In Summary...

After blogging for an entire semester about coupons, promotions and sweepstakes, I noticed a great deal of trends and patterns. Initially when I selected this topic I was nervous about finding articles to blog about. I knew that there were a tremendous amount of coupons, promotions and sweepstakes out there but I wasn’t sure how much they were discussed on the Internet. Initially I just searched google for articles to write about, but eventually I came across promomagazine.com, which was an excellent source for me. I also found many other blogs besides mine, which write about the same topic; duct tape marketing blog for example. After finding sources, I was able to easily blog about the subject twice a week. After writing about so many different promotions, some obvious trends became apparent to me. The first thing I noticed was that many promotions include a grand prize involving meeting a famous person or winning a vacation relating to whatever is being promoted. Also, the way that people can enter contests was similar on many occasions. It is becoming more and more common for people to enter sweepstakes via the Internet. Lastly, when the holiday season began to approach it was near impossible for me to find a promotion that did not have a holiday theme. Evidently, promotions take great advantage of the time of year in which they are taking place.

The most common grand prize for the promotions I wrote about was a vacation or opportunity to meet a celebrity or professional athlete. Promotions do an excellent job attracting their target market. For example, the Gillette Video Contest I wrote about had a grand prize of meeting a professional football player. This directly targeted the appropriate market as men who use Gillette razors and men who are interested in football are most likely one in the same. I did notice that since not all people would want to meet a professional football player, Gillette is limiting its response level to men, but I think this is necessary as they are the main consumers of the product. Essentially, product promoters realize that it is not necessary to target secondary markets with their promotions, as secondary markets are solely consumers, not people who would be likely to participate in a promotion related to the product. In the case of Gillette, and secondary market may be wives purchasing razors for their husbands. It is unnecessary for Gillette to gear their promotion towards this secondary market as woman are most likely not as interested in meeting a professional football player as men.

I noticed the same trend with promotions that included a grand prize of a trip – they were very focused on their target market. For example, the Home Depot promotion included a grand prize of a trip to the Super Bowl and Modell’s contest had a grand prize of a trip to baseball spring training. People who typically shop in Home Depot are older men; the same people who would love a trip to the Super Bowl. Those who shop at Modell’s (a sporting goods store) would definitely welcome a trip to baseball spring training. Once again these promotions do not target any secondary markets but the promoters have realized it is unnecessary and not worth the money to do so.

Another trend that came to my attention when blogging about contests was the method consumers use to enter into the contests. Almost every contest I wrote about can be entered via the Internet. McDonald’s monopoly, the Dairy Queen Promotion and the NBAstore.com promotion (just to name a few) all have a specific Web site to enter their promotions. It is the age of the Internet and this was made clear by the promotions I read about. Even coupons are now electronic. This is why it was not difficult at all for me to find promotions being discussed on the Internet and I was not surprised when I came across a number of blogs out there that discuss promotions, coupons or sweepstakes.

The last thing that was impossible not to notice was the plethora of holiday themed promotions. I was definitely expecting this but I was not expecting it to be a struggle to find a non-holiday themed promotion during this time. I think it is a great tactic for promotions to incorporate the holiday theme, as people will be more inclined to participate because the promotions will play off their mood – being in the holiday spirit. Some of the holiday promotions were very fun, such as the KFC one where people compete for the best photo or video of holiday decorations.

I really enjoyed blogging about coupons, promotions and sweepstakes this semester, as it was a very interesting topic. I think that as the semester went on I became more comfortable with adding personality to my blog and getting away from just summarizing the articles. I would definitely like to continue this blog in the future or create another one, working on establishing my voice.

Modell's Sweepstakes

When searching for my next promotion to write about it was hard to escape all the holiday promotions but I finally found a sweepstakes for Modell's that is not holiday related to switch it up a bit. An article I read discussed how Modell's Sporting Goods is running a sweepstakes for "a spring training trip with a novel teammate spin to build its customer database." People can register as a team captain and submit the name and e-mail of a prospective team member on the Modell's Web site starting this past Friday. The captain will then receive a positive or negative response from the teammate and in the case of a positive response, Modell's adds another name to its database.

The winners receive a weekend trip for two to see a Major League Baseball spring training game in St. Petersburg, FL. I think this sweepstakes will receive a very positive response as it is very interactive. Also, almost all promotions that have to do with sports succeed. There are many people who would love to win a trip to spring training - I know I would! Modell's states that their goal is to build traffic to their Web site and database. I think they will be very successful in doing so.

I actually do not have a Modell's in my home town so I have never been there. But I have heard great things about it and after visiting their Web site they seem to have a wide variety of sporting goods. If you are confused about the whole "team" concept as I was at first, visit the portion of Modell's Web site that explains the concept. It is really a great idea!

