Companies are always looking for new and exciting ways to interact with their audience, increase brand awareness, and foster customer loyalty in the broad realm of social media promotions. A great example of a well-executed strategy that not only draws in the target audience but also offers strategic advantages to the sponsor, Unique Travel Corp., is the Sandals and Beaches Social Media Contest.

 

The Promotion

The Sandals and Beaches Social Media Contest is tailored exclusively for travel advisors in the United States. This unique opportunity invites participants to submit a 30-second video on Instagram, promoting Sandals or Beaches Resorts with the theme #SellsSandalsSaintVincentContest. Beyond the chance to win a 6-day/5-night all-inclusive vacation, this contest fosters a community of travel enthusiasts. This will be an opportunity for travel agents to showcase expertise, connect with peers, and contribute to the evolving landscape of travel marketing. The submission period spans from January 2 to February 29. The period for judging is from March 1 to March 8.

 

The Marketing Strategy

Let’s examine the strategic benefits this social media contest offers and its nuances:

Targeted Engagement with Travel Advisors

By designing a social media contest specifically for this demographic, the sponsor guarantees that participants will not only be excited about the Sandals and Beaches Resorts brand but will also have the ability to impact their clients’ travel choices. A sense of community and loyalty are fostered by focused engagement, which also strengthens the relationship between the sponsor and the travel advisor.

Increased Brand Exposure on Social Media

Through utilizing the targeted hashtags and account mentions, the sponsor skillfully leverages user-generated content to organically expand the brand’s audience on social media platforms.

Content Creation and User-Generation

The entry requirements encourage travel advisors to showcase their creativity in crafting compelling videos. This not only generates a pool of diverse and authentic content for the brand, but also serves as a valuable resource for future marketing campaigns. User-generated content is a potent tool to build trust with potential consumers.

Strengthening Brand Recognition

The sponsor increases the perceived value of the brand by providing alluring prizes, like an “all-inclusive” 6-day/5-night vacation. Winners become ambassadors for the brand with their first-hand experiences. This, in turn, contributes to increased recognition and positive associations with the brand name.

Compliance and Legality

In addition to guaranteeing legal compliance, the contest’s comprehensive official rules shield the brand from any problems. A contest with clearly defined eligibility requirements, submission guidelines, and judging criteria lowers the possibility of disputes or controversies. The sponsor’s dedication to moral and legal behavior is demonstrated by this methodical approach.

 

Sandals & Beaches Social Media Contest is a great example of a clever marketing campaign that goes beyond simple participation . Through audience targeting, utilizing social media platforms like instagram, and encouraging user-generated content, the competition sets up Unique Travel Corp. for long-term success in the travel industry. The strategic advantages spread throughout the digital sphere as the travel advisors set off on their creative adventure, benefiting the sponsor as well as the community.

 

American Sweepstakes for Social Media Contests

Interested in launching your own contest? Let American Sweeps handle the administrative support. Our seasoned experts ensure all aspects of your contest will be taken care of, so you can focus on running a successful campaign for your organization.

In 2022, Pilot Pen launched the G2 Overachievers Grant Contest, aiming to recognize and support small businesses and nonprofits making an impact in their communities. One of the most exciting aspects of the contest was the surprise announcement of the winner on the Kelly Clarkson Show

Applicants for the G2 Overachievers Grant were required to include a nomination story with their application. The narrative should provide a summary of the nominee’s key features and should have a word count of approximately 1,000 to 2,500. The participant was expected to explain why they believed the nominee was an overachiever—someone who overcame challenges to attain extraordinary success—and had gone above and beyond their typical responsibilities.

With the help of American Sweepstakes, this grant contest was a resounding success in several ways. Let’s delve into the marketing aspects that made this contest so remarkable.

The Grant Contest:

The G2 Overachievers Grant Contest serves as an excellent illustration of a marketing campaign that effectively blended community support, celebrity endorsement, and business promotion. Let’s examine the major marketing factors that helped it succeed, giving due credit to American Sweepstakes’ experience:

  • Alignment with a Purpose: The foundation of this contest was purpose. G2 aimed to provide financial support to nonprofits and small businesses so they could continue their missions. This goal-oriented strategy not only connected with the audience but also enhanced the perception audiences had of this contest.
  • Online Engagement: G2 heavily promoted the competition via its platform. The campaign received a lot of attention through its newsletters, social media pages, and website. They promoted social media buzz-building and story-sharing among participants, fostering both a sense of community and healthy competition.
  • Utilizing Celebrity Endorsement: The collaboration with the Kelly Clarkson Show was exceptional. Kelly Clarkson’s show garnered a lot of credibility and attention for the competition because of its sizable and attentive audience. This collaboration served as a potent marketing tactic that drew in a large and diverse audience.
  • Rewards and Acknowledgment: The appeal of the grant prize was a great motivator for companies to participate. The Kelly Clarkson Show provided an ideal platform for the entrants to gain further recognition.

