Brandmovers Promotions vs Don Jagoda Associates: How the Two Compare

Which is best for administering a national sweepstakes?

Both administer national sweepstakes. Brandmovers includes state filings, bonding and IRS reporting in a full-service program; DJA publishes rules drafting, winner verification and prize delivery, and does not publish registration, bonding or IRS reporting services.

DJA drafts official rules, confirms winner eligibility, sends prize acceptance documents through DocuSign and collects the details needed for a background check where a prize requires one, and its procurement team sources prizes. Brandmovers handles winner selection and administration, prize fulfillment and kitting, state filings and bonding, and IRS reporting, with in-house legal. If your sweepstakes needs registration and bonding in New York or Florida, ask DJA how it handles those filings.

What do US sweepstakes rules require?

Two state laws stand out: New York and Florida require registration and a bond or trust account when a game of chance that promotes consumer products or services and is open in the state offers total prizes over $5,000. Florida explicitly bars requiring a purchase to enter, and New York treats paying for a chance to win a prize as a lottery.

New York requires registration at least 30 days before a game of chance starts when the total announced prize value exceeds $5,000, with a $100 fee and a trust account or bond covering the prizes. Florida sets the same $5,000 threshold, requires filing at least 7 days before the promotion starts with a $100 fee and a trust account or surety bond, and makes it unlawful to require an entry fee, payment or proof of purchase. Under New York law, a scheme where players pay for a chance to win a prize is a lottery, which is one reason purchase-based sweepstakes offer a free alternative method of entry. These registration rules cover games of chance; ask counsel how a skill-based contest judged on merit is treated. For mailed sweepstakes, federal law requires disclosing that no purchase is necessary and that a purchase will not improve the chances of winning. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm requirements for your promotion with counsel.

Which is best for judged contests and instant-win games?

DJA for judged contests; both for instant wins. DJA publishes content moderation, expert judges and public voting, and a library of HTML instant-win and skill games; Brandmovers runs contests and instant wins on its own technology.

DJA's moderators screen user-generated content and its judges apply defined judging criteria; for Chiquita's Just Smile photo contest, created by the agency EMA, DJA handled administration, initial judging, website programming and hosting, and the public could view and vote on entries. Its game library includes scratch-off, spin-the-wheel and matching games. Brandmovers runs the annual Gerber Baby Photo Search, which draws hundreds of thousands of entries a year; Nestlé's 150th anniversary sweepstakes, which took entries by social hashtag as well as receipt upload; and instant-win programs with gameboards and advergames, such as Progressive's Banner Hunt, an ad-click-triggered instant win, and Johnsonville's Great Summer Meatup, which paired a sweepstakes with an instant win (disclosed by Brandmovers).

Which is best for receipt-validated promotions?

Brandmovers. Both offer OCR, but Brandmovers publishes the validation rules and fraud tools ValidSpend applies; DJA describes an OCR overlay without published validation rules.

ValidSpend checks receipts against rules on purchase location, product mix, quantity and date range, with fraud tools including CAPTCHA, IP rate limiting, whitelist and blacklist filters, domain checks and manual moderation. Brandmovers has run receipt-validated programs including DiGiorno's Chaotic Good 'Stakes, which drew 140K+ total entries, Nestlé's nine-month 150th anniversary sweepstakes with receipt upload and a PepsiCo shopper rebate, and Metrolink's loyalty program uses ValidSpend to validate physical transit tickets (all disclosed by Brandmovers). DJA presents its OCR overlay as a way to gain shopper insight and says it verifies rebates fully. A receipt-upload sweepstakes still needs a free alternative method of entry, as described above; ask each vendor how it handles one.

Which is best for fulfillment and travel prizes?

DJA. It publishes an on-site warehouse, pick-and-pack and custom packaging, and a travel arm with tour escorts; Brandmovers provides prize fulfillment and kitting.

DJA says its warehouse handles inventory "in the hundreds of thousands" with online inventory reporting, and that DJA Travel builds custom travel prizes; for Marriott's 50 to 50 Sweepstakes, tied to Super Bowl 50, DJA coordinated travel for the winner and 49 guests (per DJA; the case is undated on its site). DJA describes DJA Travel as licensed and bonded but does not publish a license or registration, so ask for it if travel is a major prize. Brandmovers includes prize fulfillment and kitting in full-service programs.