The article discussed was found at: http://www.modells.com/corp/index.jsp?page=teamweek&clickid=body_teamweek_txt

KFC Holiday Photo/Video Contest

A tremendous number of promotions at this time of year try to tie in the holiday season. Doing so is a great way to attract people to promotions because it helps get them in the holiday spirit.  I recently came across another article discussing a holiday promotion sponsored by KFC.  Not my favorite choice of a meal, but many Americans love that greasy fried chicken!

KFC is asking consumers to send in their most "eye-catching" photos and videos of holiday decorations.  The contest is called "Festive Fanatics" and runs through December 14th.  Entries will be judged based on creativity, use of props and lights, and appropriateness to KFC's image. You can fill out a registration form at KFC.com and then upload videos to youtube.com.  Start taking pictures and videos and enter the contest!  I think I would have a shot - my family puts up tons of decorations for the holiday season - maybe I'll enter!

 only can you enter the contest, you can vote on your favorite video or image from 12 finalists starting December 20th.  The grand prize winner receives free KFC food for a year (I would probably give that prize away haha) and payment of their December electricity and credit card bills - I'll take it!  KFC's Web site's home page is decked out with a holiday theme. Visit the site, it is very interactive!

I think this promotion will be very successful in gaining a large number of entries and many people are very into the holiday season.  Also its hard to believe but holiday decorations are something people can get competitive about - who has the best Christmas lights on their house or the most perfect Christmas tree on the block??  I would be very interested to see who wins this contest!

The article discussed was found at: http://promomagazine.com/news/kfc_holiday_photo_

video_contest/

ABC Family Christmas Giveaway

The holiday season is not complete without all the Christmas movies that air on TV. My personal favorite is "A Christmas Story" and I am very excited to watch it this year. An article I read discussed how ABC Family is tying in a promotion with its Christmas movies. ABC Family is the network that I watch Christmas movies on all the time because they have a great variety! I think a promotion for ABC Family's 25 days of Christmas will be very effective as it will raise awareness about the Christmas movies shown on he network and portray ABC Family as the channel to watch for Christmas flicks!

The promotion took place on Black Friday - a great day to reach a tremendous amount of people. There were street teams dressed in a branded red fleece, hats, and scarves handing out reusable shopping bags that contain tune-in information for ABC Family's "25 Days of Christmas" and a cookie scented ornament - what better way to get people in the holiday spirit! The teams targeted popular shopping areas in Chicago, New York City and Boston. There were about 60,000 bags distributed and the promotion will take place again in those locations on December 1st and 2nd.

As ABC Family has improved its campaign from last year, I think it will be very successful. It is very important to get people in the holiday spirit in order to create a desire to watch a Christmas movie. I think the Christmas themed bag and ornament will do a great job of that. People will then read the tune-in information and get excited about the holiday movies to air on ABC Family! I am definitely excited for ABC Family's "25 Days of Christmas."

To learn more about ABC Family's "25 Days of Christmas" visit their Web site at: abcfamily.com

The article discussed was found at: http://promomagazine.com/eventmarketing/news/abc_family_christmas_programming/

Launch of NBAStore.com

What better way to relaunch a Web site than with a sweepstakes. It attracts immediate attention to the product and entices people to get involved right away. I think NBA pairing the relaunch of its Web site with a sweepstakes is an excellent idea. A recent article I read discussed the details of the promotion. The sweepstakes entails a total of $10,000 dollars worth in prizes. The grand prize is Spalding's new "beast" 60-inch glass portable background system which will be delivered by former NBA star Clyde Drexler. Drexler will also provide the winner with a rack of Spalding NBA game balls and NBA practice apparel. Who wouldn't want to meet a former NBA star? The fact that the winner receives the opportunity to meet Drexler will definitely draw more people to the sweepstakes.

The contest is called "Drexler's Slam Dunk Delivery and can be entered by making a purchase on NBAStore.com by January 15. There are also lesser prizes including a four-game NBA video package, a $500 shopping spree in the online store, and one of 50 $150 NBAStore.com gift cards.

This promotion is an excellent way to draw people to the Web site. People will be able to experience the convenience of shopping online and the new features to the site. The article also states that the online store now offers a larger selection of NBA products. I visited the Web site myself and it's pretty cool! The graphics are excellent and it is very easy to navigate through. If you are looking for a sports related gift for the holidays I suggest visiting NBAStore.com and you could be eligible for a number of prizes by shopping there!

Here is a video of Clyde Drexler's top ten dunks - it's pretty fun to watch!

