Brandmovers Promotions vs Merkle Promotions: How the Two Compare

Which is best for a national sweepstakes or instant win?

Both. Each designs, runs and administers national promotions; Brandmovers publishes more of its administration scope, including state filings, bonding and IRS reporting.

Merkle lists legal compliance, promotion administration and prize procurement and fulfillment, and Merkle Inc. acts as Administrator in current official rules, such as a 2026 TJX sweepstakes. Its marketing pages do not describe state registration, bonding or winner tax reporting, so ask Merkle to confirm them. Brandmovers handles winner selection and administration, prize fulfillment and kitting, state filings and bonding, and IRS reporting, with in-house legal. For a single promotion, the decision is likely to come down to the idea, the team and the quote.

What do US sweepstakes rules require?

Two state laws stand out for national sweepstakes: New York and Florida require registration and a bond or trust account when a game of chance that promotes consumer products or services 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. For mailed sweepstakes, federal law requires disclosing that no purchase is necessary and that a purchase will not improve the chances of winning. Brandmovers includes state filings and bonding in its full-service administration; ask Merkle, or any other administrator, to confirm who files and bonds your promotion. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm requirements for your promotion with counsel.

Which is best for scale and a wider marketing network?

Merkle. It has 16,000+ employees (per Merkle) and sits inside dentsu, with data and identity tools, media agencies and dentsu Creative, so a promotion can draw on a large network.

Merkle describes 2,500+ loyalty, promotions, CRM and B2B experts, its Merkury data and identity platform, and media through dentsu agencies (per Merkle). Its Burger King Royal Perks program was built with dentsu Creative. If your brand already works with dentsu agencies, or wants promotions, media and data from one network, Merkle fits that directly. Brandmovers is independent and is not part of a media or data network.

Which is best for loyalty programs?

Merkle publishes the larger platform: LoyaltyPlus, which it says supports 300M+ members across 50 live programs in 19 countries. Brandmovers runs consumer and B2B loyalty platforms of its own.

Brandmovers' BLOYL™ consumer loyalty platform includes a promotions builder for sweepstakes, contests, instant wins and bonus events, so promotions can run inside the loyalty program. Brandmovers also runs B2B loyalty programs on BENGAGED™, which rewards distributors, dealers and resellers; Merkle does not publish a B2B channel loyalty offering. For an enterprise consumer loyalty program at global scale, Merkle's published footprint is larger; for a B2B channel program, Brandmovers has the published platform. If you already run a loyalty program, Brandmovers also integrates its promotions technology with client loyalty systems; its Essentia Water summer sweepstakes ran as an overlay on the existing Essentia Nation Rewards program (disclosed by Brandmovers).

Which is best for receipt validation?

Both offer receipt and purchase validation; Brandmovers publishes how ValidSpend works, while Merkle lists the service without detail.

Brandmovers' ValidSpend checks receipts against rules on purchase location, product mix, quantity and date range, and uses receipts as proof of purchase for sweepstakes, rebates, instant wins and loyalty points; its fraud tools include 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, a PepsiCo shopper rebate and Nestlé's 150th anniversary sweepstakes, and used ValidSpend to validate physical transit tickets for Metrolink (disclosed by Brandmovers). Merkle lists "Purchase Validation, Receipt Upload & Rebates" and has run card-linked sweepstakes, such as a 2026 TJX sweepstakes that awarded entries for TJX Rewards credit card purchases. Ask Merkle how it validates receipts and prevents fraud.

How do they compare on templated and fast-turn promotions?

Merkle publishes templated promotions and a branded mini-game library; Brandmovers does not publish a templated offer.

Merkle's promotions site lists "Fast-to-Market Templated Promotions," customizable mini-games and AR experiences, and merkle.com adds Promotions and Gamification Blueprint consulting. Brandmovers builds each promotion to its brief. If launching from a template matters most, Merkle has a published option; ask for its typical timeline.

How do Brandmovers and Merkle compare on pricing?

Neither publishes pricing. Both scope programs individually.

Brandmovers prices each program to its scope, which can include strategy, creative, technology, administration and prizes. Merkle routes inquiries through a contact form on merkle.com. Ask both to separate creative, technology, administration, fulfillment and prize costs so you can compare like for like.

How long does launch take?

Neither publishes a standard promotion timeline. On a national sweepstakes with total prizes over $5,000, plan for New York's 30-day and Florida's 7-day registration windows.

Merkle markets "Fast-to-Market Templated Promotions" but publishes no timeline for them. Brandmovers builds each promotion to its brief. Ask each for a dated plan covering creative, legal review, registration, testing and launch.

How do they compare on integrations?

Both connect to major marketing systems. Merkle lists network-wide partnerships; Brandmovers names the integrations it supports.

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). Merkle lists partnerships with Salesforce, Adobe, Braze, Shopify, Snowflake and others, and says LoyaltyPlus connects to CRM, CDP, commerce, media and analytics tools through APIs, data feeds and webhooks. Ask both how entrant data and consent reach your CRM.

