Brandmovers Promotions vs US Sweepstakes & Fulfillment Co.: How the Two Compare

Does it matter that US Sweepstakes is part of Votigo?

It can. Votigo acquired US Sweepstakes in November 2020 and said it would operate as a stand-alone brand; Votigo publishes technology that US Sweepstakes' own site does not, including a sweepstakes API, named CRM connectors, OCR receipt validation and a SOC 2 Type II claim.

The ussweeps.com site does not mention Votigo, and it does not say which of Votigo's tools US Sweepstakes clients receive. If the API, connectors, OCR tool or SOC 2 environment matters to your program, ask US Sweepstakes which entity will contract with you and which Votigo services are in scope. Brandmovers is independent and founder-controlled, so there is no parent company's offer to separate from its own.

Which is best for administering a national sweepstakes?

Both run national sweepstakes end to end. US Sweepstakes publishes more detail about administration; Brandmovers includes state filings, bonding, IRS reporting and prize fulfillment as part of a full-service program.

US Sweepstakes lists official and abbreviated rules, registration in New York, Florida and other states, surety bond coordination, affidavits and publicity releases, eligibility verification, IRS 1099 preparation and filing, documented winner audit trails, and prize sourcing that includes vehicles and travel. Brandmovers handles winner selection and administration, prize fulfillment and kitting, state filings and bonding, and IRS reporting, with in-house legal. If administration is the whole brief, for example when your agency has already built the creative, US Sweepstakes' published scope fits that role directly.

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. Both Brandmovers and US Sweepstakes handle registration and bonding. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm requirements for your promotion with counsel.

Which is best for receipt-validated promotions?

Both run receipt-validated promotions. Brandmovers publishes the validation rules ValidSpend applies; US Sweepstakes publishes receipt-to-enter validation, and its parent Votigo publishes an OCR receipt tool.

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 (disclosed by Brandmovers). US Sweepstakes says its technology validates the receipts entrants submit, and Votigo describes OCR that reads store name, purchase date, products and total, with duplicate detection and a manual review queue (per Votigo). A receipt-upload sweepstakes still needs a free alternative method of entry, as described above; ask each vendor how it handles one and which rules it applies.

Which is best for text-to-enter, UGC and instant-win games?

US Sweepstakes publishes the wider menu, including text-to-enter, which Brandmovers does not publish. Both run UGC contests, social hashtag entry and instant wins.

US Sweepstakes lists shortcode and long-code text-to-enter with TCPA opt-in rules, social hashtag entry across five platforms, UGC moderation, judging and public voting, survey sweepstakes and code generation; its Treasury Wine Estates sweepstakes let adults 21 and older enter by text (per US Sweepstakes). 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). If text entry is central to your program, ask Brandmovers whether it can be scoped.

Can promotions connect to a loyalty program?

Both offer loyalty programs. Brandmovers runs promotions inside its own enterprise consumer and B2B loyalty platforms; US Sweepstakes offers loyalty and rewards management, and Votigo publishes a loyalty platform.

Brandmovers' BLOYL™ consumer loyalty platform includes a rules engine, points, tiered, subscription and hybrid program structures, 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, 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). US Sweepstakes supports loyalty programs with sweepstakes that members enter using reward points, and runs one-off B2B promotions such as MAHLE's for auto repair shops (per US Sweepstakes).

How do Brandmovers and US Sweepstakes compare on pricing?

Neither US Sweepstakes nor Brandmovers publishes program pricing; Votigo publishes self-service plans from $240 per month, billed annually (per Votigo).

US Sweepstakes quotes each program and sets a project timeline once a quote and statement of work are approved. Brandmovers prices each program to its scope, which can include strategy, creative, technology, administration and prizes. A self-service tool can cost less for a simple promotion your team runs itself; for a full-service program, ask both to separate creative, technology, administration, fulfillment and prize costs so you can compare like for like.

How do they compare on integrations and APIs?

Brandmovers names its integrations, including SAP and Epicor; US Sweepstakes describes CRM data transfers, and Votigo publishes named connectors and a REST API. Brandmovers does not publish a promotions API.

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). US Sweepstakes lists real-time or periodic CRM data transfers, API data collection, tracking pixels and Adobe Analytics; Votigo lists connectors for Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics, Shopify, Mailchimp, Marketo and others, and a sweepstakes REST API with access on request (per Votigo). Ask both how entrant data and consent reach your CRM.

How do Brandmovers and US Sweepstakes compare on security and insurance?

Brandmovers holds audited SOC 2 Type II and PCI DSS attestations; US Sweepstakes publishes no security certification on its own site but publishes insurance limits, and Votigo states SOC 2 Type II.

