More and more companies today are asking people to take a “selfie” and post it to their social media accounts in order to enter a sweepstakes or contest for a chance to win. The word “Selfie” and the art of taking a photo of yourself has become extremely popular all over the world and across every generation.
I just came back from a trip visiting several European cities and I never saw so many people taking selfies. It was quite annoying at times with many people blocking views of what you may have been trying to take a photo of. Of course, many marketers have been getting involved.
Here’s a local sweepstakes we currently are administering for the Rio Grande Valley Hyundai Dealers in Texas titled “Take Me Away”. If you are a current resident of Texas, 18 years of age or older, you are invited to take a selfie of yourself with a new Hyundai vehicle at one of the local dealerships and post it to your Instagram account. Participants are instructed to using both of these promotional hashtags, #Hyundaivaca and #Sweepstakes, along with the dealership name.
One lucky Grand Prize winner will be selected in a random drawing at the conclusion of the sweepstakes which ends on August 23. The winner will receive an Orlando Theme Park Vacation package for themselves and up to 3 guests that includes round trip airfare to Orlando, FL, 3-night hotel accommodations, a food allowance and tickets to Walt Disney World Orlando theme parks. The trip is valued at $5,000.
So if you’re in Texas, you better get your selfie taken in front of a Hyundai soon to enter. Please don’t risk your own safety by taking a selfie in the middle of the street. No one wants to admit that they were taking a selfie when they ended up in the hospital. After some of the selfies that I saw being taken while in Europe, I wouldn’t doubt that this could actually happen.
We’re helping the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) run a fun, regional summer contest right now. COTA helps move central Ohio residents, workers and visitors throughout Central Ohio and in return the people move them. So they recently launched the “What Moves You” Photo Contest to engage with their customers and get insights into what moves them.
The contest is only open to residents of the Greater Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area. They are invited to post a photo of “What Moves You” that includes inspiring experiences and sites around the city of Columbus. They can post their photo to either their Twitter or Instagram account and include the promotion hashtags, #WhatMovesYou and #Contest. They must also follow COTA on Instagram @COTABus, if that is their method of entry, or Twitter @COTABus, if that is their method of entry.
Submissions will be accepted up until August 31 and then a panel of judges will use the following judging criteria to select the two grand prize winners: Connection to theme (50%), Photo Quality (25%), Originality and Creativity (25%).
Each winner will then receive a prize package that includes unique experiences from some of the Columbus area’s favorite venues, shops, sports teams, and attractions such as PromoWest (tickets to Passion Pit and Alabama Shakes), Wolf’s Ridge Brewing, The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Franklin Park Conservatory, Homage, The Blowout Bar and more.
Here’s a 30 second video that COTA created to the What Moves You campaign.
I just returned from a trip to Europe where my husband and I did most of all of travels using local transportation. We road on the local and high speed trains as well as the metros, subways, buses and trams and really enjoyed getting a taste of how the local residents move. It’s much more common in European cities to use mass transit then in the majority of cities here in the U.S.
So I applaud COTA for encouraging people to use mass transit in a very creative way. Looks like they are getting a great response so far.
Experience Kissimmee is getting ready to hit the one million mark. At the time of this post they currently have 947,903 fans who have liked their Facebook page. So in anticipation of this memorable event they will be running their “Thanks a Million” Sweepstakes on their Facebook page.
Starting next week and running through the rest of the summer till September 4, Experience Kissimmee will invite fans to visit their page to see a weekly promotional post. These weekly posts by the Sponsor will ask fans to comment on the promotional post by sharing a photo along with a personal thank you note. By doing so the person will be entered into the sweepstakes.
At the end of each week Experience Kissimmee will select two of these thank you notes to feature on their Facebook page. Those two people will be the weekly winners who will each receive a Kissimmee “Thanks A Million” Vacation Essentials set that includes an Apple iPod Nano, a tote bag, sunglasses, sunscreen, Chapstick, a pool towel, a Bluetooth speaker, a drink koozie and a 16″ beach ball. They will also receive an entry into the grand prize drawing to be held at the end of the sweepstakes, right around the time Experience Kissimmee expects to hit it’s one millionth fan!
That grand prize winner will of course win a Kissimmee getaway package for them and up to 3 guests. The package includes round trip airfare and a week’s vacation rental provided by Jeeve’s Holiday Homes. Also included are lots of passes to area attractions including Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando. The grand prize package is valued at $11,154 which makes it the highest value prize that Experience Kissimmee has offered in our history of working with them.