This video was found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvjJA93Xy9Y

The article discussed was found at: http://promomagazine.com/news/nbastore_sweepstakes/

Coffee Beanery Scratch and Win Promo

Growing up I always thought scratch and win promotions and scratch off lottery tickets were the best thing in the world! When I came across Coffee Beanery's scratch and sniff promotion it caught my eye right away. Here is how the promotion works: people who spend more than $9.99 in the store will receive a free game card which they can scratch off. The top prize is seven night trip for two to Jamaica! There are also lesser prizes: ten first prize winners will receive a year's supply of coffee and other winners will receive Coffee Beanery beverages. I think this promotion is an excellent idea as a scratch and win game is a very simple promotion to run. No matter what age you are you will still have fun scratching off the card, there is no denying it!The article discussing this promotion stated that it serves to not only drive more customers into the store but to increase sales for the holidays. The company said, "In particular, the Coffee Beanery, is looking to boost sales of its holiday gift sets, and one pound bags of specialty coffee." The promotion lasts until December 31st and about 250,000 game cards were produced for the promotion. Get to a Coffee Beanery and start scratchin' - you could be on your way to Jamaica before you know it!

I think this promotion will increase sales for Coffee Beanery this holiday season and in the long run as well. The promotion will drive more customers to the store and if they enjoy the coffee they could potentially become brand loyal to Coffee Beanery. People are very picky about the coffee they drink so if they like the flavor of Coffee Beanery they will be inclined to switch their coffee brand preference.


To find out more about Coffee Beanery's products visit: http://www.coffeebeanery.com/

To find out more about the scratch and win promotion visit: http://www.coffeebeanery.com/comeintowin/default.htm

The article discussed was found at: http://promomagazine.com/contests/news/coffee_beanery_game/

Airport Holiday Shopping and Promotions

A recent article I read on USAtoday.com brought to my attention how convenient it is for people to get some of their holiday shopping done in airports. The article discussed how at this time of year a layover may not be as inconvenient as it seems. I know first hand time can fly when you are shopping! So that long six hour layover may not seem so bad after you grab something to eat and then do some shopping. Another great reason to shop in the airport is that the stores keep travelers' hours: they open early and close late. If you are taking the red-eye you are in luck!

Obviously the airports take advantage of the holiday season. They are very well aware that people are going to try to get some gifts purchased during their time at the airport. Subsequently, many airports run promotions during the holiday season. The article on USAtoday.com highlights promotions going on at thirteen different locations around the globe.

One promotion that I thought was clever is American Airlines' "Depart from the Ho Ho Hum" sweepstakes. Anyone flying on American Airlines can enter the sweepstakes up until December 31st and be eligible to win prizes including trips to London or Jamaica, 500,000 AAdvantage miles and more. I think this promotion is very catchy as the title of it contains "ho ho" in reference to Santa. Other promotions going on include holiday entertainment and a visits from Santa at O'Hare, a teddy bear give-a-way at Boston Logan Airport, a Winter Market with an ice rink outside Germany's Munich Airport, and more! I think all promotions at airports during the holiday season are an excellent idea as many people will be inclined to shop during their layovers or enter promotions during their holiday travels.

Below is a picture of the Rockettes who will kick of the holiday season in O'Hare.
The article discussed was found at: http://www.usatoday.com/travel/columnist/baskas/2007-11-14-airport-
holiday-shopping_N.htm

Sears Holiday Campaign on the Internet

A recent article I read discussed how sears is promoting its holiday items via the Internet this year. I think this is an excellent idea as more and more people today shop on-line. The on-line campaign is designed around Sears' Wish Book catalog and its tagline is, "Don't just give a gift, grant a wish." Their campaign is very interactive as people can vote on the hottest gift ideas, toys, fashion, etc. on the site. Visit http://www.sears.yahoo.com/toys to check it out. Sears refers to their holiday campaign as the "Where Wishes Begin" holiday experience. I think this is very catchy as every parent wants to make their child's wish come true and buy them the present they dreamed of this holiday season. Senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Sears spoke on the Web site: "The online space continues to offer new and exciting ways to interact in a meaningful way with our customers."

I think the Web site will be very successful as it is interactive and full of holiday spirit! The background of the web page is red with little snow flakes which serves to put customers in the holiday spirit. It certainly worked for me - I can't wait for the holidays now!


Not only does Sears have their interactive Web site, but they are tying a promotion into it as well. Beginning November 19th, Sears will begin its Wishing promotion which offers deals on products for a limited time. The deals will take place during specific Wishing Hours. The online sweepstakes can be found at http://www.sears.com/wishes. There are five grand prize wishes all definitely worth winning! One example of a grand prize is a trip for four to a 2008 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race. Check out the Web site to enter and see the rest of the prizes you could be eligible to win!


I think this Sears campaign will be very successful due to the strong interactive design of its Web site and the theme of it. The campaign is also being promoted via TV and radio spots, magazine ads, direct mail, PR and catalogs.

