Month: May 2018

Breathe Easy Sweepstakes from Poo-Pourri requests participants to produce and post their own videos

You might have seen some of the very unique video ads that Poo~Pourri has created on YouTube while you’re waiting for another video to start. They’ve produced some very engaing and funny videos to talk about a product that no one really wants to talk about. If you haven’t seen this lady in the blue dress who is in the ads and has a nice English accent then click on this link to watch.

Poo-Pourri is a pure blend of natural essential oils that stops bathroom odor before it begins developed by Scentsible LLC. We are currently assisting them with their 2018 Breathe Easy Sweepstakes. They have invited people to show how the chemical-free formula of Poo~Pourri helps them to Breathe Easy by producing and posting their own video for a chance to win up to a $500 Amazon gift card.

Participants can enter multiple ways. They can post their video to their personal Instagram or Twitter account using the promotional hashtag #BreatheEasySweepstakes and tagging @poopourri. They can also post it on Facebook by visiting the Poo-Pourri Facebook page, finding the sweepstakes post and including the link to their video in a comment to the post. There is also this sweepstakes webpage that participants can visit and fill out the sweepstakes registration form and include a link to their video.

There are actually four periods to this sweepstakes and it’s now in the final countdown ending tomorrow, May 31st. Each week one random winner is drawn who will receive a $100 Amazon gift card. Once the sweepstakes ends, one Grand Prize winner will be randomly selected from all entries who will receive a $500 Amazon gift card.

We are again using the Shortstack application to assist with this sweepstakes. We have created this online webpage that pulls all the posts from both Instagram and Twitter that have used the promotional hashtag #BreatheEasySweepstakes. I wrote a post last month about two new hashtag sweepstakes we are running for Danmar Equipment that did just that. In their case we are also hosting the promotional websites so participants can enter multiple ways, either on Twitter or Instagram, or through an online entry form. So this is a new feature that we’re seeing more and more of our clients using.

We anticipate doing more of these types of promotions that utilize hashtag entries. If you would like more details on how to set up a promotion utilizing the Shortstack application please feel free to contact me. It’s a great tool and it also includes a great support team. Hope you enjoyed the Poo-Pourri ads.

The Paperless Billing Sweepstakes

Deschutes Brewery has success with text-to-win sweepstakes

One of our clients through our sister company, Alliance Sweepstakes Services, has been utilizing text-to-win sweepstakes now for the past three years. Deschutes Brewery is a craft beer company headquartered in Oregon and their beer is available in 29 states throughout the U.S. and in D.C. They have been run these text-to-win sweepstakes during the past two years which they have had great success with. So they plan to run more of them this year. Here are a few of them that have launched so far.

They kicked off the year on February 1 with their Camping Chairs Sweepstakes. This will run for nine months until the end of October and award 10 winners each month who will each receive a Deschutes Brewery branded Camping Chair worth about $50. All they have to do is text the word “CampChair” to the shortcode 65047 which we provide through the mobile platform that we have partnered with call Sweeppea. Upon receipt of the text message, the entrant receives a response message confirming the proper keyword and providing a link to the mobile Sweepstakes entry form which they have to enter their name, mailing address, phone number, date of birth, and e-mail address. People can also go straight to the online form to enter as well. Each completed entry form generates an entry and people can enter once a day. So they have several months to possibly become a winner.

The next sweepstakes was launched on March 1 for their Stand Up Paddle Board Giveaway. This will run for just four months until the end of June when the final drawing will take place shortly after that. Five Grand Prize winners will each receive a custom Deschutes Brewery inflatable stand up paddleboard from Stand On Liquid which has a value of $700. Plus 30 second prize winners will each receive an Outdoor Research Dry Isolation Pack valued at $50. The total prize pool value of this sweepstakes is $5,000. People can enter similar to the Champing Chairs Sweepstakes but in this case, they must use the keyword “SUP” when they text in.

The third sweepstakes that the Brewery currently has going is the Grizzly Cooler Sweepstakes. This just launched on May 15 and runs till July 15, so only two months for this one. Entrants text the word “Grizzly” to enter for a chance to win a Deschutes Brewery branded Grizzly Cooler valued at $800 that can hold 160 cans of beer along with some ice. Or they could be one of the 20 second prize winners that could win a smaller, soft-sided Grizzly cooler that has a $50 value. People can also enter directly on the Deschutes Brewery website.

So as you can tell by these prize selections, Deschutes Brewery seems to really know their customers and has defined them as outdoor enthusiasts. With these sweepstakes Deschutes Brewery not only collects the entrant’s mobile phone number, but their name, email address and mailing address, which makes it easy to ship out the prizes directly to the winners. Since this sweepstakes is for an alcohol beverage brand we need to make sure that entrants are 21 years of age or older as well so that is why we ask for their date of birth.

One of the main objective of these text-to-win sweepstakes is for the brands to receive extra awareness at retail and bar locations. Many alcohol beverage brands are now utilizing text to win and other types of sweepstakes promotions in order to gain the extra display at point of sale that promote the sweepstakes. Deschutes Brewery has a couple more of these types of sweepstakes scheduled further in the year which I’ll keep you posted on.