Now we all know that building a fanbase isn’t easy. It takes time to get people to like you on your Facebook page. So we have to congratulate the team at Experience Kissimmee for all their hard work that they have put into this page. It now is hopefully starting to pay off for them. However, they still need to work hard though in order to keep these fans.
Running these types of sweepstakes promotions are great ways to engage with fans. This promotion in particular is asking fans to share both a photo and a message. In doing so, two people a week will have their posts featured for all to see. While most of the sweepstakes that we administer on Facebook are done through a 3rd party app on a tab page, this one is a great example of running it on the page itself. While the Sponsor will not be collecting person data on the participants (email addresses, full names, etc), they will instead gain many valuable insights into their brand from the posts people will share. That will hopefully be worth the huge investment that they have made.
Congratulations again to Experience Kissimmee. We’ll be checking your Facebook page throughout the period to read some of the posts.
The annual MLB All-Star Game which was held last night is a clear sign that we are in the middle of the summer. This is when the MLB is on a break for a few days as it prepares for it’s second half of the season.
The game was held in Cincinnati this year and the American League won again, 6-3. Mike Trout from the LA Angels started off the game with a home run and he became the first man in history to win back-to-back All-Star MVP awards. The next team that faces the Angels is of course the Boston Red Sox who have not had a very good first half!
T-Mobile was the presenting sponsor of Fox’s broadcast of the The All-Star Game. This sponsorship also included stadium presence as well as “FanFest” activities scheduled in the game’s host city. T-Mobile used this major platform to promote its latest initiative, “Mobile Without Borders,” which allows customers to call, text and use data in the U.S., Canada and Mexico on one rate plan.
T-Mobile also ran a promotion inviting fans to predict which player (if any) would hit a three-run homer. They asked fans to post the player’s name on Twitter using the hashtag #3for1HomeRun and #sweepstakes. If any player hit one during the game, T-Mobile would then randomly select 10,000 of those Tweet predictions who would win a $500 voucher to be used toward travel to Canada or Mexico. T-Mobile was promoting the sweepstakes through all of its social channels, as well as digital and on-air broadcast advertising and in-stadium signage.
Unfortunately there was not a #3for1HomeRun.
If there was that would have meant a $5 million payout. T-Mobile secured prize insurance for a much smaller fee from our friends at SCA Promotions who took on the risk for this program. In the event a player hit a three-run homer the insurance company would have had to pay for the prizes.
So if this type of promotion with big prizes interests you let’s discuss how it may fit into your marketing program. It worked well for T-Mobile in this case and helped them get the most out of their sponsorship dollars.
Hope everyone had a great 4th of July Holiday. We realize that many people have taken this week as vacation to add on to the holiday and may be at the beach or the lake. So here is another summer getaway promotion that we’re administering that I thought I’d share that is a great example of how to promote your destination or brand. And, it just may give you ideas on where to vacation next.
The sweepstakes is offering a chance to win one of 4 monthly “Amped Up” vacation packages which started on June 1 and runs till the end of September. Each package is slightly different, but they all include round-trip airfare, 5 nights hotel accommodations and a St. Pete/Clearwater swag bag. Here are some of the prize packages:
Amped Up Adrenaline Package – This is the only package that is for up to 4 people (all others are for 2 people) and includes the “Best Out There Experiences” Visit St. Pete/Clearwater has to offer: Parasailing, Sky Surfing, JetLev, and Speed Boat Adventures. Accommodations at the TradeWinds Island Resorts on St. Pete Beach in their 2 Bedroom Gulf Front Suite and a $500 resort dining credit.
Amped Up Art & Shopping Package – An “Art and Shopping” escape that includes tickets to The Dali Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, and Chihuly Collection including VIP access/tours and a $1,000 gift card to pick up a piece of local art. A $500 gift certificate to Sundial St. Pete along with suite accommodations at the Renaissance Vinoy and a $500 resort dining credit.
Amped Up Sea & Food Package – The “Best Gulf Charter Boats and Seafood Grub” Visit St. Pete/Clearwater has to offer: a dolphin watching cruise from Dolphin Landings, St. Pete Beach, a dinner cruise on StarLite Cruises and scrumptious grub at Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill. Suite accommodations at the Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa and a $500 resort dining credit.