The article discussed was found at: http://promomagazine.com/news/sears_holiday_internet_sweepstakes/

Home Depot and Football

Everyone knows the hardware store Home Depot. Growing up your dad would always drag you along to the hardware store for some things he needed to fix up the house - what better place to have a sweepstakes to win tickets to the Super Bowl! A recent article I read on instoremarketer.org discussed Home Depot's sponsorship of the National Football League and its recent sweepstakes called "Shop & Win." Home Depot shoppers submit codes from store receipts to a promotional Web site to enter the contest. Purchases of products from co-sponsors 3M, Cub Cadet, Gorilla Ladders or Scotts receive double entry. The grand-prize winner receives trips for four in 2008 to the Super Bowl in Phoenix, the Pro Bowl in Honolulu, and the NFL Draft in New York!

I think this is an excellent promotion as many of the typical Home Depot shoppers would be eager to enter into this contest. It is often a father son activity to take a trip to the hardware store. It is also a father son activity to watch football. I think it was a very smart decision on Home Depot's part to team up with the National Football League.

The article I read entitled Home Depot Thinks Football is 'More Fun' also discussed in more detail Home Depot's partnership with the NFL. Home Depot is also sponsoring "The Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP" program. This program is for a great cause as it recognizes the charitable contributions of 17 NFL players by rebuilding a football field or building a playground in their community and making a donation to a charity of their choice. I think people will be even more eager to enter into the sweepstakes after they become aware of what the NFL and Home Depot are doing for others. The Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP program is for an excellent cause and I hope it continues for a while! You never know what little boy's dream will come true when he sees a new football field or playground to play on.

The article discussed was found at http://www.ismionline.org/articles/details.php?id=7104

P. Diddy and Ciroc Vodka

It is crazy how prevalent alcohol is in music. It is so frequent that I hear a rap about a certain type of champagne or vodka. This is crucial for the brand development of different types of alcohol. Any alcohol being rapped about people automatically associate as the best, most classy alcohol. A recent article I read was about P. Diddy signing a partnership with Diageo PLC who owns Ciroc Vodka. The arrangement with Sean Combs ("P. Diddy") Enterprises is said to be worth more than $100 million depending on how the Ciroc Vodka brand does. Since the one and only P. Diddy is devoting a tremendous amount of his time to promote this product I think his efforts will be very successful. All P. Diddy needs to do is be seen drinking or talking about Ciroc Vodka and others will think it is hip, in style, top of the line and purchase it themselves. Everyone wants to emulate their favorite celebrity and P. Diddy has a tremendous amount of fans. He is just the right person to promote this vodka as rappers are normally the celebrities who promote alcoholic beverages.

P. Diddy will definitely be able to use to his advantage the sleek look of the Ciroc Vodka bottle. The bottle is tall and slender and the labeling is very simple. The colors are just clear and some blue. It is definitely a bottle that a celebrity would have no problem being associated with.

Combs was originally interested in promoting his own vodka line but when he saw Ciroc Vodka he was very impressed. The vodka is infused with French grapes. I think P. Diddy will be very successful in promoting the vodka as he already has his own line of clothing and fragrance that are very common. P. Diddy said, "I am not just a celebrity endorser. I'm a luxury brand builder." This partnership between P. Diddy and Diageo PLC has received a tremendous amount of publicity and I am sure you will begin to hear more and more about ciroc vodka and it will eventually be associated with vodkas like Grey Goose and Kettle One.

The article discussed was found at: http://promomagazine.com/news/diddy_ciroc_vodka/

To read more about P. Diddy's new partnership there is also an article written about it by the Associated Press that can be found at: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jp3XHuELVTm0f08rIAZYGFu4LlcA

Papa John's Promotes 'Spider Man 3' DVD

Who doesn't love Spiderman and wouldn't like to see him on a Papa John's pizza box?! A recent article I read discussed how Papa John's is promoting the release of the Spider Man 3 DVD by printing Spider Man 3 pizza boxes! Papa Johns has teamed up with Sony in an incredible promotion. This promoting really caught my eye because it consists of a bunch of elements besides the pizza box that tie into each other very well. I think the promotion will be very successful.

First, Papa John's created a special pizza to promote Spiderman. It is a Super Hero XL3 pizza. The pie is 30% bigger than a large pizza. All Super Hero pizzas come with a $3 dollar coupon for the Spider Man 3 DVD which will be released October 30th. Papa John's is also offering Spider Man themed gift cards. There will be a DVD launch event in New York where Spiderman himself will perform stunts! At the event Spiderman will kick off the Hometown Super-Hero program. The Hometown Super-Hero program is a campaign in which Papa John's will give away $1 million worth of Super Hero pizzas nationwide to honor police, fire and rescue workers, and military personnel - it is for a great cause! To learn more about Papa John's teaming up with Sony you can read their news release.

I think this promotion will be really successful as there are many Spiderman fans out there. Many young children will ask their parents to order the Super Hero pizza because it is bigger and what little kid doesn't want to be a super hero at some point? Also I think that this promotion will entice many people to purchase a Spider Man 3 DVD as they will already have a coupon for it if they have purchased a Super Hero pizza. Also many of the elements of this promotion will leave people curious and inspire them to buy the DVD. I still haven't seen Spider Man 3 and after reading this promotion I want a Super Hero pizza and really can't wait to see the movie!

