Taco Bell is giving out free tacos today! A free Doritos Locos Taco per person will be offered at participating Taco Bell locations nationwide from 2pm to 6pm. It’s all part of their “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco” campaign that they have been running once again during the World Series. You can thank Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor, who stole a base in the first inning of Game 1 last Tuesday night.
Now tonight all eyes are will be on Game 7. Last night, the Chicago Cubs tied up the World Series by beating the Cleveland Indians in Game 6. They won 9-3.The Cubs haven’t won the series since 1908. The Indians haven’t won since 1948. That’s 108 years versus 68 years. So there is a lot on the line tonight. One long-suffering fan base will finally be rejoicing. For the other, it will be another year in an endless string of broken hearts. I have to admit I’m cheering for the Cubs. I was at Wrigley Field this summer and it is an iconic stadium.
The Taco Bell “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco”promotion has been running for several years now. The deal is if a base is stolen by any player for either team during any game of the 2016 World Series championship, Taco Bell will offer every person in the U.S. the opportunity to obtain one (1) free Doritos® Locos Taco valued at $1.49 each. So if a player steals a base tonight, the free taco will again be offered on Thursday, Nov. 10. Taco Bell will make an announcement to confirm this. Last year Lorenzo Lamar Cain a center fielder for the Kansas City Royals stole a base and free tacos were given out.
So can the Chicago Cubs come out with a win after being down one game to three and end the curse? We’ll find out tonight!
We’ve been seeing quite a variety of Halloween contests and sweepstakes running this year. Pet costume contests are especially popular and we’ve been helping one of our clients with one.
The folks at Boot Barn, America’s largest Western and Work Wear store, is running the Halloween Giddy Up Contest. Folks are invited to submit a photo of their pet in a costume by tomorrow, October 27th. Their entries will be judged on creativity and originality of the photo they submitted. A grand prize winner will receive a $200 Boot Barn Gift Card and two first place winners will each receive a $50 Boot Barn Gift Card.
In case you’re not sure how to dress up your pet, the team at ShortStack sent us a copy of this fun Halloween promotion that was done for a company called Supreme Source which is running on their Facebook page. Shortstack is the platform that we use to create entry pages on Facebook and online for some of our client’s sweepstakes and contests.
Supreme Source created the Halloween Dog Costume Generator that helps doggie parents choose a Halloween costume for their pups. Once the costume suggestion is revealed, the campaign allows users to share their results on Facebook with their friends and gives users a link to some fun and easy do-it-yourself dog costumes. Plus, when you take the quiz you’re entered in a drawing to win one of three Supreme Source® Prize Pack!
Here’s some interesting news that I just received from Talkwalker, an international social media analytics firm. When it comes to Halloween costumes this year, Talkwalker is reporting that social media is telling us that Donald Trump (9,006 mentions in the past 30 days) is the winner over Hillary Clinton (5,297).
However, the costumes generating the most buzz over the past 30 days are robbery victim Kim Kardashian (11,488 mentions), red sweater debate superstar Ken Bone (6,973) and the Joker’s sidekick, Supervillian Harley Quinn (5,644). During that same period in 2015, the top costumes included Batman (2,835 mentions), Donald Trump (1,773) with Hillary Clinton not even appearing in the top 25 mentions.
So whatever you and your pet decide to dress up for this Halloween, I wish you a fun holiday!
If you think that your pet is the cutest dog, cat, or other animal here’s your a chance to get some admiration and agreement from others. The Cutest Pet of 2016 Photo Contest recently launched which has been developed by a new start up company called Pet Parade that we’ve been assisting.
The Submission Period is now open till December 31. To enter a participant must first create an account by signing up through Facebook or by providing their email address and creating a password. They then can register their pet by providing their pet’s name, whether it’s a dog, cat or other type of animal, the breed, the pet’s age, and whether it’s a male or female. You can register more than one pet on this page. The next step is to upload up to 3 photos of your pet. The last step is to complete your own profile by uploading a photo of yourself with your name and your location.
I have registered my golden retriever, Shadow, and included this photo of him. Once submitted you are invited to share and invite others to register via email, Facebook or Twitter. The voting period begins on Election Day, November 8th. The folks at Pet Parade will send everyone who entered their pet an email invite on how to download the Pet Parade Mobile App to participate in the voting process.