Amped Up Sunsets & Suds Package – The “Best Rooftop Sunset Bars & Breweries” Visit St. Pete/Clearwater has to offer. Nightly limo transportation to suds and sunset for four days to various bars and restaurants along with accommodations at The Birchwood Inn in a Premium King- Park View with Balcony room and a $250 gift card.
St. Pete/Clearwater list 13 different white sand beaches in their 35 mile area, a different beach to fit any mood. It is the only destination in America with two beaches in the Top 10 of TripAdvisor’s 2015 Traveler’s Choice Awards of the Top U.S. Beaches, which is based on millions of traveler reviews. There’s laid-back St. Pete Beach, which landed at No. 2 on the list, and bustling Clearwater Beach, which checked in at No. 8.
The first monthly winner for June has already been drawn and contacted. So we have one very happy winner so far with three more to come. Participants can enter each month for a chance to win since each monthly entry period starts over. Check out the website now. I hope you can take the time to find your beach this summer.
Here’s a photo of the Grand Strand, which I recently took during a brief getaway to visit family down in the Myrtle Beach, SC area. The weather was extremely hot there right before I arrived, but cooled off a little resulting in some beautiful beach days.
While I was gone there was much happening in the news and on social media. Seems to always be the case when I’m offline for a few days. The Supreme Court came out with their final rulings for the year and #SCOTUS was everywhere! As most of you are totally aware, one of their rulings legalized gay marriage in all 50 states and the reaction on social media was huge. According to Facebook 26 million users changed their Facebook profile photo to show a rainbow flag to celebrate the historic decision. Some brands also got in on the big moment with social media posts in support of the ruling.
I promised to continue sharing some summer promotions, so here is a new contest launching soon offering a chance to win a great getaway. The Divina All-In Photo Contest from MSC Cruises is also awarding a 7-night Caribbean cruise, this one on their ship, the MSC Divina, for one winner and their guest.
Participates will be invited to submit a photo that they feel depicts how they would go “ALL IN” on a MSC Caribbean cruise. They can enter the Contest by visiting the MSC Cruises Facebook page or MSC Cruises’ website. Porthole Cruise Magazine is also a partner offering a free subscription to the winner along with featuring them in one of their future issue. They are hosting the contest on their Facebook page as well.
Once the submission period ends then the judges will use the following judging criteria to select 5 Finalists: Connection to theme (50%), Photo Quality (25%), Originality and Creativity (25%). These 5 Finalists will then move on the Voting Phase and the Finalist with the most votes will be determined as the Grand Prize Winner.
I realize that many people are taking this week off since most companies are giving Friday off to employees with Saturday being the 4th of July this year. I hope you all enjoy the 4th of July Holiday weekend. Tune in next week for more summer promotional updates.
Say hello to summer with Frozen Yogurt! To help celebrate the first full week of summer here’s a new sweepstakes from Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt that we helped launch. Their “Sweet Summer Giveaway” sweepstakes offers the chance to win a 7-day Caribbean cruise for up to four people courtesy of Princess Cruises.
From now up till July 31 Menchie’s customers will automatically receive one entry into the Sweepstakes when they use their registered Menchie’s loyalty card at any Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt store. Those that don’t have a card are invited to stop in any location and register for their My Smileage club. Participants can also enter online at a promotional micro-site and off the the Menchie’s Facebook page.
Menchie’s has locations in 37 states in the U.S.. as well as D.C., and many in Canada as well. Last summer Menchie’s partnered with Hershey on the Hershey’s Experience Sweepstakes to help promote their new Chocolate Glazed Toffee Bar flavor. The prize last year was a family vacation to Hershey’s Chocolate World and Hershey Park Attractions. This year instead they are partnering with Princess Cruises and providing them with some added exposure.
The sweepstakes is being promoted within Menchie’s locations with posters and other point-of-sale and on their social media sites. We set up the Sweepstakes entry pages for Menchie’s and again are using the Shortstack Application. Shortstack first started out as a Facebook application, but last year they broaden the capabilities of their platform and you can now not only install the app on a Facebook tab page, but you can also embed the entry form on any webpage or host online as a separate promotional micro-site which we are doing here. Both entry forms are utilizing the same graphics and all entries go into one database. Therefore this allows for only one entry per day, per person’s email address regardless of what method they entered from.
All entry pages are mobile friendly from the start with Shortstack’s “One Campaign for any screen” design philosophy. If you would like more details on how to set up a promotion utilizing the Shortstack platform, please feel free to contact me. It’s a great tool and it also includes a great team of support people.
