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