There will be two monthly voting periods. The first is Nov. 8 – Nov. 30 and the second, Dec. 1 – 31. To vote you will be presented with several different “Face Off” challenges that consist of a question with two different pets featured and you must answer the question by voting for one of the two pets. The winning pet of that round will face a new Pet with the same question. This will continue into a tenth and final round. A Participant may not vote for their own pets, but they may vote and send virtual treats to other pets to help them earn points and win.
At the end of each monthly voting period, the top 10 pets from each of the three categories (Dog, Cat or Critter) with the highest number of points will become a Finalist and be included in the Finalist judging round. There will be a grand total of 20 finalists (ten per month) for each of the three (3) categories for a total of 60 Finalists. A panel of judges will review all the Finalists and determine a first, second and third Place winner for each category. They will utilize the following judging criteria for determining all the winners: Public Appeal ( Total Points Earned) 40%, Creativity and Originality 30%, Quality of photo 30%.. From these 9 winners they will then choose one Grand prize winner from all 3 categories.
Each of the 10 monthly Finalists will receive a Pet Parade T-shirt. The First Place winners from each category will each receive a 1st Place Ribbon, a custom Pet Parade T-shirt with the Pet’s photo and a gift basket of treats and toys. The Second Place winners will each receive a 2nd Place Ribbon and a gift basket of treats and toys and the Third Place winners will each receive a 3rd Place Ribbon and a gift basket of treats and toys. The one Grand Prize winner will receive a custom engraved trophy cup with the title “THE CUTEST PET OF 2016”, a custom Pet Parade T-shirt with the pet’s photo and a gift basket of treats and toys worth $500.
Pet Parade is planning to run more contests throughout 2017 and this one is just the start. So get your pets ready and spread the word. It should be lots of fun.
We’re administering this new sweepstakes that offers the winner a choice of three different destinations to choose from. The “Choose Your Travel Adventure” Sweepstakes was launched a couple of weeks ago by Tokia Marine HCC Medical Services Group. The objective of the sweepstakes is to create awareness of their Atlas Travel Insurance.
To enter the sweepstakes participants visit the online sweepstakes page and fill out an entry form with their name and email address. They must also answer five questions that pertain to the Atlas Travel Insurance. There is this link to open up a new page to use as reference that contains information on the insurance. Participants need to get at least three answers correct to be eligible for the prize and the questions are not too tough.
The winner and their guest will receive airfare to one of the destinations along with five-night lodging at a nice hotel all valued at $5,000. The menu on the top of the sweepstakes page links to other pages that include details about each location to help participants make their choice.
If Reykjavik, Iceland, is chosen, the winner and their guest would fly into Keflavik Intl Airport (KEF) and stay at the Hilton Reykjavik Nordica. Iceland offers countless natural sights to behold from the celestial glow of the Northern Lights to the ethereal beauty of Blue Lagoon’s geothermal spa. The Reykjavik page offers information on the top 8 things to see and do there, such as the Blue Lagoon and the Northern Lights. Iceland’s topography is shaped by both glaciers and volcanoes, resulting in a variety of landscapes that are truly extraordinary including waterfalls, hot springs, lava formations, lakes, rivers, mountains, and cliffs.
If Florence, Italy, is chosen, the winner and their guest would fly into Aeroporto di Firenze (FLR) and stay at the Hotel Brunelleschi, which is very close to the Duomo di Firenze which is at the heart of Florence. Florence is a prime destination for those who desire a vacation rich in history and amazing food. The Florence page offers further information on the top things to see and do here, such as Duomo di Firenze & Giotto’s Bell Tower and to view multiple famous works of art created by Michelangelo including the “David”. Also Florence is located in the middle of Tuscany, which means it’s surrounded by a beautiful array of vineyards, green fields and rolling hills.
If Sydney, Australia, is chosen, the winner and guest will fly into the Sydney Airport (SYD) and stay at Sydney’s deluxe, 5-star Swissotel Sydney located in the heart of Sydney’s central business district, Swissotel Sydney. Sydney stretches from the Blue Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. The city’s northern edges line the southern shore of Lake Macquarie, its southern borders extending just south of Botany Bay. Capital of the state of New South Wales, Sydney is widely recognized for its stunning harbor, vibrant cities, and cosmopolitan vibe. The Sydney page includes information on the top things to see and do there such the Sydney Opera house, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Royal Botanic Gardens, and Bondi Beach.
