Using Contests as a Marketing Tool

I am presently watching a documentary on professional contesters and using contests for product marketing promotion. Some people are obsessed with winning contests and are labelled professional contesters. They rely on the lessons of "The Secret" and stuffing the ballot boxes. They spend hours entering as many contests as they can find in an effort to win as much as they can. I remember at trade shows we would end up with lots of names, some people has stamps with their contact info, others brought labels and their names would be in the box more than once.

As a marketer I used contests as a way to get people's attention and in the mid 90s it worked. Today however, people are tired of being on lists and with identity theft being a real issue many people don't want to enter. So what you end up with is a bunch of names of people who are only interested in winning and not in you or your product.

Pepsi, in the bring home the cup contest, they showed how using the power of amateur video and contests can create excitement and more active participation by the entrant and and less useless name collecting by Pepsi. The entrants had to create a video of to win the prize of a visit from the Stanley Cup. This created increased purchasing with product placement, cheap advertising as entries became ads. The entrants became the bullhorn of Pepsi products as entrants would include others in their excitement.

Tim Horton's roll up the rim is a perfect example of using contests to create higher revenue. Every year Tim's promotes their roll up the rim contest and every coffee that is bought during this time is a chance to win something, even a car. A contest like this can boost sales because for the most part people will buy a coffee instead of requesting an empty cup for free. It gets people in the door and with the smell of fresh doughnuts and fresh brewed coffee wouldn't you spend a twoonie?

The ballot type contest only brings lots of names and few leads. If you want to have a contest to promote your product get creative, a ballot box is the lazy way to have a contest. How can you garner interest in your product or service through a contest that will engage the entrant more than just entering their name and number?

As a Latasia Jewelry Designer I could have a contest where the entrant had to come up with the most unique Latasia Jewelry using more than one piece of jewelry. They would need to submit a photo of their Latasia Jewelry creation and photos would become the property of Carennedy Solutions for use in promotion. I could add the pictures to a squidoo lens as a flickr plexo and have people vote on the best combination to determine the winner.

What could you do to create a contest that would engage the entrant and provide you with the most exposure?