Archive for the ‘Tips’ Category
July 12th, 2010
Why are so many Sweepstakes void in Quebec?
The government of Quebec has a number of laws in place that are intended to protect the citizens of Quebec, but in–turn impose a significant burden of resources and money to Sponsors.
In order to allow residents of Quebec to participate in a Sweepstakes, Sponsor must do some or all of the following things:
Continue on…
Categories: Budget Friendly, Legal, News, Promotion Risks, Tips
Categories: Social Media, Tips
May 27th, 2010
Follow Up to “Whatever happened to freedom of speech?”
It’s official the FTC has revamped it’s guidelines concerning endorsements to take account of the new boom in social marketing, blogger endorsements and word of mouth promotion.
The FTC says it wants to extend to digital communication the same user protections it enforces in offline advertising: namely, to make sure that consumers know when a commentator or content creator has a “material connection” to the marketer. Though most marketers don’t control what is said by the bloggers they enlist in their promotions, the FTC says, just the fact that they’re offering these bloggers benefits — even in the form of samples or review copies — must be made clear starting Dec. 1, 2009. Both the bloggers and the advertisers could be held liable for failing to disclose these links. Continue on…
Categories: Advertising, Legal, News, Technology, Tips
April 26th, 2010
Prizes, Taxes, & 1099 Forms
Taxes on that prize? No one ever told me… When that 1099 tax filing arrives in your mailbox and you don’t remember where it came from or why it was sent to you, think back for a moment.
It could likely be from a prize you won in a sweepstakes the prior year. Prizes over $600 are considered miscellaneous income to the government and sponsors are required by law to issue a 1099 form to winners who receive a prize (or multiple prizes) valued over $600. Continue on…
April 26th, 2010
Navigating Promotions in a Facebook World
We receive a lot of questions from Clients about integrating Facebook into their promotions….so we thought a little Facebook Guidelines 101 might be helpful. Now the good news is that the new guidelines do not prohibit any company (big or small) from using promotions to grow their fan base. But the bad news is you have some rules to follow. So to help you get started, we wanted to highlight what we consider to be the most important components.
Continue on…
Categories: Advertising, News, Promotion Risks, Social Media, Technology, Tips, Winners
March 29th, 2010
The P/S/T Blog Quiz
Okay, lets see how much you have been paying attention over this past year. If you’ve recently joined us than you may want to catch up on our past blog postings…it has been known that for each correct answer you get, that same number of wishes will come true. So before you get started think of 5 wishes that you would like to have come true…get all 5 questions correct and within 5 days of completing the quiz your wishes, in the order you dreamt them, will begin to come true…oh yeah, one important thing…as soon as you answer the 5th question you must rub your belly and pat your head simultaneously for a period of 30 seconds (have your stop watch handy) – 30 seconds exactly, not a second more and not a second less.
Categories: Tips
February 5th, 2010
CARU’s Guidlines
In today’s world, the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) has its work cut out for them to stay on top of the latest and greatest social networking and marketing trends as it relates to advertising to our children. As defined on their site, www.caru.org, CARU is a non-profit organization that fosters truth and accuracy in advertising directed to children who are under 13.
Categories: Advertising, Legal, Tips, Uncategorized, Winners
February 5th, 2010
Designing an Online Sweepstakes Entry Form
It is mind-blowing how the Internet has grown dramatically since its inception and to think the same phishing scams are still around. Although, they have changed just as dramatically as the Internet.
When designing a sweepstakes entry form, sponsors need to be extremely careful so the consumer does not feel like they need to give too much information in order to enter. Here are a few rules of thumb to keep in mind when designing an online sweepstakes entry form: Continue on…
Categories: Prizes, Promotion Risks, Technology, Tips
February 5th, 2010
So How Much Is Too Much?
You have spent money, time and resources over the years to gather your target’s personal information and build a valuable database, right? Right! Consumers have signed up on your site, perhaps replied to a previous e-mail blast and in some form or fashion, agreed to receive your communication. So now you believe you can blast them whenever you see fit. Right? DEFINITELY NOT! The question “how much is too much?” seems to always come up with our clients.
So here is our answer… Continue on…
Categories: Tips, Uncategorized, Winners
February 5th, 2010
Why Promotion Results Matter
Too often, we see clients conduct massive, large-budget campaigns. The campaigns may be well received and may receive a lot of press, but a simple question post promotion as to whether or not the promotion objective was met – be it increased store traffic or sales, is surprisingly an overlooked answer.
If you can’t measure the results, Continue on…
Categories: Statistics, Technology, Tips