Wyndham Worldwide, one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, along with the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program, wanted to directly engage consumers through the Wyndham Championship Trivia Contest. The trivia contest began April 15 and ran for 18 weeks leading up to the Wyndham Championship, an annual PGA TOUR event that was held Aug. 12-18, 2013, at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.
Mission accomplished: Wyndham Worldwide announced that the Wyndham Championship Facebook page increased its online fan-base by nearly 400% due to the Wyndham Championship Trivia Contest.
During the 18-week campaign, fans were encouraged to visit the Wyndham Championship Facebook page to enter the sweepstakes and answer a trivia question related to the Wyndham Championship, Wyndham Worldwide, or its family of brands. Each week leading up to the tournament, one winner was randomly selected and received 25,000 Wyndham Rewards points and had their photo replace the pin flag on the course map cover photo on the Wyndham Championship Facebook page. On average, there were 10,000 page views each week and more than 25,000 entries throughout the contest.
Alyson Johnson, senior vice president, marketing and communications, Wyndham Worldwide, told Loyalty 360 that she was “extremely happy” with the trivia contest and its impact on customer engagement.
“Not only did it increase direct consumer engagement by nearly 400%, but it also was a way for golf enthusiasts to get excited about the Wyndham Championship,” she said. “During the week of the tournament in August, fans can visit the Wyndham Championship Facebook page to get updates on their favorite golfers playing in the tournament, and throughout the year they can get information about the tournament. Not only is the site a great resource for golf enthusiasts, but it’s also another way for our customers and business partners who can’t be there in person to get excited about the tournament.”
What’s more, Johnson said the campaign introduced Wyndham Worldwide to a new audience – golf enthusiasts – who may not have been familiar with the company. Johnson said Wyndham Worldwide is always looking for new, fun, and interactive ways to engage its fans and to merge online and on-site activities, both at the Wyndham Championship and beyond.
For example, for the past three years, attendees were able to participate in the “Charity of Choice” campaign. The top 10 charities were determined by an open voting period on WyndhamChampionship.com and the Wyndham Worldwide Facebook page. Then, on-site at the tournament, attendees voted for their favorite local Piedmont Triad not-for-profit organization, and the one that received the most votes at the end of the tournament received a $100,000 donation from Wishes by Wyndham, the philanthropic foundation of Wyndham Worldwide.
“Each year when planning for the tournament, we are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to increase the visibility of the tournament, as well as our brands and our loyalty program,” Johnson said. “Based on nearly quadrupling the Wyndham Championship online fan-base, I’m confident in saying that the Trivia Contest was definitely a fun and interactive way to directly engage with golf fans while giving them immediate and tangible rewards through Wyndham Rewards points.”
Wyndham Rewards is the free-to-join guest loyalty program of Wyndham Hotel Group, part of Wyndham Worldwide. Wyndham Rewards offers members the chance to earn and redeem points for stays at nearly 7,000 hotels throughout more than 50 countries worldwide. Non-members can enroll directly on the sweepstakes page or at www.wyndhamrewards.com.