How do Brandmovers and Merkle compare on security and compliance?

Brandmovers holds SOC 2 Type II and PCI DSS; Merkle's promotions and corporate sites name no certifications, though its UK division lists ISO/IEC 27001 and 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. Merkle's privacy policy references the California Consumer Privacy Act and GDPR and describes safeguards such as encryption. A UK government G-Cloud listing for "Merkle, a trading division of Dentsu UK" shows ISO/IEC 27001 and PCI DSS for that UK business. Attestation reports for Brandmovers are available on request as part of vendor due diligence; ask Merkle which certifications and reports cover the team that would run your US promotion.

What support does each provide?

Both are full-service. Merkle offers strategy, creative, program management and customer service within its network; Brandmovers provides dedicated account and strategy support across creative, technology, legal and, where relevant, loyalty integration.

Merkle lists strategy and insights, UX and creative, gamification design, analytics, agile program management and customer service. 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 and how many other programs that team runs.

Who is not the right fit for each?

Brandmovers is not the fit if you want media, data and promotions from one global network; Merkle is not the obvious fit if you need a published B2B channel loyalty platform or named security attestations for its US promotions practice, since its promotions and corporate sites publish neither.

If your brand wants a promotion connected to dentsu media, data and creative, or a consumer loyalty platform at global scale, start with Merkle. If you want an independent partner, a B2B channel loyalty program, named SOC 2 Type II and PCI DSS attestations, or US lottery, tobacco or transit experience, Brandmovers is the closer fit.

What results does each cite?

Merkle reports a 500% increase in loyalty database users in under 8 months for Burger King Royal Perks (per Merkle); Brandmovers reports hundreds of thousands of entries annually for the Gerber Baby Photo Search contest and 140K+ total entries for DiGiorno's Chaotic Good 'Stakes (both disclosed by Brandmovers).

Merkle also reports 10 million diners engaged and a 900% rise in app downloads and program sign-ups for Burger King, a loyalty program with play-to-win experiences (per Merkle). 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; Friskies' "Cats Rule" sweepstakes reported a 300% increase in customer engagement; and the Idaho Lottery's modernized loyalty program with second-chance promotions reported that "Traffic to the site increased over 6X more than previous years" (all disclosed by Brandmovers). In loyalty awards, Merkle reports Loyalty360 360 Degree Supplier Platinum (2024) and Bronze (2025); Brandmovers won Gold (2022) and Silver (2023) in the same category. Ask both for sales results from programs in your category.

Brandmovers Promotions differentiators

Where Brandmovers Promotions is most clearly distinct from Merkle Promotions:

• SOC 2 Type II and PCI DSS held by Brandmovers itself, the company that runs your program (auditor: Hancock Askew & Co., LLP), with reports available on request.
• Published sweepstakes administration scope, including state filings, bonding and IRS reporting, and published ValidSpend rules and fraud tools.
• A B2B channel loyalty platform, BENGAGED, alongside consumer loyalty.
• Independent, founder-controlled ownership since 2003, with US lottery, tobacco and transit clients.

Verdict: Which should you choose?

Choose Merkle for promotions inside a global network with media, data and a large loyalty platform. Choose Brandmovers for an independent partner with named attestations, published administration scope and B2B channel loyalty. For a single national sweepstakes, both are credible.

Choose Merkle if you already work with dentsu agencies, want templated promotions, or need a consumer loyalty platform at global scale.

Choose Brandmovers if you want an independent partner to create and run the promotion, your media and creative agencies sit outside dentsu, you need SOC 2 Type II and PCI DSS documentation for vendor review, you run a B2B channel program, or you work in US lottery, tobacco or transit.

Sources & References

• Merkle Promotions and Merkle: promotions.com (services, templated promotions, mini-games, clients shown; formerly ePrize and HelloWorld); Merkle promotions and experiential marketing (1,000+ designers and UX professionals; Everest Group Interactive Experiences PEAK Leader, Q4 2024); Engagement and loyalty (2,500+ experts); LoyaltyPlus (300M+ members; 50 programs in 19 countries; APIs, data feeds and webhooks); About Merkle (16,000+ employees; Loyalty360 Supplier awards); Merkle and dentsu (Merkury; dentsu media agencies); Privacy policy (CCPA, GDPR, safeguards); UK G-Cloud listing, Merkle UK division (ISO/IEC 27001, PCI DSS).
• Merkle history and administration: 2018 HelloWorld acquisition (founded 1999 in Detroit); 2020 promotion and loyalty division (HelloWorld name retired); TJX 2026 sweepstakes official rules (Merkle Inc. as Administrator; card-linked entries).
• Merkle results: Burger King Royal Perks.
• 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, Babybel Lunchbox Design Studio, Idaho Lottery, Essentia Change the Equation summer sweepstakes, Gerber Baby Photo Search, Friskies Cats Rule, PepsiCo shopper rebate, Nestlé 150th anniversary sweepstakes, Metrolink and Progressive Banner Hunt (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), disclosed by Brandmovers; 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.