This one is way to good not to re-post.
Bonnie belongs to the T.O. Wanna Winner’s Contest Club and has a wonderful flare for writing. She really shows her stuff this week by posting a letter to Subway regarding the dismal odds in their current Scrabble-style sweepstakes.
Dear Subway,
Wow, you’re having a contest. Good for you.
Oh, and you’re having a contest with the lowest odds of winning in Canadian contesting history – you should be really proud. The rest of us are alarmed, if not disappointed, that you thought no one was going to notice how likely it was that your company would be keeping the $250,000 grand prize in your back pocket while countess uninformed Canadians gulped down soda pop 21 ounces at a time.
Even though the odds are one in five billion that you care about my opinion, I thought I’d improve my chances by writing you this letter.
It turns out that the letters I’ve been collecting by purchasing your overpriced beverages can also help me spell some words that I can use to describe how I really feel about your Play Subway Scrabble contest.
Z-I-P
The level of interest this contest generates when people discover that their odds of winning the lottery are much, much better.
A-T-T-E-M-P-T
A feeble act conducted by Subway to lure customers into their restaurants. Odds of it working: 1:326,652,198
B-I-G W-U-S-S
The name of the executive who approved this campaign. Odds of this person getting a raise: 1:130,660,879
You might want to get a coffee and make yourself comfortable; I’ve been working on this for a while.
F-A-S-T O-N-E
What Subway tried to pull on Canadian consumers.
S-U-B-P-O-E-N-A
What Subway executives should be expecting soon.
B-A-L-O-N-E-Y
A type of meat you can get on a Subway sandwich, and what the marketing team is full of. If you’re watching your weight, you should deal with the other type of marketing team member they have:
T-U-R-K-E-Y-S
The folks who thought that Canadian consumers would gobble up this idea without reading the fine print.
B-O-G-E-Y-M-A-N
The type of person who will be declared the “W-I-N-N-E-R” of the grand prize. Odds of us ever learning his/her real name: 1:1,633,260,992.
B-O-N V-O-Y-A-G-E
Say goodbye to all that “feel good” publicity you were hoping this campaign would create. Jared’s too skinny to appeal to us anymore, so just give up already.
S-W-E-E-T R-E-V-E-N-G-E
Wow, I almost used up all my letters in one play! This is for getting all my friends and family to go to Mr. Sub instead of your misleading place. Odds of that happening: 1:1
Oh, and in case some of these letters are impossible to get, I’ll use some of the easier ones in my final word for you:
N-O
As in, “no thank you.”
Your Play Subway Scrabble campaign, upon closer inspection, appears to be short more than just a few letters. Odds of recovery: 1:5,470,776,824.
Sincerely,
Bonnie Staring
A Canadian Consumer
Tags: Scrabble, Subway, T.O. Wanna Winners
Actually I find this letter rude and condescending. There is a way to give feedback to a sponsor. Instead of an angry obnoxious letter like this, one can write a civilized letter explaining what you think they can do to improve their contests in the future – writing things in a positive way. In addition, it is always a nice idea to at least include 1 sentence of praise of some sort with positive feedback. Also, it is simply false that this is “a contest with the lowest odds of winning in Canadian contesting history”. According to the official rules, the odds of winning an instant prize are in fact 1:3! Yes, the odds of winning a bigger prize are a lot higher but 1 in 3 for an instant win is hardly the lowest odds in Canadian history. Also – there should be no “countless uninformed Canadians” as Subway has the official rules posted on their public website for everyone to see!
But it is besides the point that your complaints are not all true – its your style and tone that’s the real problem. If you treat them with respect, it is much more likely to have an open ear and for it to be reciprocated back to you. Its things like this that give contestors a bad name.
I know Bonnie personally. She does respect the contest sponsors and management companies. However, she, like many contestors, gets frustrated when promotions have problems, unclear rules, terrible odds, and generally are not executed properly. Using her talent with the pen, Bonnie combined humour with her complaints to make a point. She also put her name to her work.
I appreciate having various perspectives on my blog, but it would have been nice if you were brave enough to sign your name to your strong opinion.
“Anonymous” that was very harsh. I think you miss the point of Bonnie’s letter. Do you not get the humour at all? I respect Bonnie for standing up and saying the Emperor has no clothes and that Subway is running a contest with ABSOLUTELY NO INTENTION of ever declaring a winner for the 1’st, 2’nd, 3’rd, 4’th, and 5’th prizes (supposedly a combined total of 111 of them). There is a difference between holding a contest with difficult odds and then pretending to hold one with great prizes and never giving them out. Your chances of winning the top prize in Lotto 6/49 are 40 TIMES GREATER than winning the 250K Subway “pretends” it will award.
Their hubris knows no boundaries. Subway declares the odds of winning the top prize to be 1 in 5,470,776,824 to 1. That’s not millions that’s billions! If you gave every man, woman and child on earth a chance there might be 1 winner. A few people here and there will win a bag of chips, a $5 cash card or a ring tone but let’s not be naïve about what the odds really are for this contest. The US version of this contest has odds of 45 billion to 1.
Bonnie’s clever writing skills and use of humour made the letter direct, focused and entertaining. She turned the tables on one of the worst contests I have seen in 26 years of entering. Letters like hers get the attention of sponsors.
It’s really about fair play. I feel very bad for those who don’t understand the rules and go to Subway numerous times trying to collect letters while subway rakes in the cash. Someone on another list mentioned a friend spent $90 on cups in this contest. They will no doubt end up with a few ring tones and a bag of chips as prizes but their Holy Grail quest for the letter “S” will be in vain. I’m convinced it doesn’t even exist.
“Anonymous” how many non-contesters do you think would actually take the time to go to a website and read the rules to a contest? It’s unfair for all of us but especially to them.
If we choose to be naïve and hide our heads in the sand about what is REALLY going on with the Subway contest and continue to purchase their products and reward them for their deceptive ridiculous contest practices we have only ourselves to blame. I for one will not be so gullible. Letting them go unchallenged in my opinion is the greater crime here and Bonnie’s approach was unique and entertaining.
I’ve already written the top 4 executives at Doctors Associates, the group which owns Subway International and runs the Canadian contest telling them how ridiculous this contest is and they are treating their customers like fools. If you Google Subway you will find they have been embroiled in at least 3 other major contest controversies in North America in the last few years.
I applaud Bonnie for a very cleverly written letter and for her letting Subway know we see this sham of a contest for what it is.
Geri D.
I think it is great and too funny! Good for her! I am glad she took the time to write it.
Anonymous, since the goal of my letter was to get a reaction, I sincerely thank you.
I don’t think I would have used that approach although I have tried the respectful feedback with these kinds of contests and with some companies got no where.
Subway is not the only company that does this..Becel a few years ago was advertising giving away ten prizes of 50,000 if you had the right pin. Kelloggs does it as well.
And what makes some of it really suspicious is so many of these companies seem to be able to get the advertising out all over the place leading consumers do believe they just buy the right Kelloggs Eggo Box they will win but they never seem to be able to publish winners. And on top of that Kelloggs policy is not to post winners lists. Wonder why?
I just wondered … have Bonnie Staring or Geri D. received replies to their letters? Hope they will post here if they do. Thanx for your efforts on behalf of contesters!!