I got an email from a well known computer industry publication to which I subscribe and is sometimes really useful.  They wanted recipients to spend just 15 minutes of their time to answer some questions about satisfaction with IT distribution companies.asd then they would use the responses in a story at the end of next month.  A good idea, that might turn out useful for someone looking for an IT distribution vendor. I probably wouldn’t have answered, anyhow, as I don’t purchase that much “IT” myself, and my  response wouldn’t be worth much.

But there was a “giveaway”.

The subject heading, as above was:

Evaluate IT Distributors — Get a Gas Card

And the publication agreed to give a genuine $10 gas card to 200, selected at random, of the people answering the e-mail.

 I haven’t looked up the circulation of the publication, but I assume at least 10s of thousands, probably more.  Assuming only 10 percent of the 10,000 mailing list respond, that would be 1000 responses to compete for the 200 gas cards. Let’s see….that’s a 20 percent chance on a $10 card — expected value $2 — for 15 minutes time, or $8 per hour.  (Didn’t the minimum wage just go up?)  IF they receive only 1000 responses.

Now the publication is a good one, the goal worthy, and had I something to say I would answer it they weren’t offering the gas card.  But how many people would do it because the company offered them a full 2-1/2 gallons of gas, if they gave a card for each answer?  Few, I’d guess. And fewer on a chance to win 2-1/2 gallons of gas.

Of course, times are tough, and every little bit helps. (I wonder if they’ll send the winners 1099s?  Nah!)
This is, I suppose, like the dollar bill that is sometimes inserted into requests to take a written survey.  The theory is that some have the dollar in hand and may feel obigated to take the survey, thereby increasing the “yield” of the mailing. If it works, I suppose it is worth it.