I'm a bit of a data collection nerd in that I like reading and learning about different techniques and contests that reputable marketers are using to learn more about the black hole of customers they don't have direct interaction with. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has thousands upon thousands of fans that they know exist but can't market to because they don't know their names, addresses or emails. This past June, they decided to do something about it using the time-honored technique of giving away money for the information.

For three weeks on its live Monday night broadcast on USA Network, CEO Vince McMahon pledged to give away $1 million per week of his 'own money' to fans that entered in their information at the company's web site. He would then randomly choose the winners (which was assisted by EPrize) and call them on air, meaning they had to be actively watching in order to win. How? McMahon gave away a password at the beginning of the two-hour show which the viewer would have to say in order to win. Allotments varied all over the board during the three weeks with prizes as low as $2 (which one fan wasn't thrilled with) all the way up to $500,000.

The contest ran three consecutive Mondays from June 9th-23rd and a total of one million people had registered after the first week causing the EPrize site to crash, always a fun experience for corporate marketers. Two million people registered for the contest in the three week period totaling six million entries, which combined with the ratings spike and increased internet usage, would seem to indicate the program was a success. However, that will ultimately depend on what WWE now does with this information. They said they were unique users, but what percentage of these people already existed in their database? Was the average of three entries per unique entrant on par with what they wanted?

Ultimately, the list they helped create cost them $1.50 per unique registrant. You'd think they could make this back fairly easily with their various forms of revenue-generating products out there (tickets, dvd's, video games, etc), but the true test will be whether they empty their pockets again next year to the tune of $3 million.