Why do Readers Digest prize draws make you return forms and stickers to enter - why not just give out a prize?

Question

For the umpteenth year running we're in line to win the £250,000 prize draw (some hope!). What gets me is that you get sent a load of bumph and have to tear off coupons and press stickers in place and return the lot (in the 'No' envelope, in our case). Then, next month you find you've been shortlisted for the prize draw and have to glue sticker A to form B (why don't they just do it themselves and save the postage?) and send it back. On and on, ad infinitum.
Why don't Readers' Digest just save themselves the time and postage and just have the draw and let you know if you've won. And do the 'No' envelopes actually get entered for the draw? My suspicion is that they get chucked in the bin?
Who can enlighten me?

By the way, I never buy anything!!! I just return all their stuff in the 'No' envelope!

Answer 1

1. All returned prize draw tickets are valid, regardless of whether they are sent in a "Yes" or "No" envelope.

2. However, the prize draws are not conducted in the way you may think, and there are four main differences.
a) One prize draw can support more than one promotional campaign, so you will see the same prize draw details repeatedly, even though the books being offered are different.
b) The draw is made against issued numbers, regardless of which prize draw entries are returned. This means that the randomly-selected winning numbers could be on tickets that have not been returned. So, if you don't return them, it is quite possible that you had the winning tickets, and binned them.
c) By making various stipulations, such as removing stickers and placing them in a designated position on a form, it is possible to eliminate returned tickets which have not complied exactly with the instructions. This is a further measure to reduce the risk of having to pay out thousands of pounds.
d) The winners, whose names and photos are publicised, may not even have been recent winners.

Answer 2

No one gives something away for free. Everyone wants to be rich, so you have your market. So many people think you have to buy all the stuff they market to win the prize. It is a ploy. If 5% of people buy stuff and 100 companies pay them to market stuff through them, then they get paid from the marketers,they get you interested and hooked by asking you to be involved and having things stay on your mind, and they get a few sales out of the whole thing. Win - win for them and the marketers, and the .05% of people that win. A nuscience for everyone else.

Answer 3

I asked them this question and the response was;
We find the general public will respond more quickly if they are expected to complete tasks.
Strikes me they are making us jump through hoops, but I can`t throw them away just in case I do have the numbers. Sad aren`t I?

Answer 4

good question wish i knew the answer

Answer 5

HOW DO YOU THINK THEY MAKE THEIR MONEY, BY YOU BUYING THINGS YOU DON'T NEED