The article I read also included a small blurb at the end about the movie - it sounds really good! As I have seen the first two Spiderman movies, I must see the third! For those of you who are curious here is the trailer for the movie:



The article discussed was found at: http://promomagazine.com/news/papa_johns_spiderman_dvd/

M&M Halloween Promotion

Surprisingly, Mars North America, the company that owns M&Ms already ran a Halloween promotion in Times Square! An article in Promo Magazine described the promotion. There was an event outside the Mars store that consisted of a headless horseman and a candy give away. The promotion served to draw attention to M&M's $1 million Halloween Instant Win Game and sweepstakes which goes until October 31. Not only was there a costumed horseman in the streets of Manhatten but Joey Fatone was there to help promote the contest as well! Fatone and the horseman were escorting a armored truck with thousands of bags of M&M's candies, all contaning a code needed to enter the sweepstakes.

To enter the contest, enter your codes at http://www.MMS.com! Get a bag of M&M's and enter, you could win $1 million dollars. Purchasing some M&Ms is definitely on my to-do list this week! This money prize is not the only prize you could win - there are others! An instant-win game provides the chance to win a seven-day family trip to the Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney and $1,000 in spending money. Smaller prizes include a year's supply of M&M treats and Halloween DVDs. I love M&Ms so it won't be a problem for me to buy and eat them in order to get the codes for the contest!


At first the costumed horseman seemed a little weird to me, but I am sure it probably did a great job drawing peoples' attention to the promotion. Also I think it was a good idea on Mars North America's part to hire a famous celebrity (Joey Fatone) to help promote the candy and the contest. Everyone takes a promotion more seriously when a celebrity is supporting it! I think this promotion will be very successful and I am very envious of whoever wins!

The article discussed was found at: http://promomagazine.com/eventmarketing/news/mms_halloween_nyc/

WWE Reading Contest

A recent article I read was about a contest sponsored by the wrestling industry. The contest was a reading contest for students believe it or not! World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is doing its second annual reading contest for teens. The winners receive tickets to Wrestlemania 24. WWE's reading challenge falls at the same time as Teen Read Week. Students who are in grades 7-12 and are members of libraries participating in the contest are eligible. Students are required to read 10 books or magazines and write a short essay by January 17th. The theme for the essay is "Why Wrestlemania Got Me Reading." Ten finalists will be selected who will have the opportunity to attend the annual pro wrestling event.

After reading this promotion I was a little surprised at first that wrestling is being linked to reading and education. It is very interesting to me. However, I think that WWE has done a great job targeting their audience. The main viewers of wrestling are grades 7-12 and that is why this contest received such a large response. More than 1,000 students from 490 libraries wrote essays! That is a great response rate for a contest that requires so much reading and an essay. I would be curious to read the essays of some of the students.

Students were probably very responsive to this contest because if the WWE is advertising it and they like wrestling it must be "cool." All teenagers are typically willing to participate in a contest that pertains to something they have a passion for (wrestling in this case). I never understood the passion or interest in wrestling, but hey, the high response rate of this contest shows my opinion doesn't mean much! The WWE did a great job with this contest and portrayed themselves in a great light by doing something educational.

The article discussed can be found at: http://promomagazine.com/news/wwe_wrestlemania_tix/

"Everything you need to know about search engine marketing"

I listened to a Web seminar on search engine marketing and it was extremely interesting. A Shar VanBoskirk from forrester.com spoke on they key elements of search engine marketing and how it could be improved. A few of the key elements of search engine marketing VanBoskirk discussed included establishing a persona through the marketing, applying direct marketing smarts to ad copy, thinking of search marketing as a science, and many more. She also discussed the types of searches out there; vertical search which helps people buy by filtering out unrelated content, social search which weeds out all content and focuses solely on the searcher, and personalized search which bases the results on a survey about the consumer.

I thought that many of the search engines discussed in the seminar were very clever and extremely interesting, especially the example used for personalized search. VanBoskirk discussed a Web site which surveys the buyer and generates custom jeans for them. I think the most important point in the seminar is that search engines must be targeted to a specific user and should take a database approach to understand who the customers are.

Another interesting part of the seminar was a diagram depicting what percent of people use which search engines and where they overlap. The diagram included Google, Yahoo, MSN and AOL. The main point of it was to show that many people use multiple search engines, therefore audiences can be reached across a multitude of search engines.

HP and YouTube

One of the many ways companies promote their products or create contests is by teaming up with each other. This is a very smart tactic as the contest will not only get publicity because of one company, but two or more as well. I found an article which discusses how HP is partnering with YouTube to sponsor a contest.

