Topline

Topline Group's outlets trade under different names across Ireland - a network of independently branded hardware and DIY retailers, not one centralised chain. That structure ruled out reusing a generic promotion template. The Big Paint Sale needed an entry mechanic judged on the quality of what a shopper actually wrote, not a random draw. It also needed a prize structure with more than one tier, room to run several competitions at once inside a single campaign, and a platform that recognised receipts consistently no matter which fascia the customer walked into.

A platform built around how Topline's outlets actually operate

A promotion platform built for one uniform storefront wouldn't fit a group that isn't a single branded chain. Brandfire built a mobile-responsive platform purpose-built for the Big Paint Sale, covering receipt capture, validation, judging and prize fulfilment end to end. It was designed from the outset to work across Topline's independently branded outlets, not a single brand identity.

Judging entries on quality, not luck

A random draw would have rewarded participation, not engagement with the campaign. Instead, entrants answered a written prompt in up to 100 words, scored against relevance, creativity, originality and clarity. No stage of the competition used random selection - every one of the 29 winners was chosen because their entry was judged the best, not because their name came up.

Multiple competitions, one campaign

Topline needed the flexibility to run more than one competition at a time without standing up separate campaigns for each. The platform supports multiple concurrent competitions inside a single campaign structure, and it held up as the promotion went live across every outlet in the network.

A tiered prize structure instead of one flat reward

A single grand prize suits a small campaign; a nationwide promotion needs more ways to win. Brandfire gave Topline's admins a configurable multi-tier prize structure instead: a €7,500 grand prize for a complete house repaint, four €1,000 room-refresh vouchers, and 24 €100 paint-project vouchers. That spread the reward across 29 winners and €13,900 in prizes, rather than handing everything to one.

Validating receipts without slowing down a judged competition

A judged competition depends on the integrity of every entry that reaches the judges, which made receipt validation more than a formality. Automatic checks confirmed the store, purchase date and qualifying product on each upload. Anything the system couldn't confirm with confidence - an illegible address, a date right on the cut-off, a receipt that looked suspect - went to manual review instead of being waved through or rejected outright. That kept the judging pool clean without adding friction for genuine entrants.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was Topline's Big Paint Sale promotion?

It was an 18-day purchase-tied paint campaign across Topline's independently branded store network. Shoppers uploaded a qualifying receipt and a written entry judged on quality for a share of €13,900 in prizes.

Why use a judged entry and tiered prizes?

A genuine skill test let Topline select winners on relevance, creativity, originality and clarity rather than chance. The tiered structure spread value across a €7,500 grand prize, four €1,000 room-refresh vouchers and 24 €100 paint-project vouchers.

What result did the campaign deliver?

The campaign ran from 28 May to 14 June 2026 across Topline's network and awarded €13,900 to 29 winners: one grand-prize winner, four room-refresh winners and 24 paint-project voucher winners.

Could this model suit another distributed retail network?

Yes. It suits networks with independently branded stores that want one purchase-linked promotion and a merit-based entry mechanic. Store configuration, qualifying products, judging criteria and prize tiers must be consistent enough to operate fairly across the full network.

What is required to implement a comparable judged receipt promotion?

The platform needs store and product rules, receipt upload, automatic checks with manual review for unclear cases, a clearly defined skill question and scoring criteria, trained reviewers, configurable prize tiers and documented winner and fulfilment processes.

How should success be evaluated?

Track valid receipts and judged entries, participation across the store network, review throughput, winners by prize tier and completed fulfilment. Comparing those measures with the campaign's purchase and engagement objectives shows both commercial response and operational reliability.