unless it is a super title i cant fork out for another nib.yet.if the new title was blacksabbath,kiss,iron maiden,scorpions,judus priest or even the newcomer metal licker.i would be in.but i never win any thing so the chance would not sway me.

[Caveoftreasures]

good idea,but in my opinion "pigs will fly" have another cone brett.lol.

  no cones for me, but I will have a cold jim beam n coke. 

I was thinking the only person a competition like this might sway to buy a BNIB, would be someone thinking of buying a 2nd hand Stern instead of BNIB. Maybe the GOLD edition pinny might get someone to buy BNIB instead of 2nd hand ??....who knows, but worth a shot.

It would also make the pinball manufacturers look more generous than penny pinchers, and thats a good thing.lol 

[coon82]

I was thinking the only person a competition like this might sway to buy a BNIB, would be someone thinking of buying a 2nd hand Stern instead of BNIB. Maybe the GOLD edition pinny might get someone to buy BNIB instead of 2nd hand ??....who knows, but worth a shot.

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