Crossing State Lines
Miller Brewing employs new call-routing system to pull off nationwide sweeps.
Miller Brewing Co. tapped NextLink Interactive, Portland, OR, for a call-routing system for its national Miller Lite and Miller Genuine Draft sweepstakes. The system helped launch the promo and extend participation while complying with myriad state restrictions on promoting alcoholic beverages.
NextLink created four geographic-specific messages for the sweepstakes, each version relying on a single toll-free number. Each caller heard a message from Miller tailored to meet that caller’s state laws.
NextLink’s system allowed Miller to legally extend the sweepstakes to players in states that had formerly been excluded. For example, California prohibits “instant winner” sweeps, so the NextLink system placed the caller on hold while Miller determined if the caller held a winning number.
“Miller wanted to create a seamless campaign that complied with all state laws, wouldn’t exclude anyone, and wouldn’t compromise the simplicity of a toll-free number and instant prizes,” says NextLink spokesman David Runge.
