HORUS X Nintendo Switch Contest

Campaign Overview

HORUS X sells blue-light-blocking glasses through horus-x.fr, with a Gaming range for players and a Casual range for anyone who spends long hours in front of a screen. To mark the release of its new models, it ran a contest on concours.horus-x.com headlined "CONCOURS HORUS X" ("HORUS X Contest"), with the sub-headline "+1000€ de cadeaux à gagner !" ("Over €1,000 in prizes to win!").

The contest ran from October 20 to November 23, 2020. 14,753 people signed up and 8,326 of them confirmed their email, from 149,387 page views. Entrants logged 8,881 completed bonus actions, more than half of them on Instagram.

Campaign Strategy

The prize was built for the gaming audience the Gaming glasses are made for. First prize was a Nintendo Switch with Mario Kart Live Home Circuit, which the page called Nintendo's newest release, plus two pairs of HORUS X glasses, valued together at €500. Behind it sat 19 more prizes, and every one of them was HORUS X product or store credit:

• 2nd prize: two pairs of HORUS X glasses, a HORUS X sweatshirt and a HORUS X cap.
• 3rd prize: two pairs of glasses and a cap.
• 4th to 10th prizes: one pair of glasses each, the winner's choice of the Casual or Gaming model.
• 11th to 20th prizes: €15 off any purchase on horus-x.fr.

Entry followed the ladder shown on the page: sign up, share, complete tasks, collect points, win. The page also featured gaming influencer Skinra presenting the Gaming glasses with a humorous take. Confirming an email earned 10 points, and the bonus actions leaned heavily on Instagram:

• Instagram follows: HORUS X, Team Gotaga and Skinra (70 pts each).
• Instagram engagement: like, comment and tag two friends on a post (250 pts), comment and tag two friends on a second post (300 pts), and repost the campaign image to your feed (200 pts).
• Other channels: subscribe on YouTube (70 pts), follow on Facebook (60 pts), and comment on and share a Facebook post (70 pts).
• Owned audience: sign up for the HORUS X newsletter (150 pts).

Viral Mechanics & Growth Engine

Each referred friend was worth 80 points, more than any single follow, which made sharing the most efficient way to climb for anyone with gaming friends. The two tag-a-friend posts did the same job inside Instagram. They were the highest-value tasks on the list at 250 and 300 points, they logged 978 and 803 completions, and every completion named two more people under a HORUS X post.

The partner accounts pulled their weight. Following Team Gotaga was the single most-completed action with 1,179 completions, ahead of the brand's own Instagram account (1,084), and 941 entrants followed Skinra. Borrowing reach from gaming creators put the contest in front of exactly the audience the Gaming glasses target.

On top of the draw, the page promised a guaranteed reward: collecting 1,000 points unlocked a €10 gift card for horus-x.fr. The bonus actions added up to 1,310 points, so an entrant could get there by completing most of the tasks, or with 13 referrals.

Results & Impact

• 14,753 sign-ups, of which 8,326 confirmed their email (56%).
• 149,387 page views over the five-week run, about 10 for every sign-up.
• 8,881 completed bonus actions, 5,139 of them on Instagram.
• 1,781 tag-two-friends completions across the two Instagram posts.
• 1,115 newsletter sign-ups, 1,095 Facebook follows and 864 YouTube subscriptions.

For a single campaign from a specialist eyewear brand, the outcome was a confirmed list of more than 8,000 people who had seen the new models, plus new followers on four channels, with a prize table made up almost entirely of the brand's own product.

Why This Strategy Works

Accessory launches have a common problem: the product is useful but rarely exciting enough to carry a campaign by itself. HORUS X solved it by pairing a headline prize with broad appeal to its target audience, then filling the rest of the prize list with the product being launched. The console drew attention, while the 19 other prizes and the gift card kept the glasses in view from the first click to the last.

The social tasks did the distribution. Creator follows and tag-a-friend posts carried the contest through gaming Instagram, where an entrant's friends are likely to be gamers too. For any accessory or peripheral brand launching into a community with clear favorite creators and a clear wish list, whether gaming, sport or music, this is the template worth copying.

Key Takeaways

1. Lead with a prize your audience already wants. A Nintendo Switch bundle speaks to gamers faster than a pair of glasses can on its own.
2. Fill the rest of the prize table with your own product. All 20 prizes included HORUS X glasses, apparel or store credit, so every winner ended up with the brand.
3. Borrow reach from creators your buyers follow. Following Team Gotaga was the most-completed action in the campaign.
4. Pay the most for actions that recruit friends. The two tag-two-friends posts carried the top point values and produced 1,781 completions.
5. Add a guaranteed reward. The 1,000-point gift card gave committed entrants a reason to keep going even if they didn't expect to win the console.