Category: Promotion Planning and Trends

6 Things NOT to Do When Planning a Holiday Promotion

Frequently we give out ideas or strategies for promotions, but sometimes we need to talk about the failures to prevent companies from making the same mistakes. Here is a quick list of what NOT to do when planning your holiday promotion so your brand can outshine the rest. Don’t forget who your customer is. One of my favorite “they did not just actually do that, did they?” moments was

October 16, 2019

Customer Loyalty Program Ideas

Many customers spend a lot of money attracting new customers. But what about current customers? Don’t forget about that segment of your business! Here are some customer loyalty program ideas to consider. I used to go to this same nail salon every week. I would bring my children too, and I spent a lot of money in this salon between the pedicures, manicures, massages, and the special designs on my

October 9, 2019

Sweepstakes Rules Generator vs Custom Sweepstakes Rules

The allure of a sweepstakes rules generator is that you can create a set of sweepstakes rules for less money and less time. In fact, back in the day, Marden-Kane had an online sweepstakes rules generator of our own. Clients at that time could easily and cost-effectively create their own sweepstakes rules without legal fees or lengthy review times. The reality, however, was that most of our clients actually

September 19, 2019

What Promotion Incentives Work Best?

We are constantly asked by our clients what promotion incentives work best. Should they give away a lot of small things, or one big thing? What is the ideal value of an incentive or prize? Do small incentives work? Here is a short summary of what promotion incentives work to entice consumers to register for a promotion such as a sweepstakes or contest or loyalty program. But

September 5, 2019

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

August 8, 2019

You Don’t Have To Reinvent the Wheel to Run a Digital Scratch-Off Game

Did you know that creative development and animation for a digital scratch-off game or other instant win game can cost thousands of dollars? And that does not even include legal fees to write official rules, procure and fulfill prizes, or programming. Why not use a budget-friendly, pre-built game, customized with your brand colors and logo(s), to execute your next digital scratch-off game. Why should you run an instant win game?

May 30, 2019

Avoid Clickbait Tactics to Make Your Social Sweepstakes a Success

Take a look at your social feed right now. Look on any platform — Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Snapchat — and start scrolling. How long does it take for you to find a post or story or tweet running a “giveaway?” The “giveaway” is everywhere on social. Mommy bloggers, Instagram dogs, major brands, and influencers are all running giveaways. And while the chance to win some swag might be

May 17, 2019

5 Reasons to Use Electronic Gift Codes as Prizes

Electronic gift codes, or e-gift codes, are a great option instead of traditional prizes or plastic gift cards in your next Sweepstakes or Contest. E-gift codes can be purchased from big retailers or restaurants and usually consist of a link with a redemption code and/or a confirmation code, or simply as a URL with the code embedded in the link. These e-gift codes can be redeemed online, and the codes

April 26, 2019

How to Create Sweepstakes and Contests So Easy Anyone Can Enter

One of the biggest problems we see with online sweepstakes and contest concepts is that they can get overcomplicated or are run on platforms that the target audience is not using. When that happens, people get confused and do not enter — or worse, start bad-mouthing your brand. It’s time to start creating contests and sweepstakes so easy anyone can enter. As we like to say, don’t set the

April 18, 2019

Tear Pad Entry Form vs Online Registration Form

Cheryl Thornton, Account Supervisor, contributes this post about tear pad entry forms vs online registration forms. Long before the start of internet promotions, the ways to enter a sweepstakes were either to 1) mail a 3X5 card to a designated P.O. Box, or 2) to complete a tear pad entry form found on displays in stores or other establishments and deposit it into a ballot box provided. In some

March 28, 2019