The Kelly Clarkson Show Appearance:

The marketing campaign reached its peak when the G2 Overachievers Grant winner was revealed on The Kelly Clarkson Show. A once-in-a-lifetime chance to appear on a nationally syndicated talk show for the winner. The following are a few key takeaways from this portion of the campaign:

  • Prime-time Exposure: The winner of the contest got prime-time exposure thanks to The Kelly Clarkson Show’s large viewership. The interview and feature on the winning company or charity raised awareness of the competition and inspired more people to enter upcoming grant contests.
  • Emotional Storytelling: The winner’s narrative was presented, highlighting their diligence and commitment. The grant’s impact was amplified by the emotional connection with the audience, which allowed viewers to witness the real difference it would make in the winner’s mission.
  • Reinforced Brand Values: G2’s dedication to helping those in need was reaffirmed by this contest. It demonstrated the brand’s sincerity and commitment to social responsibility, which appeals to today’s audiences.

With the help of American Sweepstakes, G2 created a marketing campaign that not only promoted their platform but also uplifted and supported small businesses and nonprofits by aligning with a purpose, engaging their online community, leveraging celebrity endorsement and offering compelling prizes. This contest highlights how companies can use purpose-driven campaigns to both promote their brand and have a positive impact on their communities, all while ensuring a flawless execution.

American Sweepstakes for Sweepstakes & Contests

Interested in launching your own contest? Let American Sweeps handle the administrative support. Our seasoned experts ensure all aspects of your contest will be taken care of. That means you can focus on running a successful campaign for your organization.

Super Bowl 50 LogoSuper Bowl 50 is now history. The Denver Broncos won. They beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10. Peyton Manning said throughout Super Bowl week that it has been the Broncos’ “bruise-inflicting, quarterback-rattling defense that got us here, let’s just make that clear.” And he was so right. Cam Newton has finally gotten a slice of humility!

super-bowl-50 halftime-2016Lady Gaga kicked off the event with the National Anthem and proved to everyone that she really can sing! Beyonce won the halftime show were she also announced her new 2016 Formation World Tour. Fans rushed to her website and temporarily crashed it. The end of the show featured a tribute to past halftime performers including Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston which was pretty cool.

Super Bowl 50-manningSo now for the ads. Advertisers this year paid $5 million for a 30 second Super Bowl Ad. Pepsi and Budweiser where again the big sponsors. Payton Manning gave Budweiser what has been calculated to be $14 million in free advertising when he told a sideline reporter that his postgame plan was to “drink a lot of Budweiser.” Then he  mentioned the beer again a few minutes later saying, “what’s weighing on my mind is how soon I can get a Bud Light in my mouth.” In other words, don’t ask me again if I’m retiring!

Doritos-dogsFor the last ever Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” contest Doritos chose to show two ads at Super Bowl 50, rather than picking one winner. “Ultrasound” by Peter Carstairs and “Doritos Dogs” by Jacob Chase were both aired. However “Doritos Dogs” was named the official winner. I stated in a previous post that I wrote about this contest that I am a sucker for any video with dogs! The winner received $1 million and a real jump start to his film making career. Doritos announced that even though this 10 year contest has come to an end it’s only the beginning. Meet the Doritos “Legion of the Bold” campaign. More to come on this.

Bud-Helen-Mirren-2This was definitely the year that many celebrities got in on the action. Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen for the Bud Light Party,  Ryan Reynolds was “what a man” for Hyundai and Steve Harvey, who is now famous for his Miss Universe mistake, apologized again for T-Mobile. Drake and a trio of suits managed to make an overplayed song the center of a very funny joke in T-Mobile’s Super Bowl ad. Aerosmith rocker Steven Tyler commissioned a portrait of himself made entirely of Skittles. Abby Wambach, Serena Williams and professional skateboarder and actor Tony Hawk defied labels for Mini Cooper. Christopher Walken saved a man from a lifetime of beige socks in this Super Bowl ad for Kia. One of my favorite was Helen Mirren promoting the #GiveADamn movement against drunk driving for Budweiser.

Audi-CommanderSome of my other favorites were Audi’s surprisingly emotional “Commander” that snapped an aging astronaut out of his depression and included the late David Bowie’s “Starman” as the soundtrack. The Heinz “Wiener Stampede” was so cute that included a bunch of wiener dogs in hot dog suits running in slow motion into the arms of people dressed as ketchup and mustard. Again, it’s a dog thing with me. Also, of course, is Subara’s “Dog Approved” ad that featured a golden retriever (I have a golden retriever) who is driving around in her Subaru and checks the rear view mirror where we see a puppy strapped into a car seat in the back. I love dogs doing people things, like the Dorito’s ad as well. But one ad that I laughed out load to was Honda’s new truck ad featuring sheep singing Queen’s “Somebody to Love”. It was something about those sheep and the song together.