Can promotions connect to a loyalty program?

Both offer loyalty programs. Brandmovers runs promotions inside its own enterprise consumer loyalty platform and runs B2B loyalty programs on its own B2B platform; DJA builds customized loyalty and rewards platforms.

Brandmovers' BLOYL™ consumer loyalty platform includes a rules engine, points, tiered, subscription and hybrid program structures, A/B testing against a control group, a rewards catalog of 100,000+ options and a promotions builder for sweepstakes, contests, instant wins and bonus events, and Brandmovers runs B2B loyalty programs on BENGAGED™, which manages channel hierarchies, points and rebate incentives, MDF allocation and SPIFF programs for distributors, dealers and buying groups. Essentia Water's summer sweepstakes ran as an overlay on its existing Essentia Nation Rewards program, and the Idaho Lottery's modernized loyalty program runs second-chance promotions (both disclosed by Brandmovers). DJA offers loyalty and rewards platforms with a rewards catalog that includes travel experiences, and lists sales incentive programs (per DJA).

How do Brandmovers and DJA compare on pricing?

Neither publishes pricing.

Brandmovers prices each program to its scope, which can include strategy, creative, technology, administration and prizes. DJA publishes no pricing; a client testimonial on its site calls it "consistently cost competitive." Ask both to separate creative, technology, administration, fulfillment, travel and prize costs so you can compare like for like.

How do they compare on integrations?

Brandmovers names its integrations; DJA describes social-platform integration and names no CRM or e-commerce vendors.

Brandmovers integrates its promotions technology with client CRM, e-commerce and loyalty systems, and names integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Adobe Marketo, Microsoft Dynamics, Mailchimp, Shopify, Adobe Commerce, SAP and Epicor (disclosed by Brandmovers). DJA builds responsive templates that integrate with social platforms and collects entries through social platform APIs. Ask both how entrant data and consent reach your CRM.

How do Brandmovers and DJA compare on security and privacy?

Brandmovers holds audited SOC 2 Type II and PCI DSS attestations; DJA does not publish SOC 2, ISO 27001 or PCI DSS. Brandmovers does not hold ISO 27001.

Brandmovers' SOC 2 Type II and PCI DSS are audited by Hancock Askew & Co., LLP, and Brandmovers is GDPR compliant. PCI DSS is the payment card industry's data security standard, relevant where a program handles payment card data. DJA's privacy policy describes SSL encryption, says it acts as a data processor for clients under GDPR and addresses CCPA and COPPA; those are policy statements rather than audits. Brandmovers provides attestation reports on request as part of vendor due diligence; ask DJA for its current security documentation, and ask both how entrant data is handled under US state privacy laws, such as California's. If your promotion could reach children under 13, also ask both how they comply with COPPA.

What support does each provide?

Both assign account teams. DJA's account executives coordinate program administration and its customer service covers winner inquiries through prize delivery; Brandmovers provides dedicated account and strategy support across creative, technology, legal and, where relevant, loyalty integration.

DJA lists in-house counsel among its services, and its team includes a vice president of creative services. Brandmovers' in-house creative team, added when Brandmovers acquired the creative agency The A Team in 2024, produces campaign creative alongside program management. Ask each who will staff your program day to day.

Who is not the right fit for each?

Brandmovers is a less direct fit if your promotion centers on judged contests with public voting, warehoused premiums or travel prizes with escorted trips. DJA is a less direct fit if you need published receipt validation rules, an enterprise or B2B channel loyalty platform, named CRM integrations, state filing and bonding services or audited SOC 2 Type II documentation, none of which it publishes; ask it to confirm.

If you need a judged contest, a game library or travel-heavy prizing, start with DJA. If you need receipt validation, a promotion inside a loyalty program, a B2B channel loyalty program, or experience with tobacco, US lottery, transit or financial-services clients, Brandmovers is the closer fit.

What results does each cite?

