Win a trip to ICELAND

Icelandic distiller Reyka Vodka has announced that, in light of the recent disruptions caused by the volcanic activity in Iceland, it is encouraging travelers to share their recent stories for the chance to win a trip for two to Iceland.

Acknowledging the impact the recent volcanic activity has had on people’s travel plans around the world, Reyka is offering the chance to experience the unique spirit and natural beauty of Iceland once the dust has settled. Whether it’s a missed wedding, vacation, honeymoon or important business meeting, Reyka is looking to introduce impacted travelers to the real Iceland. In order to win, travelers, their friends and families should email their tales of frustration concerning the recent situation to info@reykavodka.com

Esprit "Semi-Nude" Event Draws Thousands

Last week, Esprit staged a “semi-naked” event for the grand opening of a New York store, drawing thousands of people. Created by marketing agency, The Rice Co., the “Love It and Leave It” promotion took place both inside and outside Esprit’s new store on 34th street.

Attendees were able to try on an Esprit outfit and keep it (if they liked it more than what they were wearing)! Clothes left behind were donated to Salvation Army.

Approximately 300 people received outfits while another 4,000 received $20 gift cards.

About 120 brave people changed their clothes in dressing rooms in the store windows, while models and some 100 members of the public used the streets as a dressing room. Hundreds of people stopped to watch the spectacle.

A “flash mob” of the event was captured ad is now circulating on YouTube.

Grand Slam For a Year

Denny’s is the most recognized name in family dining providing good food and service for more than 50 years. With approximately 1,500 restaurants across America and systemwide sales of more than $2 billion, Denny’s is the largest full-service family restaurant chain in the United States. Providing real breakfast 24/7.

Next month, Denny's will pick the winners of its "Grand Slam for a Year" promotion. Each can order 52 servings of a Denny's Grand Slam breakfast, or two eggs, two strips of bacon, two sausage links and two pancakes. That's a stack of pancakes four feet high, with 17,680 calories, not counting the syrup.
Denny's Corp. hopes the contest brings more customers through the door, especially since people can't necessarily eat this much themselves and often bring along their friends. "Consumers still respond to free," says John Dillon, the company's vice president of marketing.

Out of the 600,000 people who entered the Denny's contest, 450,000 opted to join the Denny's Rewards program, which regularly emails updates on new menu items and specials. WAY TO GO DENNY'S :)

Free Ghirardelli Chocolate Squares Anyone?

This month, and throughout the month of April, one million Ghirardelli Chocolate Squares will be handed out to people in a number of major metropolises as part of a promotional campaign that is the largest undertaking in the brand's history.

The campaign, “A Million Moments of Timeless Pleasure,” turns on highlighting one million everyday occasions that would offer a reason to unwrap a square of chocolate and indulge. The sampling tour will hit 10 cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. As each of the one million consumers is handed a piece of chocolate they will be encouraged to enter a sweepstakes, the anchor of the program.
Consumers who enter the sweeps will submit a “Ghirardelli moment” or a description of when they enjoyed their free sample.

At the dedicated Web site visitors will find information about the sweeps, which ends Oct. 31, and a live Web cam of thousands of people's “moments” that are being broadcast on the gigantic Thompson Reuters and NASDAQ digital billboards in Times Square this month.

Under a social element, people can follow the tour on Twitter @GhirardelliTour to find out where the tour is stopping.

So all you Chocolate lovers down in the States keep your eyes open for that free sample of chocolate and the chance to share your moment with the world :)

Wedding Bells will soon be Ringing

Wedding Bells will soon be ringing, its that time of year again folks..good ol Wedding Season.
Crate and Barrel and digital media source Daily Candy have partnered on a social media campaign designed to offer one betrothed couple a grand wedding—or more accurately, one hundred grand.
To enter, couples—including same-sex couples planning a commitment ceremony—must create a registry account and profile on the brand’s Web site and fill out that registry with 50 items worth at least a total $2,000.
They can then upload a photo of themselves along with a 100-word statement about their love story, three important facts about their relationship and a short description of their dream day.
Until March 31, those entries will be available at www.ultimateweddingcontest.com/entries for friends, families and well-wishers to view and vote on. At the end of the submission period, the 50 entries with the most votes will be considered for the grand prize by a panel of judges that includes Gartin and others chosen by Crate and Barrel.
Your big day will be in the savvy hands of A-list expert Jo Gartin, who's planned the nuptials of stars such as Kate Walsh and Tori Spelling…and now, maybe you. Known for her impeccable style and unique ideas, Gartin will make your affair one to remember.

Augmented reality is changing the way we view the world

Video games have been entertaining us for nearly 30 years. Computer graphics have become much more sophisticated since then, and game graphics are pushing the barriers of photo realism. Now, researchers and engineers are pulling graphics out of your television screen or computer display and integrating them into real-world environments. This new technology, called augmented reality, blurs the line between what's real and what's computer-generated by enhancing what we see, hear, feel and smell.

Pulling players deeper into a brand experience for longer periods of time is high on the list. Augmented Reality, has the capabilities to do that and is being tested by a number of marketers. Built into game play will be more ways for players to contribute, such as designing a character or syncing up a player's voice to a character. The goal here is to increase time spent and viral sharing.

