Category: Administration & Compliance

What is Contest Collusion?

Contest collusion is a term used in conjunction with scams or fraudulent promotions or promotion activity. Here is the definition of collusion. Contest collusion by a brand could occur if a contest is rigged by a sponsor so that winners are selected based on something other than actual entry criteria. Other examples might include not selecting a winner at random, or allowing people to enter and win who either work for

January 27, 2017

Tips for First Time Sweepstakes Success

Is your company thinking of running a sweepstakes or contest for the first time? Here are some tips for sweepstakes success from the seasoned promotional marketing experts at Marden-Kane! Do one thing well, not ten things poorly… focus on one type of promotion, ensure marketing messages clearly communicate the call to action, create an easy to enter means of entry, and promote participation to meet the established goals. Beth, Account Executive

January 17, 2017

Run a Legal Giveaway

Trying to figure out how to run a legal giveaway? It’s easier than you think – or not, depending on where you are running your giveaway, who can enter, how you collect and use data, and what you are giving away. First, there are some basic things to know about the legalities of a giveaway. In the United States, a giveaway, or sweepstakes in legal terminology, is when you

September 30, 2016

Commercial Co-Ventures, CCV Filing and Cause Related Marketing

A Commercial Co-Venture (CCV) occurs when a for-profit business and a non-profit organization make an arrangement for a donation or some percentage of profit from the business’ sales go to the charity. This type of cause related marketing is regulated in almost half of the states in the U.S., and may require that the business complete some sort of CCV filing or registration in the state(s) where the transaction is

September 23, 2016

Working with Third Party Brands for a Contest

You should approach working with third party brands in a contest or sweepstakes with caution. Giving away highly sought after prizes like trips, electronics or gift cards, or running promotions on social platforms, may seem like a great idea to garner interest and new followers for your brand. However, if you are naming a specific brand name other than your own as part of your contest, you may need

September 8, 2016

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 15, 2016

Snapchat Promotion Guidelines: A Guide to Running Sweepstakes and Contests on Snapchat

If you are thinking of running a sweepstakes or contest on Snapchat, you should make sure you are following the Snapchat promotion guidelines. These guidelines make it very clear that any sweepstakes, contest, instant win game or other promotion (coupon, giveaway, etc.) MUST do the following: Be easy to enter. Have official, legal rules. Make it clear that Snapchat has nothing to do with your promotion and is not

July 11, 2016

2016 Instagram API Changes and Hashtag Contests

Did you suddenly lose the ability to track hashtags due to Instagram changes this month? Here’s why: Back in November 2015, Instagram announced they would be changing their application policy in an effort to curtail malicious apps. On June 1, 2016 ALL apps or programs that had not gone through the new approval process and approved by Instagram were rendered unworkable. Here is the announcement and link: https://www.instagram.com/developer/review/ What this meant

June 20, 2016

What the Heck is an AMOE?: A Guide to Sweepstakes Acronyms

Sweepstakes rules frequently contain acronyms that are not easily deciphered, like SASE or AMOE. Here is a guide to the most common sweepstakes acronyms that you might come across in a set of sweepstakes rules. AMOE AMOE stands for Alternate Method of Entry (or Alternate Means of Entry). An AMOE is a free, no purchase necessary method of entry that is sometimes included in a Sweepstakes if the usual

June 8, 2016

#Hashtag Contests 101

The buzzword in contests right now are hashtag contests (or hashtag sweepstakes). These types of promotions are easy to run, less expensive than setting up a contest web site, and don’t require a lot of lead time. The simplicity and low cost appeals to a lot of businesses anxious to expand their social channels, but you will still need to follow some best practices to ensure that you don’t run

May 17, 2016