Marden-Kane
From the MK Promotion Archives: Tigerino – the First Scratch-Off Game Card
Marden-Kane originated the first scratch-off game card with Tigerino. The Tigerino promotion was designed for Humble Oil’s ESSO and ENCO gas stations in 1966, to capitalize on the already popular “Put a Tiger in Your Tank” ad campaign. The idea was simple: if you purchased gas you could get a game card. Every game was a winner, but some game cards awarded big cash prizes depending on the letters revealed. You can read more about how the game worked here. The first Tigerino scratch-off game cards debuted in Buffalo, New York. Gas sales sky-rocketed as a result of the … Continue reading
A Day in the Life of a Promotional Marketer (or in this case, “Promotional Barketer”)
We frequently get asked what exactly a promotional marketer does every day. Well, here is Zoey, our Director of Content Barketing, to show us what her typical day looks like as a Promotional Barketer. 8:55 AM: I know the day may get a little chaotic so I get in a bit early to power up my laptop and start the day with a little coffee in my favorite mug. 9:05 AM: I do a quick check in on a live promotion to make sure it’s running as it should, and then I write daily reports and emails. We generally send … Continue reading
A Tribute to Rosemary
Rosemary Stein, our much loved and respected Vice President will be retiring from Marden-Kane, Inc. on August 31st, 2018. From our offices in Chicago, she has for the past 17 years bestowed us with her grace, peaceful demeanor, knowledge, proficiency and expertise in the promotional realm. In tribute to all of the wonderful things she has done, the successful promotions that she has worked on, all of the people that she has made an everlasting impression on, and all that is Rosemary, we say Thank You. Since she is an avid journal writer we know that she will truly appreciate … Continue reading
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
5 Things To Know About Running an Instant Win Game
Marden-Kane is your source for custom or pre-built instant win games that can be used for your next promotion. Not sure what an instant win game is? Check out our demo, and read on for 5 things to know about them: What is an instant win game? An instant win game is a game of chance where a player finds out instantly if they have won a prize. The game itself usually involves some kind of user interaction, such as spinning a wheel or using a scratch off card. The game can be online or offline, and can be simple … 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
The Marden-Kane Most Read Posts of 2017
Here is a list of our top 2017 posts according to the following categories: GOOD TO KNOW: Criteria for Judging a Video Contest Marden-Kane has provided you with information about “Good Criteria for Judging a Contest” and a follow-up article on “Criteria for Judging a Photo Contest”, well what about Video Contests? Read more… What is a Surprise & Delight? A Surprise and Delight is a marketing tactic similar to a sweepstakes or contest, where gifts are given away to fans, but instead of a posted entry period with rules and a set prize, the giveaway itself is completely unannounced … 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
Marden-Kane Employee Spotlight on Mary Ellen Prevete
This month we feature Account Director Mary Ellen Prevete who joined Marden-Kane this month. She was most recently a Senior Account Manager at DL Blair. Her impressive credentials include developing, implementing and executing marketing and consumer promotional concepts across multiple platforms for major clients such as Philip Morris, Procter & Gamble, Discover and HBO. We are extremely happy that she has joined the MK team! Explain Your Role at MK: My role as an Account Director is to ensure that my clients are provided with best-in-class service. Over the past 17 years, I’ve learned that the foundation of good client service is … Continue reading
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Recent Articles
- From the MK Promotion Archives: Tigerino – the First Scratch-Off Game Card
- How to Run a Legal TikTok Contest or Sweepstakes
- What You Need to Know About Using the Tokyo Olympics in Your Advertising and Promotion
- You Don’t Have To Reinvent the Wheel to Run a Digital Scratch-Off Game
- Facebook Custom Application Changes for Brands