Brandmovers' SOC 2 Type II and PCI DSS are audited by Hancock Askew & Co., LLP, and Brandmovers is GDPR compliant. Brandmovers does not hold ISO 27001; neither company in this comparison publishes it. PCI DSS is the payment card industry's data security standard, relevant where a program handles payment card data; neither US Sweepstakes nor Votigo publishes it. Votigo states SOC 2 Type II on its product pages without naming an auditor or report period, and ussweeps.com does not say whether US Sweepstakes programs are in scope. US Sweepstakes publishes $5,000,000 in errors and omissions insurance and $10,000,000 in cyber liability insurance, which it says indemnifies clients. Brandmovers provides attestation reports on request as part of vendor due diligence; ask US Sweepstakes for its SOC 2 report, and ask both vendors for certificates of insurance and how entrant data is handled under US state privacy laws, such as California's.

What support does each provide?

Both assign dedicated teams. US Sweepstakes says agency clients get a dedicated account manager and project manager; Brandmovers provides dedicated account and strategy support across creative, technology, legal and, where relevant, loyalty integration.

US Sweepstakes says 90% of its team had direct agency experience, and its PromoBASIC and PromoCUSTOM products can be white-labeled. 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 you need text-to-enter, published insurance limits or an administrator that will white-label its work behind your agency, or if you want a self-service tool or a published promotions API, both of which Votigo publishes (per Votigo; ask US Sweepstakes whether they apply to its programs). US Sweepstakes is a less direct fit if you need PCI DSS documentation, an audited SOC 2 Type II report for the entity you contract with, an enterprise loyalty or B2B channel loyalty platform, or published program results; ask it to confirm.

If you need administration behind existing creative with a wide menu of entry mechanics, start with US Sweepstakes. If you need one team to design, build and run a promotion, a promotion inside a loyalty program, a B2B channel loyalty program, or experience with tobacco, US lottery or transit clients, Brandmovers is the closer fit.

What results does each cite?

US Sweepstakes reports "6,500+ promotions executed" (per US Sweepstakes), and its published case studies, including Food Lion, MAHLE, Big Lots and LG, state no results figures or campaign years. 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. Ask both for results from programs in your category.

Brandmovers Promotions differentiators

Where Brandmovers Promotions is most clearly distinct from US Sweepstakes:

• Audited SOC 2 Type II and PCI DSS (auditor: Hancock Askew & Co., LLP), with reports available on request; neither US Sweepstakes nor Votigo publishes PCI DSS.
• Its own consumer and B2B loyalty platforms, with promotions that run inside a loyalty program and channel programs with MDF and SPIFF management.
• Named integrations including SAP and Epicor, and clients in tobacco (JTI Inc.), US lottery (Idaho Lottery) and transit (Metrolink).
• Published program results, Loyalty360 360 Degree (Supplier) Gold (2022) and Silver (2023), and in-house creative from an independent, founder-controlled agency.

Verdict: Which should you choose?

Choose US Sweepstakes when your agency or team has the creative and you need an administrator with a wide menu of entry mechanics and published insurance, and ask which of its parent Votigo's tools come with the contract. Choose Brandmovers when you want one independent team to design, build and run the promotion, or when it needs a loyalty program, a B2B channel program or PCI DSS and SOC 2 Type II documentation.

Choose US Sweepstakes if text-to-enter or white-label administration matters most. For a self-service tool, Votigo sells its own plans (per Votigo).

Choose Brandmovers if you want receipt validation with published rules, results from past programs you can review before you decide, or experience with tobacco, US lottery and transit clients.

Sources & References

• US Sweepstakes company: About (insurance; quotes and statements of work); Privacy policy (Rochester address); Staff; What does a sweepstakes company do? (since 1988); Votigo acquisition announcement, November 2020 (wholly-owned subsidiary; stand-alone brand).
• US Sweepstakes services: What we do (insurance; audit trails); Legal and admin (rules, registration, bonding, affidavits); Prize fulfillment (1099 filing; prizes); Promotions (6,500+ promotions; B2B and channel promotions); Games; Mobile (text-to-enter); Text and SMS (point-of-sale text-to-win); Survey sweepstakes; Social; Rebate management; Loyalty and rewards; For agencies; PromoBASIC vs PromoCUSTOM (UGC tools; security features; white label); PromoCUSTOM (CRM data transfers); Fraud prevention article; Homepage (receipt-to-enter).
• US Sweepstakes results: Case studies; Food Lion; MAHLE; Treasury Wine Estates; Clients.
• Votigo: Receipt validation (OCR); Loyalty and rewards (connectors); Developer API; For agencies (SOC 2 Type II); Pricing and plans.
• 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.