Yesterday I got a text message from Molson Canada. It was for their Coors Light Cold Certified Insider Text Contest. The messages said to text the word COLD to 26677 and I would be entered to win a Coors Light Beer Fridge. So I did. I got a message back saying I was entered to win. WOO HOO! It also stated if I wanted more entries, I was to get my friends to text 5491 to 26677. Just as I was thinking of which of my friends enter text messaging contests, my phone rang. Molson sent me an automated voice message stating it was the top 20 referrers who would win fridges. Hmmm…
Viral marketing is the high tech version of word-of-mouth marketing and marketers love it because their product’s or service’s message can go further and faster than it ever has in the past. I agree. Viral marketing is a great tool, but the secret is all in the execution.
I think every promotion should have a viral marketing component to it, such as giving every entrant an extra entry for each friend they refer. I am not fond of contests you can only win by getting the most votes, sending the most emails or getting the most friends to text in for them. It’s the person that can cast the widest net that usually wins versus a random draw (even playing field) or the best entry (such as in a photo contest).
So, being the Contest Queen, and having heaps of contesting buddies, should I cast my wide net? I have to admit, I am torn. The part of me that loves winning says YES. The part of me that loves my friends says NO, it’s just not fair. And then again, someone has to win, so why not me? Why not you?
How do you feel about casting a wide net? Do you feel that you could ever win a popularity contest?
Tags: Molson Canada, text messaging
LOL yes I do , I DID, I seem to remember asking you to vote for me in the Look Famous contest. Did I ever tell you I got the most votes out of the whole of New Zealand AND Australia. Once they kicked off all the “cheaters” I had the most legit votes , go me hahaah.
I love my $495 Prada sunglasses and every week the Who magazine arrives and it feels like a mini win.
So short answer YES lol
I have to add though I didn’t feel bad because a LOT of my votes were from friends in the States and Canada and it wasn’t as if they could enter the contest, so it wasn’t stealing votes from them as such.
I also shared the contest with my NZ comping friends and voted for them if they asked. Not many of them wanted to even try so they all gave me their votes
If you are using your own site to garner votes it is one thing..but to use your involvement with the Contest Association where you hope to represent Canadian contesters seems self serving. If the Association is to gain credibility steering clear of any suggestion of nepotism or selfishness is important.
As an example in the Maytag Everyday Hero contest, the winner was a newscaster from Southern Alberta. It just seems unfair to select someone that can access the public to vote via the media. I m not as favourably disposed to Maytag and would consider another type of appliance.
I agree re:voting contests,winning pin contests,etc..it has nothing to do with the quality of a picture,story,etc. And it is far too easy to cheat on judged contests in terms of recipes,etc. To me it is a misguided attempt to decrease enteries. For me it ensures I try a different product.
That was exactly my point Lori. My using my connections to win seems so unfair to me. I agree letting the media contestant use her pull was unfair to all the other finalists.
The reason I don’t like voting contests myself is, once my husband was in a neck-in-neck voting contest with someone on the Internet. (Before I finished my first book and had just launched my website.) It got very ugly and mean. Who won? In the end someone passed the two of them and they both lost. So all that negative energy for nothing.
That said, I entered my first voting contest in 5 years yesterday. It’s for savvy mom entrepreneurs. I will ask for votes, but be very careful how I do it. Maybe, like Wendy I’ll ask my US sweeping buddies to vote for me. I’ll think on it…