A method of promoting a product. A user at a user location (100) is induced
to obtain a first product having a unique ID from a first vendor to win a prize.
The user registers the product via a user computer (102) connected on-line
to a central registration server (108) across a packet-switched network
(104) by completing a user profile and transmitting the user profile and
unique ID to a central registration server (108) having a profile database
stored on a profile database unit (110). Promoting the product in conjunction
with an event at an event location (114), and in response to a triggering
event occurring during the event, a tone control system (117) causes a tone
signal to be transmitted in the broadcast signal using a broadcast system (116).
The tone signal is coupled to the user computer (102) and decoded to enable
the computer (102) to automatically connect to a web server having a prize-winning
phrase containing advertisement of the second product. A unique ID is then arbitrarily
selected, and used to perform a matching operation on the user profile database
of the profile database unit (110) using an event computer (118),
in order to obtain the associated telephone number of the user. A call is then
placed to the user with an event handset (122) over a PSTN (124)
to a viewer handset (126). The user is then prompted for the prize-winning
phrase. If correct, the user is awarded the prize.