It is a contest in which one filmmaker will receive a $5000 prize, a meeting with executives from Fox Searchlight Productions, and a screening at an international film festival. The competition is known as Project Direct. It is searching for films between two and seven minutes in duration. Twenty finalists will be chosen by a YouTube panel and director Jason Reitman whose film "Juno" will be released by Fox Searchlight this year. A grand-prize winner will then be selected.

In order to make the contest more interesting, Reitman set three content rules for the submissions. He requires the films feature a, "character facing 'a situation above his or her maturity level,' one character in the film must pass a photograph to another, and someone in the film must use the line, 'I demand an explanation for these shenanigans. What do you have to say?' " I think these guidelines will definitely ad humor to the films and make them unique.

To learn more about Project Direct visit their link from YouTube: http://youtube.com/projectdirect. I think this contest will be a great way to promote YouTube, HP and Fox Searchlight Productions. Hopefully many people will enter and there will be some great submissions!

Here is YouTube video were Reitman describes the contest:


The article discussed was found at: http://promomagazine.com/news/
youtube_hp_video_makers_say_100807/

Evian and Second Life

An article on Promomagazine.com caught my eye because it pertains to Second Life - a topic my professor for Audience Research, Kim Gregson, is very interested and blogs about. The article I found is about Evian Natural Spring Water and Second Life. After reading the article I was curious to learn more about Second Life as I am not very familiar with it, so I visited Kim's blog. It is pretty cool and definitely worth taking a look at! Visit Kim's blog at http://profkim.blogspot.com/. Also if like me you are not very familiar with second life visit the Second Life Web site to read what it's all about! Second Life is basically a 3-D virtual world inhabited by residents from around the world.

Now to the article - the article I came across pertaining to Second Life discusses how Evian Natural Spring Water is using Second Life to promote its product. Evian is putting vending machines in high-traffic locations around the 3-D world of Second Life. Evian consumers can now give their "virtual bodies" a chances to drink the water. When someones avatar (graphic character which represents them) approaches an Evian vending machine a message will pop up offering them to "give their skin a 'second life' with a bottle of Evian." If they accept they can then choose from various new natural skins for their avatar. The avatar will then receive a better texture and better lighting. Here is what the vending machines look like:
I think Evian's use of Second Life to promote their product is an excellent idea. More and more people are beginning to visit virtual worlds and if Evian is one of the first companies to advertise on Second Life they will definitely raise a tremendous amount of awareness about their product. In the article, Jeff Caswell, vice president of marketing for Evian North America states his reasoning for placing Evian in Second Life. Caswell says, "With build-it-yourself virtual worlds, fantasy lands and video games increasing in popularity, we felt that Second Life was a fitting platform for Evian to make its virtual debut." Hats off to Caswell and Evian because I think this is a great idea! All you Second Life users keep an eye out for the Evian vending machines!

Here is an introduction to Second Life:


The article discussed can be found at: http://promomagazine.com/news/evian
_tests_waters_second_life_100407/

"Just an Online Minute" blog - shows free on itunes

I found a number of really interesting blogs on MediaPost. One of the blogs I found that discusses product promotions is called "Just an Online Minute." Visit this blog - I really like it!

The blog entry that caught my eye was the one about TV network promotions on iTunes. The post is titled "Nets Develop Online Deals for New Season." The post describes how various networks are promoting their shows to premier this fall. I think what Fox is doing will be really effective in promoting their shows. NBC's joint venture partner News Corp. is making season premieres of Fox shows available for free on iTunes that users can view for one week! Shows including "Prison Break," "Bones," and "K-Ville" will be available in the form of free downloads before the shows air. ABC is going to stream its shows on AOL, and NBC will provide free ad-supported downloads.

What News Corp. is doing for Fox will allow viewers to own the shows once they are downloaded to their computers and transfer them to their iPods. As Wendy Davis says in her blog, most Television viewers are more likely to choose ad-free versions of a show. Therefore I think the promotion for the Fox shows will be highly successful and I agree with Davis that it will probably surpass the response that NBC or ABC's promotions receive.

Personally, I would take advantage of the promotion for the Fox shows. They are free and contain no ads! Ads in the shows can be very annoying. I know that when I have tried to watch shows online it is annoying to have random breaks in the program with ads you can't skip over. Visit http://www.fox.com/home.htmto watch some of their latest programs online. Click on the show you would like to watch and there is an option to download it for free on iTunes. Check out Fox's new show "K-Ville" it looks pretty good.

Also don't forget to check out Wendy Davis' blog - "Just an Online Minute."