Super Bowl esuranceI’ve read many different articles about all the Super Bowl ads and there was not a one ad that really stood out, like Budweiser’s lost puppy last year. But I found most entertaining. Mountain Dew’s puppy-monkey-baby that they created for their new Kickstart product I thought was pretty weird. But again, I’m not their target market.

Esurance’s ran a 30-second pregame ad and then a 1st quarter Super Bowl ad that  promoted their Pass It On Sweepstakes offering a chance to win up to $1 million in exchange for tweeting #Esurancesweepstakes. This generated huge Twitter chatter. According to data from tech company Spredfast, the brand’s Twitter mentions spiked at 6:35 p.m. when the commercial aired, generating 9,000 tweets per minute. The hashtag also trended nationally on Twitter for roughly 15 minutes.  As a whole this year, hashtags were in 45% of Super Bowl 50 ads, slightly down from 50% last year.

So that’s my wrap-up of Super Bowl 50 and all the ads and promotions that were associated with it. I hope you enjoyed my posts. We will now go through football withdrawal and dream that maybe our team will make it next year!

Super-Bowl-50-teamsLast weekend the road to SuperBowl 50 continued with four great playoff games that left us with four teams in the running. All four where the home teams, unlike the weekend before that made history when all four away teams won.

The Green Bay Packers almost got away with an upset when Aaron Rodgers had two Hail Mary’s as the 4th quarter expired to tie the game and send it to overtime. However, the Cardinals got the ball first, even over a coin flip controversy, and ran the ball down the field to score a touchdown and end the game.

So now we have the New England Patriots heading to Denver to  play the Bronco’s, the AFC’s #1 seed. This is the game of the quarterbacks with Brady vs. Manning, and many speculating could be the last time they will ever face each other again. On the NFC side we have the Arizona Cardinals heading to Carolina to play the Panthers, the almost undefeated team on the season (16-1). I’m looking forward to watching some good football this Sunday.

Besides the Dorito’s Crash the Super Bowl Contest, the parent company, PepsiCo, is also returning with its Game Day Grub Match for Super Bowl 50. This contest challenges student chefs to cook up the greatest dish for the “Greatest Day In Football”. This unique cooking competition features students from The Culinary Institute of America, right here in New York state, competing to create the ultimate football food. Part of the requirements is that each dish must incorporate PepsiCo food and beverage products as ingredients.

Pepsi-Grub MatchIn addition to the student competition, PepsiCo is giving the general public their chance to share their best dish. This contest just started accepting submissions on January 14 and will continue till game day, February 7. Everyone is invited to submit their own game day dish to Instagram, Twitter of Pinterest using the hashtag #gamedaygrubentry. They need to upload an image of their dish along with a copy description or a link to the recipe. A panel of judges will review all the eligible submission and choose winners based on the following criteria: Presentation of dish, Use of at least 2 PepsiCo products in recipe and Creative use of product.

The Grand Prize winner will receive $1,500 plus a PepsiCo party pack that includes a mix of PepsiCo food and beverage products, as well as a signed cookbook from Anne Burrell, and a Wilson Super Bowl 50 Football. Two Runner-up prizes with each receive $500 as well as a PepsiCo party pack the signed cookbook and a Wilson Super Bowl 50 Football.

Pepsi-Grub Match SubmissionPepsiCo’s main objective with this promotion is to increase awareness of their entire food and beverage portfolio that includes includes 22 brands such as Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. A list of all their products in featured here on the contest website.

“Great food and football are captivating millions of fans gearing up for Super Bowl 50 — and Game Day Grub Match brings these two things together in a way only PepsiCo can,” said PepsiCo Executive Chef Jody Denton. “Our snacks and beverages have been staples of Super Bowl parties for five decades, and the student chefs from the Culinary Institute of America took game day food to a whole new level.”

Pepsi DimSum_smallBack to the student’s competition, it came down to three teams and after much deliberation among the judges, Claire, Yejin and Joel were selected as the Game Day Grub Match champions for their Doritos Dim Sum Joh. Each of them earned a trip to the San Francisco Bay Area, tickets to Super Bowl 50 and a $5,000 scholarship. Congrats to all these amazing young chefs.

You can visit the Game Day Grub Match website to see the student recipes that were submitted to help inspire you to create you own game day dish for Super Bowl 50. There are also many photos and recipes on the site that have already been submitted by the general public. The image above is one of the first submissions. They make you hungry just looking at them all.