Category: Branding

Stop Being Boring and Come Up with a Better Promotion Name

Every so often a new promotion gets underway and it has a working title, such as the “Acme Las Vegas Sweepstakes”, because the brand (Acme is just being used for illustrative purposes, by the way) is having a sweepstakes and the prize is a trip to Vegas. We treat this as a working title, but there are lots of other elements to the sweeps – a celebrity tie-in with a

June 9, 2015 1 Comment

Spring Promotion Planning Guide

Need to run a promotion this spring? Consider one of Marden-Kane’s holiday promotion ideas for one of these upcoming holidays. Groundhog Day OK, this may be a winter holiday, but since it brings a promise of spring we have included it here, along with some other lesser known holidays to consider in your promotional planning. Valentine’s Day Ideas for running a love-themed sweepstakes on a social platform like

January 16, 2015 1 Comment

Run a Sweepstakes to Make Small Business Saturday A Big Win

Five years ago American Express started promoting a new concept: Small Business Saturday. The idea is simple: consumers are asked to spend their holiday shopping dollars locally at small businesses, and American Express provides incentives to those shoppers. In just those five years, the concept of shopping locally the day after Black Friday has become a holiday tradition. So how can your small business make this the best Small

November 7, 2014 No Comments

3 Simple Things to Do to Prepare for Cyber Monday

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday fast approaching, what can you do to ensure your brand’s holiday promotion gets off to a great start? There is a lot at stake here — last year’s Cyber Monday sales topped $2.29 billion. Here are three simple things to do to ensure that your holiday promotion goes smoothly so your brand can capitalize on this year’s share of the Cyber Monday action.

October 31, 2014 No Comments

5 Non-Traditional Holidays to Build a Promotion Around

Don’t want to get lost in the sea of promotions running during the holidays from October through December? Consider running a promotion in conjunction with a more obscure, non-traditional holiday. Here are some of our favorite holidays that are ripe for a sweeps or contest tie-in. Betty White’s Birthday: January 17 Betty White, everyone’s favorite grandmotherly actress, will be celebrating her 93rd birthday in 2015. Last year, her birthday

October 23, 2014 No Comments

Your Winners List Can Be a Marketing Tool

And the winner is… surprise – your brand! There is an important difference between simply preparing a winners list which is a basic legal requirement, and posting winners. So when addressing the issue of winners lists, use the opportunity to accomplish a few important things. Compliance — First there is the administrative requirement. By law, a winners list must be made available to the public (either online or by

October 1, 2013 No Comments

Practical Advice on Planning a 2014 Winter Olympics Promotion

Update: See our updated guidelines for the Tokyo Summer Olympics. The next Winter Olympic Games are set to take place in Sochi, Russia in February, 2014. The U.S. Olympic Committee, in tandem with the International Olympic Committee has been lining up sponsors of the games. If you are using the Olympics to promote your brand, or if you are just curious about how to grab some attention for your

September 19, 2013 No Comments

Use Content Moderation to Ensure Fair Play

There is a torrent of content being produced and distributed through the various social platforms. The overwhelming volume may have us believe it is impossible to keep watch over it all. That’s not true, at least for content created by marketers. The FTC has refreshed their Truth in .com Disclosures Report. It is a good idea to review their latest take on how to remain within their guidelines

July 25, 2013 No Comments

The Impact of Instagram Versus Twitter Vine on UGC Contests

Why did Kevin Systrom, co-founder of Instagram introduce 15 second videos now? Because he can? That’s a possible answer since barriers to download speeds have all but disappeared. This is thanks to 80% penetration of smart phones and tablets among adults 18-34. But technology aside for a moment, there is more to it as Systrom suggests; “You can capture a lot in 15 seconds. It’s the right balance

July 8, 2013 No Comments