The blog post discussed was found at: http://blogs.mediapost.com/online_minute/?p=1570
?p=1570

Sponsors of Daytona 500

A huge part of promotions is sponsorships. I never knew how much money sponsors will pay to advertise their companies at large events! An article about sponsors for the Daytona 500 discusses just how much money sponsors pay. Hype for the 50th anniversary of the Daytona 500 next year is already growing! Around 40 brands will spend a total of $100 million dollars in activation fees around the event. That is a crazy amount of money! Some of the sponsors include Coca-Cola, UPS, Gatorade, and Holiday Inn. Many of these companies signed contracts with the International Speedway Corp. (ISC). For example Coca-Cola signed a 10 year deal with the ISC in which they will distribute commemorative bottles and cups with the Daytona Logo. They will also have signage at the event where it will provide refreshments.

The article goes on to discuss why there is such a "sponsor rush" for the event. This can be attributed to the fact that NASCAR sponsorships convey a tremendous amount of brand loyalty. The article says that, " NASCAR fans are three times as likely to buy NASCAR sponsor's products - and the response rate doubles for NASCAR devotees to go the tracks."

I think that the amount of money that gets tossed around by sponsors is unbelievable but on the other hand worth it. The Daytona 500 is an event watched by a tremendous amount of people and sponsors will definitely receive recognition. People will be more inclined to purchase the advertised brands, especially if their favorite NASCAR driver is promoting them!

It's incredible how many sponsors the Daytona 500 gets - way to go! For all you NASCAR fans out there here is where you can buy tickets and learn more about the Daytona 500: http://www.daytona500.com/. Here is a picture of my favorite - Jeff Gordon! Looks like he just won!

The article discussed in this post can be found at:
http://promomagazine.com/othertactics/news/
coke_gatorade_kroger_sponsor_daytona_500_092707/

Gillette Video Contest

When looking for my next topic to write about I came across Gillette's new promotion. It caught my eye because it is a promotion that uses a professional athlete to attract people to it. Gillette partnered with former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn. The sweepstakes encourages males to create videos that show their "game face." The winner of the contest receives an all-inclusive trip for four to New York City to meet Quinn. They also receive a Gillette GameFace entertainment package which includes an LCD HDTV, multimedia surround sound and a Nintendo Wii. You can enter the contest at GilletteGameFace.com. This Web site includes Quinn's very own Game Face video.

I think this contest is an excellent idea for multiple reasons. I think the Game Face concept would be very appealing to many males as guys always talk about being tough and putting on their game face for sports. If you are a guy and you are not tough you take a lot of flack!

Another reason this contest would attract many males is the use of the professional athlete Brady Quinn. Every guy that I know loves to watch football and no matter what team they are a fan of I am sure they would not pass up an opportunity to win an all inclusive paid trip to meet Quinn.

For all you football or Quinn fans out there here is a Brady Quinn highlight video.


The article discussed was found at: http://promomagazine.com/news
/gillette_razor_video_contest_092407/

Dairy Queen Promotions

When searching for my next promotion to blog about I came across an excellent source of information. Promomagazine.com has a tremendous amount of information on the latest product promotions. It includes the top stories, webinar information, blogs, research and more! If you are looking for information on current product promotions I suggest you visit Promo Magazine's Web site!

During my first viewing of Promo Magazine an article caught my eye about Dairy Queen's latest promotions. The article is called "Dairy Queen Builds Loyalty with Innovative Promotions." The article really impressed me because Dairy Queen is running a number of contests and sweepstakes that have been successful. Their use of interactive media is stellar. The article reports their loyal customer base, however they do not stop promoting their products because of this.

Dairy Queen's latest promotion is the Blizzard Sweet Sounds Game. If you play this game you can win up to $50 in music downloads, ring tones, or gift cards to Dairy Queen! To play you enter codes from Dairy Queen Blizzard cups at BlizzardFanClub.com. This game also entails quarterly prizes as big as a Sony MP3 music player!

The article goes on to discuss how successful Dairy Queen's other promotions have been. In the company's summer promotion called "Free, Click, Win," customers were asked to upload photos of themselves eating a Waffle Bowl (one of DQ's products). This contest for the best video brought a total of 194,000 unique visitors to the DQ Web site!

I was extremely impressed with Dairy Queen's promotions. The company is a great example of not letting an increased customer base stop you from continuously promoting your product. It is very important that companies stay modest and I think DQ has done an excellent job in doing so. Not only are they currently running many promotions but they are brainstorming for the future as well. The article discusses their plans to launch a Blizzard Fan Club Web site in October which contains social networking components and online games. I think this is an excellent way for Dairy Queen to attract consumers and spread the word about their products. It is not surprising to me that Dairy Queen has a large consumer base as their Blizzards are delicious! I am a huge fan! You have not fully experienced childhood if you haven't consumed a blizzard here and there. Kudos to DQ for their very successful and clever promotions. I will leave you with this hilarious Dairy Queen commercial I found for Kit Kat Blizzards.


