Great show, as every week is! I'm sure the Gamestop contest has been covered a few times over by now, but I feel compelled to comment on it.
I assume that Gamestop has chosen the entrance requirements as well as the call-in format. Now if you're going to sponsor a contest, I believe it makes the most sense to use this opportunity to learn about your target customers. Ask them for improvements, suggestions, and opinions on store policy, employee interactions, merchandising, store selection, website functionality, etc.
I came up with three reasons why Gamestop has chosen this contest format:
1. They want CAGs to think about their best trips to Gamestop, and hopefully this will convince CAGs that they do enjoy shopping at Gamestop, they have got some good deals there, and they should return soon.
2. They can learn about what their customers like about the Gamestop shopping experiences. Then they can pass this information down to the store level to try to create more of these experiences.
3. So the CEO of Gamestop can sit in his plush office with a bottle of KY in one hand, and on the desk a bank statement showing him the interest he's making on pre-orders of Madden 2014. Then he puts on the speakerphone, dials 555-EATCAG, and goes to town.
All that said, Gamestop does run some good deals, and there is no better place for a B&M gaming fix. I just hope, for the sake of all Gamestop customers, that future contests conduct a more probing analysis of the CAG community.