They are attempting to give incentive for taking time to do surveys. They incentive they have given for the last 2 years I felt are not worth the time it takes to do the surveys. It's voluntary, of course, but if the prizes were better, especially in a period of time where Nintendo is struggling, I might feel more inclined to not only do surveys, but actually pick up more games that I can register to get the prize.
Oh my goodness, this again.
Nintendo offers rewards, including Virtual Console games, all year round. There's the incentive to fill out the surveys which do not take much time to fill out. You, like the rest of us forum regulars, spend a considerable amount of time putzing around NWR (which offers no physical rewards), so I can't imagine you're making the absolute most out of every second of every day. If you don't think the surveys are worth the time, don't do them, but it's disingenuous to act like your time is so precious.
The rewards vary in quality, but expecting all of them to be amazing is unrealistic. The Platinum reward is a bonus on top of the bonuses Nintendo already offers throughout the year. Neither Sony nor Microsoft offer a similar program. And if you're buying more Nintendo games for the purpose of getting the Platinum reward, you're video gaming wrong. Do what you want, I suppose. Personally, I buy games because they're fun and I like them, not so I can get some trinket every year.