The article discussed was found at: http://promomagazine.com/news/live_promo_
live_dairy_queen_promotions_091907/

To find out more about Dairy Queen and their products visit: http://www.dairyqueen.com/us-en/

McDonald's Monopoly

Everyone loves splurging with fast food. What better than splurge and play a game at the same time? The McDonald's Monopoly game has been going on for years and attracted many people to the fast food joint. It is a sweepstakes where customers receive tokens with certain menu items which correspond to a specific property space on the monopoly board. When the tokens are combined into color-matched properties they can win you money or prizes such as video games. A description of the game can be found on wikipedia.org.

The picture above is the "vault" from the 2006 monopoly game. The number at the top is "total winners and counting." I think it is very smart of McDonald's to have this number at the top of the page because it is so large and in turn, a higher number of people will think they have a chance to win.

I think using a monopoly game as a promotion for McDonald's is very clever as most people are familiar with the game and would want to play. I also think this contest was successful because it is on going. Since you need to keep collecting tokens to win, people will buy more and more food from McDonald's. Everyone knows fast food is unhealthy, but I'll admit I like to splurge sometimes. My friends recently had a contest at Burger Kind to see who could consume the most calories. I'm sure this monopoly game made some people consume more calories than planned in order to collect tokens.

Another way to tell that this monopoly game has been very successful is by how long it has been around. When searching youtube I found a very dated advertisement for the monopoly game from the 1980's!

To find out more about McDonald's monopoly visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald's_Monopoly

Apple Promotions

When trying to find my first promotion to write about, Apple was one of the first companies that came to mind. Although I do not own an apple computer many of my friends do and have received a free ipod or free printer through a promotion when they purchased their computer. However, I do in fact own an ipod as I was drawn to it by Apple's advertising.

The image above is advertised on the Apple Product Promotions page. This image is what comes to mind for many when they think of apple. Currently on their product promotions page Apple has three main promotions. The first is a promotion for college students in which they receive a free ipod nano with their purchase of a mac computer (depicted in the picture above). For the second promotion, between July 24, 2007, and October 22, 2007 if you buy any .Mac Retail Box or .Mac Family Pack Retail Box you save $30 on a .Mac annual membership. The last promotion currently listed on the apple Web site is if you purchase an apple computer and a qualifying printer between July 24, 2007, and October 22, 2007 you can save up to $100.

Apple is very clever with their promotion tactics as they know what is appealing to the consumer and the particular target audience. I think it is very smart of apple to promote a free ipod nano with the purchase of a computer to college students because many college students use ipods - at the gym, walking to class, and for entertainment. The last two current promotions in which consumers can save money on a Mac annual membership, and on a purchase of a computer and qualifity printer, are smart because they are very practical. They provide an opportunity for consumers to save money on items that are frequently purchased from Mac.

Not only do I think Mac employs very clever ways of promoting its products, but its advertisements are very visually appealing, yet simple, which quite often catches the viewers attention. Mac has a very sleek, modern look to its products as well as its advertisements. For example, the picture I included above is very simple but conveys the message - computer plus ipod nano - the two go together.

Apple also includes Past Promotions on its Web site.

To learn more about apple products visit their Web site at http://www.apple.com/

This article was found at http://www.apple.com/promo/

"Calling all pets" and "Targeting Harried Commuters"

After reading these two articles it became apparent that the industry learns about the audience through their habits and what appeals to them. For the "Calling all pets" article the industry learns what pet products appeal to consumers through current trends in society. Since people are passionate about their pets, the industry knows they will be willing to spend the money on quality products. Also the pet industry takes into consideration the recent interest in home-improvement reality TV shows and subsequently markets products that mesh well with the home. I think it is very important to consider the current trends in society as many people are extremely concerned with keeping up with them.

The "Targeting Harried Commuters" article makes it clear that the industry knows their audience well - the average working American is extremely busy and on-the-go all the time. As a result the industry tries to think of clever ways to market to people during their commute. One point made in the article that I thought was very interesting was that advertisers want to be sure not to disrupt commuters' personal space. I think this is very important because if the advertisements get in the way of the commuter they will most likely be in a rush and get frustrated by the interruption. It is important to find a balance - the advertisement must catch the viewer's attention but at the same time be sure not to get in their way.

Marketing Edge Podcast

I listened to a podcast on Marketing Edge by Albert Maruggi. My initial reaction to the podcast was that it was difficult to stay engaged in what the speaker was saying. For the first few minutes of the podcast it was hard for me to retain the information being discussed. However, after about the first five minutes the information started to become more interesting and the speaker began to make some interesting points.

Maruggi made some really good points about marketing tactics. It was very helpful to me when he broke marketing down into three words: regularity, relavance and speed. Some people would consider some of the things he discussed to be trivial and "common sense" but they are often elements of marketing that people overlook.

Overall I thought the podcast I listened to was very helpful and broke marketing down into simple terms. Also the speaker was very engaging. Since a podcast is only audio it is very important the the speaker sounds enthusiastic as it is their main way to keep the listener's attention.