International
10 Questions to Ask Before Partnering with a Promotion Agency
A contest, sweepstakes, instant win game or other promotion concept may be a great way for your client to increase sales and build their branding efforts, but if you have never done a promotion before don’t try to do it alone. You will need an experienced, knowledgeable promotion marketing agency to partner with you to make sure you run a legal, compliant, successful promotion. But what should you look for when partnering with a promotion agency? Here are ten questions you should be asking before you select a promotion agency to partner with for your next contest or sweepstakes: How well … Continue reading
Promotional Marketing Predictions for 2018
It’s time to see how we fared on our promotional marketing predictions for 2017, and to make our 2018 predictions. For 2017 here is what we predicted for promotional marketing: 1. Social sweepstakes and contests will become the primary method of entry over online web forms. Results: In 2017 we did almost the same number of social sweepstakes and contests as we did traditional web-based sweepstakes and contests. In 2016 we did less than a third the amount of social versus traditional. Social contests and sweepstakes are a cost effective, fast to market alternative that companies on a budget … Continue reading
Top 10 Promotional Marketing Posts of All Time
Each year we track all of our promotional marketing posts and measure them over time. Some posts come up over and over in searches. Some are more time sensitive and only stay popular a year are two. Here are the top promotional marketing posts from 2008 through the end of 2017: Good Criteria for Judging a Contest As you are all probably aware, a contest is a game of skill; whereby entrants are judged on their ability to successfully perform skill-type activities. For example, writing an essay, preparing a recipe, answering trivia questions or solving puzzles would all … Continue reading
Running a Puerto Rico Sweepstakes
Account Coordinator Lindsey McLaughlin contributed to this post to help us better understand how easy it is to run a Puerto Rico sweepstakes! Legal restrictions used to keep companies from running a sweepstakes in Puerto Rico. However, in 2009 Puerto Rico lifted their tedious sweepstakes requirements, which now makes it easier to include them when running a promotion. Here is what you need to know to make a Puerto Rico sweepstakes legal. Legal Review: Prior to 2009, any company that was contemplating including Puerto Rico in their instant win game had to build time into their approval process to … Continue reading
Conducting a Background Check on a Winner — Is It Necessary?
This week’s blog on running a background check was contributed by one of our Account Supervisors, Cheryl Thornton. From time to time the topic of running a background check on a winner is discussed with our clients. There are number of factors to consider before determining if a background check is applicable for a promotion. We guide our clients by asking what their goals or needs are, along with the nature and value of their prize or prizes. For example, if they include a meet and greet with a celebrity, an on-field experience at major sporting events, a million dollar … Continue reading
20 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Contest Vendor
Before hiring a contest vendor you should ask lots of questions. Not all vendors are created equal. Some may be technically proficient but lack legal expertise. Some have the legal credentials but can’t build a web site or do registration and bonding. Here are twenty questions you should be asking before you select your contest vendor: How well do they know sweepstakes law and advertising and mobile? A top notch promotional marketing agency is well versed in national and international laws that pertain to promotions, sweepstakes and contests. They should also have legal representation and know social, mobile and … Continue reading
Privacy Shield Lists Marden-Kane, Inc
Marden-Kane, Inc. has met the requirements to be listed on the Privacy Shield list. The EU-US Privacy Shield Framework was developed by the US Department of Commerce and the European Commission to meet the data requirements of the EU for safe, secure data transfers of personal data from the EU to the US. The Privacy Shield Framework was approved earlier this year, and the web site was launched on August 1, 2016. Marden-Kane is the first promotional marketing company to be approved to the Privacy Shield list. Before the Privacy Shield program was adopted, Marden-Kane was a member of … Continue reading
Skill Testing Question in Canada: Why Is It Required?
Fae Savignano, our SVP, explains why a Skill Testing Question is required if you run a Sweepstakes in Canada. If you are a Canadian resident and enter a Sweepstakes you will be required to correctly answer a mathematical skill testing question in order to be eligible to enter and possibly win a prize. Residents of the United States do not have this prerequisite, as this rule is specific only to Canadian residents. Why is it a requirement? The skill question is a requirement as set by Canadian Sweepstakes law, as explained below. As you may already know a “Lottery” … Continue reading
Safe Harbor Declared Invalid: What This Means for Your EU Promotion
We self-certify compliance with: You may have heard some rumblings last week about Safe Harbor and EU data collection. Here is the scoop and what it means for you: A Court in the EU ruled this past week that the Safe Harbor data protection framework was invalid and, thus, made the Safe Harbor program that thousands of other companies in the US (including Marden-Kane) use obsolete. Safe Harbor was the US government sanctioned privacy program that allows personal data of EU residents to be collected, transferred and stored by US companies outside the EU countries. Basically, the decision was based … Continue reading
Planning a Rio 2016 Olympics Promotion
Update: See our updated guidelines for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The next Summer Olympic Games will be in Brazil in August of 2016. The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), in tandem with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have already lined up sponsors of the games. If you are not a Worldwide TOP Partner already, like Coca-Cola, Atos, Bridgestone, Dow, General Electric, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Proctor & Gamble, Samsung, Toyota and VISA are, or if you aren’t a worldwide supplier like Nike and Audi are, or a Team USA Sponsor, and you aren’t a Brazil 2016 Sponsor like Embratel, Claro and … Continue reading
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