Archive for the ‘Winners’ Category
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
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
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
June 5th, 2009
You Never Call Me Anymore
Everyday in the offline world, we are bombarded with thousands of advertisements – usually asking us to do the same thing: remember this URL (preferably when you are in front of a computer) or call us for more information. How often do any of us do that? Seriously, do you remember the last time you ate some chips and then went online or phoned in to enter the Potato Chip Dream Vacation Sweepstakes? Continue on…
Categories: Advertising, Media, Prizes, Technology, Uncategorized, Winners
May 27th, 2009
Travel Tips from the Front Lines
So, your Promotion has ended, and now you are charged with the task of booking your Grand Prize winner’s travel. Keeping in mind that your winner may never have ventured farther than the outskirts of their hometown, it would be wise to provide them with more than just their airline tickets & hotel confirmation number. It’s all about the experience for the winner – think about it… being a Grand Prize winner is a huge deal! To ensure that your winner has the best possible experience, a little hand-holding will turn a good experience into a GREAT experience. Some things to consider… Continue on…
April 27th, 2009
How Many Winners Do You Really Need?
Often when clients approach us with a new concept, the age-old question “How many winners should we have?” comes up. It’s the debate of perceived odds of winning with oodles of prizes versus offering a single major knock-your-socks-off prize. Both effective? Yes. Which is better? Depends.
We’ve seen effective promotions on both sides of the coin. The answer to prize structure scope truly depends on promotion marketing objectives. Continue on…
April 23rd, 2009
Some Ways to Run a Promotion AND Beat the Recession
These days more and more clients are calling us to ask, “We want to run a promotion but keep the costs low, how do we do that?” or “Can we do that?”. In our 16th year administering promotions, we know a little something about running promotions on a budget: Continue on…
Categories: Budget Friendly, Prizes, Tips, Travel, Winners
April 23rd, 2009
Is A T-Shirt Enough!?!
‘What’s the right draw, the right quantity, the right prize?’ Difficult decisions in planning is one of the most complicated parts of a promotion, however it’s often an afterthought in many promotions. People don’t enter promotions to win just a T-shirt, think about who your customers are and what excites them about your brand. Historically cash, trips, and cars were the most popular prizes in the promotional world. But they are getting slowly edged out by experiential and practical prizes.
For example, if you’re a sports company and can leverage athlete relationships, a trip to meet a famous athlete would be the best choice for your prize. It’s also important to not overload your prize structure with giving away too much. Continue on…
March 23rd, 2009
Damn you Ed McMahon! Some thoughts on winner trust and passed-upon prizes
Pssst! Hey you: want a 52″ LCD TV? we’ve got three of them that we’re aching to give away. How about an iPod Nano? Color printer? Weekend trip to a Division 1 College Game (complete with tailgate experience)? There’s a closetful of prizes that we cannot give away simply because people won’t respond to our winner notifications - whether it comes by phone, snail-mail or email. Continue on…
Categories: Winners