Enjoy the summer and come back here to read about some more popular summertime promotions. Don’t forget to enjoy some frozen yogurt and ice cream. My favorite flavor has always been pistachio!
I included a summary of the promotional guidelines from the various social media platforms that I had presented in my recent session at the BlogPaws Conference in Nashville in last week’s blog post. So in keeping with some of this presentation content I thought I would share here the question that we get asked quite often….what is the difference between a sweepstakes (giveaway) and a contest and why chose one over the other? So here goes.
Why Run a Sweepstakes? First of, sweepstakes are a game of chance, a random drawing, and are also referred to quite often as giveaways. Sweepstakes can help create awareness and excitement around your brand, company or organization. They can help to reach your desired objectives by just running on their own or acting as an overlay to your overall marketing program.They are a great way to easily build or grow your database via email or mobile text messaging by collecting user data.
Sweepstakes are highly measurable and can be very effective when integrated with the right incentive. Therefore, an effective sweepstakes will not only offer participants the chance to win great prizes, but can help you reach some of the following objectives:
– Build and expand your database: entries capture user information
– Drive traffic to your website, social media channels or to your physical locations
– Keep your prize budget manageable, you set the prize package up front
– Reinforce the features and benefits of your brand/service/company through themed sweepstakes and prize tie-ins
– Entice consumers with hard-to-get prizes: leveraging existing partnerships and sponsorships and your own products
Here’s an example of a sweepstakes that is running now for Joffrey’s Coffee that we are administering. It’s a simple random draw that will award one lucky grand prize winner a Disney World vacation by just filling out and submitting the online entry form. Joffrey’s is the official coffee of Walt Disney World so this is a great example of how they are utilizing their partnership with Disney to promote their brand.
Why Run a Contest?
Like sweepstakes, contests also generate buzz and awareness and are a great fit for offering a chance to win a great prize. Unlike sweepstakes, contests are defined as a game of skill, not chance. A contest must be judged based on a degree of skill or uniqueness, and this judging criteria must be stated in the official rules. In a contest you are asking people to do some work to enter, therefore you may receive fewer entries for a contest then from just a random-draw sweepstakes, however they will be more likely to be higher quality.
The most common types of contests today include user-generated content such as photo, video, essay, recipe and design contests. Submissions are then judged or evaluated based on the contest theme and judging criteria and in some cases open for public voting. If you run a contest that invites participants to submit a photo or video you increase the chances that they will share their submission on social media.
So if your marketing goals are as follows, here is why contests are the better tactic:
– Reinforce your brand attributes: customers’ photos, videos and essays highlighting your strengths speak volumes
– Elicit user-generated content that can then be used in your future promotions
– Your engaged followers will help spread the word for you, especially through social channels
Pictured above is an example of an ongoing photo contest we’ve been assisting the team at Rail Europe with. They have been running this monthly on their Facebook page as a way to engage with their followers and build a nice database of photos of iconic Europe scenery.
Sweepstakes and contests must both follow the lottery laws which state that any purchase or payment is not allowed in order to enter. If so, then an alternate means of entry without purchase must be included. Contests however can include a purchase if it’s required to create the submission that will be judged. If you’re interested in discussing your needs and what may be the best tactic for your marketing efforts, please feel free to contact me.
More and more companies today are asking people to take a “selfie” and post it to their social media accounts in order to enter a sweepstakes or contest for a chance to win. The word “Selfie” and the art of taking a photo of yourself has become extremely popular all over the world and across every generation.
Here’s a local sweepstakes we currently are administering for the Rio Grande Valley Hyundai Dealers in Texas titled “Take Me Away”. If you are a current resident of Texas, 18 years of age or older, you are invited to take a selfie of yourself with a new Hyundai vehicle at one of the local dealerships and post it to your Instagram account. Participants are instructed to using both of these promotional hashtags, #Hyundaivaca and #Sweepstakes, along with the dealership name.
One lucky Grand Prize winner will be selected in a random drawing at the conclusion of the sweepstakes which ends on August 23. The winner will receive an Orlando Theme Park Vacation package for themselves and up to 3 guests that includes round trip airfare to Orlando, FL, 3-night hotel accommodations, a food allowance and tickets to Walt Disney World Orlando theme parks. The trip is valued at $5,000.
