And the Winner Is… An Insider’s Guide to Entering Contests

By: Jennifer French | In: Best Practices, Contests, Television

On the heels of the Prime Time Emmy Awards, television’s greatest contest so to speak, I thought it fitting to touch upon the art of entering (and hopefully winning) a contest. So what exactly is a contest you may ask? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, one definition is, “to try to win (something).” This is true, but this definition doesn’t touch about the ART of trying to win this said contest.  I’m going to offer you an insider’s guide to entering contests as well as provide some tips to help make sure you have the best chance to win any contest that you may choose to enter.

Before we get into the nitty gritty, I think it’s important for you to first know the difference between entering a sweepstakes vs. a contest. A sweepstakes is a game of chance in which consumers are asked to provide basic information about themselves to be entered into a prize drawing. Most importantly, potential winners are selected in a random drawing. On the other hand, a contest is a game of skill, where entrants are asked to complete a measurable task that is judged and scored. For more information on this, click here.

Now on to the show…

Know the contest criteria – This is the number one most important thing to consider when you enter a contest. First and foremost, you need to know what you are required to submit to have a valid entry. For example, a contest could ask you to upload a photo of yourself at the most exciting location you’ve traveled to as part of your entry. Sounds simple enough, right? But what you may have neglected to notice is that it also said that the photo cannot contain any company logos, and you have on your best Nike jersey.  Disqualified! Information is your friend. Be sure you have all of the facts before you take the time to enter.

Understand the judging criteria – Because a contest is a game of skill, each entry will be judged on a set criteria. So, building on the photo entry above, this contest is judging entrants on three categories: 50% on location, 25% on creativity, and 25% on uniqueness. So, if you submit a shot of yourself in your backyard, I’m guessing you might not rank very high with the judges. However, had you read the criteria, you might have considered showing that picture that you took of yourself diving off of a sailboat in Fiji. Be sure that you chose to submit the best photo that you can to get the best score possible.

Know your audience – Judges are only human after all, so ask yourself when entering, who is running the sweepstakes? If it’s a young, hip energy drink company, the judges might think that a picture of you bungee jumping off of the Grand Canyon is creative and unique vs. you feeding a giraffe at the San Diego Zoo. However, the giraffe picture might work for a pet supply store running a contest. Play to your audience.

So back to the Emmy’s. When you are watching the winners being announced this weekend, think of the steps these actors needed to take to compete for their prizes. Just like you, they first need to know in which category they would be eligible to compete (criteria), submit their best work, and play to the judges. Check out all of the nominees here.

Promoting the Big Game

By: Sync Marketing | In: Contests, Marketing, Sweepstakes, Television, User Generated Content

It may only be November, but consumers are already pinning recipes and creating Facebook events in preparation for the “Big Game” this coming February, 2015. Given the excitement and attention this annual event draws from consumers each year, it’s no surprise that you see hundreds of sweepstakes and contests focused on promoting the Big Game.

There are many reasons why these promotions are so prevalent, but the biggest is that this particular televised sporting event appeals to almost all types of consumers; from the football fanatics, the commercials addicts, to those who love watching the performers during the show. Because of this huge draw, it’s no wonder why sweepstakes and contests are one of the main ways this event is promoted. Most specifically contests, which allow companies to gather user-generated content by asking consumers to come up with and enter their own unique content for the chance to win. Contests range from the somewhat labor intensive, but creativity-invoking yearly make-your-own Doritos commercial, to a more simple approach where companies ask their consumers to prove why they deserve to win a trip to the game in 140 characters or less.  It’s a win for everyone….well, except for the losing team.

One of the most notable promotions each year is the Doritos contest where they ask consumers to create their own commercial that will be played on-air during the game. This is one of the best user-generated content promotions out there. 

If you’re a company considering running a sweepstakes before 2015’s “Big Game,” it’s not too late. Given the popularity of this event, you can run sweepstakes for only a week, even days and generate plenty of entries and opt-ins. Contact Sync Marketing today if you’re looking for an agency to run your Big Game promotion!

PaleyFest 2014 Featuring AMC’s Mad Men

By: Julie Link | In: Advertising, Television

Several members of the Sync Marketing team had the opportunity to attend the PaleyFest this year, and it did not disappoint. From the location at the world famous Dolby Theatre, a panel discussion featuring the cast of Mad Men, to the very dedicated fans who swarmed the stage before the moderator was even finished with his closing monologue; it was definitely a night to remember.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the PaleyFest, here’s a brief description directly from the Paley Center website:

The William S. Paley Television Festival, founded in 1984, is an extraordinary interactive pop culture event produced by The Paley Center for Media that connects fans with the casts and creators of their favorite series. Named for the founder of both the Paley Center and CBS, PaleyFest is two weeks of events where the audience sees episodes or highlights of the featured work followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with the cast and creative team.

If you have a favorite television series, and that series just so happens to be featured in the PaleyFest, this is the event for you. Not only were we sitting in one of the most beautiful theaters which is filled with so much culture, history, and now home to the most retweeted selfie of all time, but we were sitting there watching the season six finale of arguably one of the best shows in television history on the big screen. Once you’ve viewed your favorite show like that, it’s hard to go back to watching it on your couch, believe me!

After the episode ended, the moderator came back out and introduced the cast. From there began an hour-long question and answer session. It’s very similar to the Actor’s Studio, but instead of an audience filled with college students, you have an audience filled with martini sipping Mad Men fans. Sounds a lot better, doesn’t it?

Sunday, April 13th marks the 7th and final season premiere for Don Draper, Peggy Olsen and the characters of Mad Men, and you can be sure that the Sync Marketing team will be tuned in and ready to see how this exciting advertising show will end.