As an example, HBO and ePrize got players to spend an average of seven minutes creating "fashionistas" by choosing different clothing, shoes and accessories in a promo to build excitement for the premiere of the HBO movie "Sex and the City." Players unlocked additional fashion items by entering codes received from viewing video content on affiliates' sites.

Augmented reality is changing the way we view the world -- or at least the way its users see the world.

Visa Go World

"WIN AN UNFORGETTABLE PRIZE FOR AN UNFORGETTABLE YEAR"



Visa recently announced its global Olympic marketing campaign for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The global campaign, entitled GO WORLD, celebrates athleticism and human triumph through unique athlete stories.

Each time you use your VISA card during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games from February 1st to March 31st, you're entered for a chance to win 2010 dollars every month for a year. now that's how to make 2010 a year you never forget.

For more info check out the Visa go world website: http://goworld.visa.com/

2010 Vancouver Olympic Mittens

This winter, keep warm and show your support of Canadian athletes in their quest for gold at the 2010 Winter Games by wearing a pair of Vancouver 2010 Red Mittens.
At only $10, the Red Mittens are one of the must-have mementos of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Look for a sea of red mittens in the spectator stands all throughout this year's winter games and think about what it would be like to have your own promo products receiving that kind of exposure!

My Marketing Idol

Here is a video I created which sums up WHY Richard Branson is my Marketing idol. I hope you all enjoy :)

Results of Poll: Most Familar Promotional Contest

CONTENDERS:
-McDonalds Monopoly
-Timmy's Roll up the Rim
-Pepsi Challenge
-Coors Light Mystery Mansion

Interesting enough, Tim Horton's roll up the rim wins by a landslide.
This contest is one that makes me laugh a little, because although everyone hates when they roll up that rim and see that "Please Play Again" they still continue to buy . They secretly love the whole idea of playing into the game and winning. I mean how excited do you get when you win something? Even if it's something tiny like a free coffee, that is so much better than losing.

"Roll Up The Rim".....GENIUS?

Social Media Revolution

Watched this video in my Event Marketing class today..so POWERFUL had to share with all of you :)
CHECK IT OUT
*Double click screen to view original YouTube link.

Calling all Crictics..Captain Morgan's Voicemail a Success or Failure?

The last time you made a prank call was probably when you were about 12, But Captain Morgan’s launched a promotional campaign last September bringing back your old childhood games.

The promotion targets Captain Morgan’s core customer, 21 to 25 year old males, who can choose from three voicemail scenarios, the “cute girl” at the bar, the “angry boyfriend” or the “un-paid bartender.” The point of the tool is to keep friends communicating about their nights out on the town.

In addition to contributing a persons name and mobile number, people using the tool must also answer a number of questions such as a description of the person the call is going to, where they have run a tab lately, did they order any food and the name of a mutual friend.

The message is sent either directly to voicemail or the recipients' phone rings once and then the message goes to voicemail, depending on the recipient’s phone carrier.

Check it out. Go to CallingAllCaptains.com

Think about it?

"In the beginning it was just about the business – now it’s about the brand."
-Richard Branson

Online Promotional Contests...Easy?

In today's society of information overload, getting the attention of a potential customer requires creativity. It's true that Direct Marketing or even more up to the times Email Marketing continues to be an effective way to reach a massive number of customers and prospects at a time, but we are all familiar with the drawbacks. Purchasing lists is expensive and often not targeted enough to be effective, and even opt-in lists within a company's database are sometimes considered useless if marketers aren't careful.

Fortunately, the Internet gives organizations many opportunities towards lead generation. One particular strategy, creating contests to engage an audience and generate potential consumers, is now feasible for companies of all sizes thanks to a few easy-to-use platforms that have recently emerged.

Thanks to advancements in technology, even small Mom 'n' Pop shops can run effective contest campaigns to increase brand awareness and provide an energetic experience for their audience.

Here is a brief rundown of 3 online contest platforms that are quickly gaining visibility in the niche space:

Strutta is the front-runner here because of its simplicity. They offer a Basic (Free), Pro ($499), and Custom plan that allows companies of all sizes create dynamic contest campaigns in minutes.

Wildfire

Wildfire comes in second to Strutta only because it takes a tech-savvier individual to use it. At its core, Wildfire is an application that integrates with social networks like Facebook and Twitter to create truly interactive and viral experiences that "spread like wildfire.”

ContestMachine

They offer a Basic (Free), Pro ($499), and Custom plan that allows companies of all sizes create dynamic contest campaigns in minutes.

L Brooks Signing off folks..

I knew this day would come, the day I would finally start my own official blog. For all you folks out there, this blog will follow me throughout my journey of becoming an expert in Promotions.

Step 1:

DEFINE PROMOTION?

Being a 3rd year advertising and integrated marketing student defining this word seemed to come pretty simple for me. Promotions are all about getting a MESSAGE across. Further more this message needs to provide your customers with some information on the brand or product.

Throughout my journey we are going to look into some guru's of the industry who have already mastered the skills of Promotions. With a combination of videos, books and other blogs, we can all become experts in promotions.

L.B signin off folks..its time for me to start becoming an expert :)