Entrants can also get two bonus entries, one for following the sponsor on Twitter, @hccmis, and another for tweeting about the sweepstakes with the hashtag #5kTripSweepstakes and an @hccmis mention. The sweepstakes ends soon, October 16, so check it out before it’s gone.
I’ll be headed back to Chicago to attend the Annual BAA/PMA Marketing Law Conference which takes place next month, November 9-11, at the Downtown Chicago Marriott. This year’s conference is titled “FACE-OFF: Dynamic Technologies vs. Regulatory Controls”. It is known as the broadest marketing and advertising law conference in this country which features deep, practical legal content presented from speakers from major brands, inside and outside counsel and regulatory agencies. It also includes some great networking and two large cocktail parties.
Last year’s conference, which I attended, had another record attendance of 750, with over 200 major brands present. I summarized the conference in this post in which I stated that there were two central themes that appeared to be prominent. The first was Real-Time Marketing and how more brands were now starting to put much more effort into connecting their product or service with consumers in the moment. The other central theme was focused on the FTC’s Endorsement & Testimonial Guidelines, which even though not new, there were clear signs that the FTC was starting to heavily monitor the happenings online and on social media. So what insights will this year’s conference generate?
Some of the topics at this year’s conference will again include real time marketing and social as well as explore new technologies. Speakers from Oculus, Twitter, Google, Buzzfeed, Whole Foods, Lyft, Airbnb, Spotify and Microsoft will present. In fact one of the keynotes will be from Jordan McCollum who is general Counsel for Oculus VR. Another keynote will be from the FTC Commissioner Terrel McSweeny who will discuss further the FTC policy and enforcement priorities going forward into next year. Sweeps, contests, gaming, loyalty programs and IP issues will again be discussed. Linda Goldstein from Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, the first main speaker who always delivers an exciting and chock full presentation, will review the past year as it relates to those topics.
The last day of the conference will again feature another highly anticipated presentation from Ron Urbach, Chairman of Davis & Gilbert LLP, this year titled “Brand Activation: Law in Review”. At last year’s conference Ron showed us a video he and his team created of a group of fictitious millennials who were using social media and technology to launch new products, and of course, not doing it all legally. Besides the key presentations there will be many break-out sessions and round-table discussions covering many different topics. You can see the whole agenda here.
If you’re interested in attending you should register here quickly since regular pricing will increase after Oct. 10. I’ll be right on Michigan Ave. at the Marriott from Wed. Nov. 9 till Fri., Nov. 11, so make sure to say hello if you’re there. Hopefully I will get a chance to run next door for my annual visit to Nordstrom’s shoe dept!
The Big Sky Country stories campaign from The Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development is coming to an end. The campaign was initially launched back in April which I wrote this post about it featuring the Montana’s the Sky’s the Limit Sweepstakes. They launched part 2 of the campaign in July which included The Sky’s the Limit Picnic Sweepstakes.
The last episode in this film series is called Painting Glacier which includes another sweepstakes giving away another Montana adventure. This tourism campaign has focused on telling Montana Big Sky Country stories to draw in visitors. Their short film series features ordinary people who are chasing their own brand of adventure. In this last episode we follow Dennis Farris as he paints his perspective on Glacier National Park, one brush stroke at a time. You can watch the short video about Dennis here.
Day 1 of this adventure you arrive in Kalispell, MT and pick up your rental vehicle at Hertz. You explore downtown Whitefish and have lunch at the Buffalo Cafe. Next you visit Whitefish’s Going to the Sun gallery to view some local art and and then on to the Montana House gallery in Apgar Village. Your first two nights are at the Village Inn with dinner at Eddie’s Cafe and Mercantile for one night and the Glacier Highland Restaurant for the other.
Day 2 you hop on a Red Bus Tour of the West side of Glacier National Park and then have Lunch at Rising Sun’s Two Dog Flats Grill. Day 3 you start with breakfast at Eddie’s Cafe and then drive to Swiftcurrent Lake for an afternoon of boating, hiking or relaxing in the sun. You spend your third night in a cabin at the Swiftcurrent Lake Motor Inn and dine with the rest of camp at Nell’s, the inn’s onsite dining room.
Day 4 your Glacier National Park experience ends with a winding drive along historic Going-to-the-Sun Road to the East side of the park. Along the way are sights including Logan Pass, St Mary Falls and Sunrift Gorge. Dinner is at Many Glacier Hotel where you spend you last night.