Are you ready for the upcoming Royal Wedding? Here’s a couple of Royal Sweepstakes that are engaging fans.

The royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is finally here, this Saturday, May 19th. The wedding takes place at Windsor Castle in England at noon BST (7am ET/4am PT). In the U.S. if you want to watch ABC will start live coverage at 5am ET, CBS and CNN at 4am ET, NBC at 4:30am ET, Fox News at 6am ET, as well others. Many of us in the U.S. are extremely excited about this royal wedding since Megan Markle is an American who is also an actress and will be the first bi-racial to become a royal.

Brands in pretty much every category have found this to be an irresistible opportunity to engage consumers. One of our clients, Sandals Resorts, who we have worked with for several years, has jumped on the bandwagon. They are currently running the “Vacation like a Royal” Sweepstakes. They are offering two grand prizes which are each a chance to win an eight day luxury Caribbean all-inclusive vacation for two to experience the royal treatment at one of their Sandals Resorts which include Sandals Royal Caribbean, Sandals Royal Barbados, Sandals Royal Bahamian and Sandals Royal Plantation.

This royal vacation features luxurious accommodations in one of their Butler suites which comes with butler service, unlimited 5-star gourmet dining, all drinks which include premium spirits and wines, water sports and scuba diving, complimentary green fees at their golf resorts, round-trip airport transfers plus all tips, gratuities and hotel taxes.

U.S residents can enter by visiting Sandals.com and completing the online entry form at www.Sandals.com/royal. The sweepstakes started back on April 1 and ends May 20. Sandals claims to be the undisputed leader of Caribbean vacation experiences with a total of 24 properties in seven countries including Antigua, The Bahamas, Grenada, Barbados, Jamaica, Saint Lucia and Turks and Caicos. So this is a great prize.

Also in honor of the upcoming royal wedding Tetley Tea is running the Royal Diamond Teacup Sweepstakes and offering a chance to win the grand prize of Tetley’s “Royal Diamond Teacup”. This teacup has a one-carat diamond embedded in the handle. To enter, U.S. residents 18 and older can go to a Tetley Facebook page or to www.TetleyRoyalDiamondTeacup.com and fill out a “Which Royal Family Member Are You?” quiz, by May 19. Ten runner-up prizes packs are also available to be won which consist of one box of Tetley British Blend Tea, one box of shortbread cookies, and one teacup

Also, U.S. married couples who are named Harry and Meghan, and submit their marriage certificates to [email protected] on May 19, will be eligible to receive a box of Tetley British Blend Tea each month for a year.

So be prepared to either get up early Saturday morning to watch live the ceremony, or remember to set your DVR.

The $10,000 Shopping Spree Contest from Milano Diamond Gallery helps celebrate the Month of May (and Moms)

May is finally here which brings us new life to our gardens and landscapes. It also is the month of Mother’s Day, Graduations and the beginning of the wedding season. So what better month to kick off a new promotion that’s offering a chance to win lots of jewelry! The Milano Diamond Gallery $10,000 Shopping Spree Contest is doing just that.

Milano started out as a small jewelry store in Jamaica over 20 years ago. They now provide exclusive, classically designed diamonds & gemstone jewelry with a modern flair. They carry various boutique designers like Chrysalis and Le Vian and have all types of jewelry including rings, earrings, bracelets, watches and more. You can shop the Milano Gallery at www.shopmilano.com, or at one of their 40 port locations you can easily find coming off a cruise in the Caribbean, Mexico and in the USA.

The contest will be running for a full year up to April 30, 2019. Participants are invited to enter the contest by visiting one of the Milano port locations and taking a photo of themselves wearing or showing their favorite piece of Milano jewelry or watch. They must then Tweet or post the photo either on Twitter or Instagram and include the promotion hashtag, #Milano$10KContest. They must also follow and tag the sponsor on Instagram @milanodiamondgallery or on Twitter @milanodg.

They may also visit the sponsor’s Facebook page and like the page, locate the contest post, upload their photo as a comment to the post and include the hashtag #Milano$10KContest. An alternate way to enter without having to physically be in one of the Milano port locations is to Tweet or post a photo of their favorite Milano jewelry which can be found on their website. Participants must still include the promotional hashtag #Milano$10KContest

At the end of the contest period a panel of judges will review all the posted photos and choose one Grand Prize winner that they will base on the following judging criteria; 34% Creativity and Originality; 33% Enthusiasm; 33% messaging. In the case of a tie, the score for Creativity and Originality will determine the winner. The Grand Prize winner will receive $10,000 in-store credit that may be used in-store in any Milano port location or online at www.shopmilano.com.

Milano is currently offering some great gift ideas on their website for Mother’s Day and for graduates. As a family we traveled to the Caribbean island of St. Maarten for several years where we vacationed with my parents. There was one jewelry store there that we shopped at quite often that my mother really loved. Between my mom, my sister, myself, and also some gifts for my daughters, we expanded our jewelry collection quite nicely. It brings back some very happy memories. I miss my mom very much. Happy Mother’s Day to all moms.