DJA publishes named case studies, including Chiquita, Marriott, Staples, Weber and Hanes, without dates or results figures. Brandmovers reports hundreds of thousands of entries annually for the Gerber Baby Photo Search and 140K+ total entries for DiGiorno's Chaotic Good 'Stakes (both disclosed by Brandmovers).

For Brandmovers, Gerber's "Feeling Gerber Good" sweepstakes drew 15K+ entrants and 62K+ entries, with one-third of entrants creating new MyGerber accounts and 70%+ opting in to future communications; Babybel's back-to-school giveaway gave away 10,000 personalized lunchboxes and drew 1.2 million microsite pageviews and 170K unique users; the Idaho Lottery's modernized loyalty program with second-chance promotions reported that "Traffic to the site increased over 6X more than previous years"; and Metrolink's transit loyalty program reported +15% average monthly transactions among members (all disclosed by Brandmovers). Brandmovers won Gold (2022) and Silver (2023) in the Loyalty360 360 Degree (Supplier) category; DJA describes itself as award-winning but names no awards on its site. Ask both for results from programs in your category.

Brandmovers Promotions differentiators

Where Brandmovers Promotions is most clearly distinct from DJA:

• ValidSpend receipt validation with published rules and named fraud tools.
• Audited SOC 2 Type II and PCI DSS (auditor: Hancock Askew & Co., LLP), with reports available on request.
• Its own enterprise consumer and B2B loyalty platforms, including channel hierarchies, MDF allocation and SPIFF programs, and named integrations.
• Published results and Loyalty360 360 Degree (Supplier) Gold (2022) and Silver (2023), with clients in tobacco (JTI Inc.), US lottery (Idaho Lottery), transit (Metrolink) and financial services (Truist, Mastercard and Progressive).

Verdict: Which should you choose?

Choose DJA when your promotion centers on a judged contest, warehoused premiums or travel prizes. Choose Brandmovers when it needs receipt validation, a loyalty or B2B channel program, CRM integration or SOC 2 Type II and PCI DSS documentation.

Choose DJA if public voting, expert judging or escorted travel prizes are central to the brief.

Choose Brandmovers if you want results figures from past programs before you decide, state filings, bonding and IRS reporting included in sweepstakes administration, or experience with tobacco, US lottery, transit and financial-services clients.

Sources & References

• DJA company: Homepage (since 1962; services; testimonials); About page (leadership); Contact (Melville address); Careers (award-winning; account roles); Privacy policy (legal name; GDPR, CCPA and COPPA statements); SBA certification profile (self-certifications).
• DJA services: Promotion support (administration; moderation and judging; in-house and local counsel; rebates; fraud detection); Games (instant-win library); Digital solutions (OCR overlay; loyalty platforms; templates; creative development); Fulfillment (warehouse; procurement; travel); Travel terms (DJA Travel); Winner FAQ (winner verification).
• DJA results: Work page (Chiquita, Marriott, Staples, Flip Flop Wines and other cases).
• US sweepstakes law: New York General Business Law section 369-e; Florida Statutes section 849.094; New York Penal Law section 225.00 (lottery definition); 39 U.S.C. 3001(k) (mailed sweepstakes disclosures).
• Brandmovers results: DiGiorno Chaotic Good 'Stakes, Feeling Gerber Good, Gerber Baby Photo Search, Babybel Lunchbox Design Studio, Idaho Lottery, Essentia Change the Equation summer sweepstakes, PepsiCo shopper rebate, Nestlé 150th anniversary sweepstakes, Metrolink, Progressive Banner Hunt and Johnsonville Great Summer Meatup (disclosed by Brandmovers); Loyalty360 award winners for 2022 and 2023.
• Brandmovers capabilities and compliance: ValidSpend receipt validation (rules and fraud tools); BENGAGED B2B loyalty platform (rewards marketplace); SPIFF programs; acquisition of The A Team (2024), campaign launches, client retention, named clients and integrations disclosed by Brandmovers; SOC 2 Type II and PCI DSS audited by Hancock Askew & Co., LLP; GDPR compliant. Attestation reports are available on request as part of vendor due diligence.