Category: International

Skill Testing Question in Canada: Why Is It Required?

Fae Savignano, our SVP, explains why a Skill Testing Question is required if you run a Sweepstakes in Canada. If you are a Canadian resident and enter a Sweepstakes you will be required to correctly answer a mathematical skill testing question in order to be eligible to enter and possibly win a prize. Residents of the United States do not have this prerequisite, as this rule is specific only

May 3, 2016 6 Comments

Safe Harbor Declared Invalid: What This Means for Your EU Promotion

We self-certify compliance with: You may have heard some rumblings last week about Safe Harbor and EU data collection. Here is the scoop and what it means for you: A Court in the EU ruled this past week that the Safe Harbor data protection framework was invalid and, thus, made the Safe Harbor program that thousands of other companies in the US (including Marden-Kane) use obsolete. Safe Harbor was the

October 13, 2015 No Comments

Planning a Rio 2016 Olympics Promotion

Update: See our updated guidelines for the Tokyo Summer Olympics. The next Summer Olympic Games will be in Brazil in August of 2016. The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), in tandem with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have already lined up sponsors of the games. If you are not a Worldwide TOP Partner already, like Coca-Cola, Atos, Bridgestone, Dow, General Electric, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Proctor & Gamble, Samsung, Toyota and

July 31, 2015 No Comments

International Sweepstakes & Contest Laws That May Cause You Problems

If you think that sweepstakes laws can be confusing and expensive to adhere to in the US, wait till you check out these unique international sweepstakes & contest laws in other countries. Canada: When running a promotion in Quebec all materials must be available in English AND French. This includes rules, promotional ads, posters, entry forms, web sites, etc. And when you run a sweeps all winners must pass

August 20, 2014 28 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

Is there such thing as a worldwide, English only contest?

We are frequently asked if it’s possible to run a worldwide, English only contest. A lot goes into providing an answer. Eligible countries and what type of promotion you want to run are two major areas of consideration. Prizes also can be tricky and you need to be prepared for additional effort in prize fulfillment. So the short answer is; unfortunately no with the long list of country by

March 21, 2013 No Comments

Newly Revised Puerto Rico Sweepstakes Regulations

Thanks to the recent amendments to the Sweepstakes and Games of Chance Regulation in Puerto Rico, effective November 27, 2009 promoters and advertisers will be able to conduct promotions in Puerto Rico without the previously restraining legal barriers. Until now marketers were forced to void promotions and exclude residents of Puerto Rico in participating in stateside promotions. This benefits both the 3.9 million residents of Puerto Rico and promotion marketers.

November 13, 2009 No Comments

Marketing to a Latin Beat

“Oye Como Va” (Hey what’s up?) was asked by Carlos Santana in his 1970 hit song. Now more than 46 million Latinos/Hispanics living in the US (as per the 2008 US census) are asking us marketers the same question. As they should be, especially since they are quoted as being the fastest growing consumer segment, with an annual spending power of more than $863 billion. Although the Hispanic market

August 19, 2009 No Comments