Category: Contests

Social Contests and Sweepstakes: Favorite (and Least Favorite) Platforms to Use

Social contests and sweepstakes are currently the most popular tactic that we are seeing our clients use to increase brand awareness and reach. The Marden-Kane team has some strong ideas on what social platforms work, and which ones can cause headaches. We compiled this list of pros and cons to use when evaluating social platforms for your brand’s next social promotion. Remember: If you are thinking of running social contests

April 4, 2017

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

March 24, 2017

Prize Fail: Avoid These Prizes

Don’t have a prize fail! Take the advice of the experts at Marden-Kane on what prizes to avoid – and what works! – for your next sweepstakes or contest. “A prize by any other name is still a prize” and one would hope that it will bring joy to the lucky winner. But this is not always true as some enter just for entering then realizes that their prize

February 28, 2017

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

6 Ways to Spot a Sweepstakes Scam

The sweepstakes scam is one of the biggest challenges of running a legitimate promotional marketing company. It can sometimes be hard for us to get people to enter a promotion, award prizes, or even send email notifications to winners because people are unsure if the promotion is on the level. Here are some quick tips to be able to spot a sweepstakes scam from a real one. Are they asking

October 11, 2016

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

Online vs Offline Contests: Which One Is Better for Your Brand?

Online vs offline contests and sweepstakes — what are the differences, and which is best? The good news is as long as all legal requirements are met, your brand can run either successfully! Entries can be collected online using a web form or offline on printed entry forms that can be mailed in or collected in stores. Instant wins can be done with an online virtual scratch-off or animated “play

September 13, 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 to

September 8, 2016

Black Friday Promotion Ideas to Make Your Brand Stand Out

Black Friday is coming, and it’s time to come up with a hook that will make shoppers want to come to your store on the big day. Here are some tips to get your planning started. Start early. Get your mailing or email list ready a few months or weeks prior to Black Friday. A good way to make sure your list is ready is to send out countdown emails

August 31, 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