There were almost 18,000 entries for the first sweepstakes, Open Road, in which the grand prize was awarded to a Susan Masterson from Winterhaven, Florida. The second sweepstakes, Picnic had over 20,000 entries, and the grand prize was awarded to Ryan Baughan from Lupton, Michigan. So we’ll soon see who is the lucky person to win this last adventure
I am switching over to write about the beginning of the end of the 2016 MLB season from writing about the start of the 2016 NFL season last week. Once the calendar turns to October it will mark the end of the MLB’s regular season, then the start of the playoffs and ultimately the World Series. Now I have to disclose before I go any further that I am a Boston Red Sox fan. I was born in the Bronx and watched many games at Yankee stadium with my Dad, who is the reason why I have become a Red Sox fan. He did not like the “big money” at that time behind the Yankees and it has stuck throughout the years.
So we were extremely happy when the Red Sox swept the Yankees in a four game series that started last Thursday and ended on Sunday at Fenway Park. They came from behind in each game! Now they are in Camden Yards in Baltimore in a four game series against the Orioles who they have been trading first place with in the AL East. The Red Sox won the first two games of the series and are now five games up on the Orioles. The Toronto Blue Jays are right behind them as well at four games behind.
David Ortiz, Big Papi, has been having a tremendous season which he had said is his last. So it would be really special to see the end of his baseball career with a World Series win. Ortiz broke open a tight game last night with a three-run homer in the seventh inning, and Boston beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-2 for its sixth straight victory.
Which brings me to talk about the Dream Fan Experience sweepstakes that we’ve been assisting the Baltimore/Washington DC Ford Dealers run. It coincides with the Orioles home games at Camden Yards, with the first one being on July 22 and tonight, September 21, is the last game that will be promoting the sweepstakes.
Participants enter by attending one of these selected Baltimore Orioles home game and registering for the sweepstakes by proving their contact information and answering a few questions related to Ford via iPads at the Ford Dealers booth. Then they must also take a test drive at a local Baltimore/ Washington DC Ford Dealer at least 48 hours before one of four drawing dates throughout the sweepstakes period. A list of all participating Ford dealers are provided in the rules.
The final drawing will take place on September 24 or 25 and that winner will receive a trip for two people to the Orioles vs. Yankees away series taking place September 30 – October 2. The trip package includes round trip train tickets to New York, 2 night hotel accommodations and two tickets to each of the three games at Yankee Stadium. The prize package is worth $2,500. The other three drawings centered on the Orioles home games and the prize packages included the winner throwing out the ceremonial first pitch, pre-game on-field access experiences, diamond seats, a suite night, a behind the scenes tour and a meet and greet with an Orioles player.
So I won’t be routing for the Orioles tonight, and hopefully that last game series between the Orioles and the Yankees may possibly be only for a Wild Card spot. That is assuming the the Red Sox have clinched the division by then. Right now the Chicago Cubs are the only team that have clinched a playoff spot. A World Series between the Cubs and the Red Sox would be interesting!
Taco Bell is giving out free tacos today! A free Doritos Locos Taco per person will be offered at participating Taco Bell locations nationwide from 2pm to 6pm. It’s all part of their “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco” campaign that they have been running once again during the World Series. You can thank Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor, who stole a base in the first inning of Game 1 last Tuesday night.
Now tonight all eyes are will be on Game 7. Last night, the Chicago Cubs tied up the World Series by beating the Cleveland Indians in Game 6. They won 9-3.The Cubs haven’t won the series since 1908. The Indians haven’t won since 1948. That’s 108 years versus 68 years. So there is a lot on the line tonight. One long-suffering fan base will finally be rejoicing. For the other, it will be another year in an endless string of broken hearts. I have to admit I’m cheering for the Cubs. I was at Wrigley Field this summer and it is an iconic stadium.
The Taco Bell “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco”promotion has been running for several years now. The deal is if a base is stolen by any player for either team during any game of the 2016 World Series championship, Taco Bell will offer every person in the U.S. the opportunity to obtain one (1) free Doritos® Locos Taco valued at $1.49 each. So if a player steals a base tonight, the free taco will again be offered on Thursday, Nov. 10. Taco Bell will make an announcement to confirm this. Last year Lorenzo Lamar Cain a center fielder for the Kansas City Royals stole a base and free tacos were given out.
