What's the point of the retarded comp. questions?

[Viper007Bond]

Is the point of the questions for the competition just arbitrary, or is there some British law saying you can't run a free raffle or something?

I mean, most of the time, the questions and answer are quite obvious, so what's the point? Anyone know?

 

[Ultra_Kool_Dude]

I'm pretty sure it's a legal loophole - they have to ask a "skill testing question" to be able to collect $$$ to give away a prize.

I think it has something to do with the lottery or something.

 

[matt_shaw]

they have the same laws in the USA to Viper


you cant just give stuff away

 

[Raven18940]

They do in on the radio all the time, "Right now the _th caller will win _____". :?

 

[Ultra_Kool_Dude]

It's because they charge money for phone calls - this would conflict with the state run lotteries if they didn't ask "skill testing questions".

 

[simingx]

The car won't cost them anything if enough people call in... and how do you make lots of people call in?

 

[SiR_dude]

The car won't cost them anything if enough people call in... and how do you make lots of people call in?

It's more to do with the above mentioned laws, I'm sure. But I'm also sure that, as you mentioned, the cars don't cost them a thing, because I'd bet they MAKE money on that stupid competition.

 

[Xeon SX]

I always thought that they make simple questions sa that we all would phone them and thats how they make money, from phone calls. Although I dont think they can generate enough money this way.

 

[Viper007Bond]

they have the same laws in the USA to Viper


you cant just give stuff away

Yes you can, things are given away all the time. Buy a pack of Coke, be in for a chance to win $100k or something.

 

[Overheat]

From a media perspective, their purpose is to generate more phone calls. More people will ring up if they know the answer for sure, than will if the answer is ambiguous. There is also the pressure from people such as younger children who want to enter because they think that they're the only people who know the answer - you know what kids are like.

 

[Janus]

From a media perspective, their purpose is to generate more phone calls. More people will ring up if they know the answer for sure, than will if the answer is ambiguous. There is also the pressure from people such as younger children who want to enter because they think that they're the only people who know the answer - you know what kids are like.

Thank you, that is exactly what I was going to say. It is to make every idiot think that they can win, so they will call 1000 times...thus earning them more money.

We have lots of these kind of things starting here in Australia.

They are like "to win this PSP simply answer if PSP is made by Sony or Apple".

Thus idiots call at $1 a pop because they know the answer and the company makes 1000 times the cost of the PSP they give away.

 

[mmap]

I actually tried to organize a competition in the UK for a company I used to work for and the law states that in order for it to be legal the compettors have to show skills, hence the stupid question. If they would just give the prize at random between all the callers they would have to pay the taxes on the prize (or if they didn't the winner would have to)! seeing as it's a car there is a hefty sum involved there.

 

[Redliner]

At least here in Brazil, if you ask something, you can claim it?s a "Cultural Contest" and so the laws are different. That?s why EVERYTHING is based on stupid questions. Maybe it?s the same reason.

 

[Viper007Bond]

I actually tried to organize a competition in the UK for a company I used to work for and the law states that in order for it to be legal the compettors have to show skills, hence the stupid question. If they would just give the prize at random between all the callers they would have to pay the taxes on the prize (or if they didn't the winner would have to)! seeing as it's a car there is a hefty sum involved there.

Ah! Okay.

 

[teeb]

The car won't cost them anything if enough people call in... and how do you make lots of people call in?

It's more to do with the above mentioned laws, I'm sure. But I'm also sure that, as you mentioned, the cars don't cost them a thing, because I'd bet they MAKE money on that stupid competition.

A text message entry costs ?1 a pop plus network charges, if we assume the entire pound goes to Fifth Gear and that only 1% of the 2 million odd UK viewers watch, that's still ?20,000 - more than enough most weeks to cover the competition prize.

Believe it or not, there's also a law in the UK that says competition questions can't be *too* easy, or akin to giving it away. Though how the questions could be much easier I'm not sure...