Update: As of August 2015 the policies were updated again. Please see our most recent article on YouTube Contest Guidelines. Earlier this year, YouTube issued a 2015 update to their contest guidelines. Basically, it explained that they were phasing out their contest gadgets that have been in place for a few years and that […]
I cringe every time I get emails from some of my favorite charities that offer “raffles” and “incentives” in conjunction with their fundraising. Not that providing an incentive is a terrible thing; I love getting a freebie from a legal promotion every once in a while. But frequently the incentives and promotions are NOT […]
Tricia Zorn, Digital Project Manager at Marden-Kane, contributed this week’s blog about responsive microsites vs. mobile apps. If you are planning on running a contest, sweepstakes or instant win game, and are wondering whether or not you need a responsive microsite or a mobile app, you are not alone. This is probably one of […]
Did you know that according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, an early executive director gave the famous statue the name “Oscar” because it resembled a family member? We’re only days away now from finding out what impact Oscar will have on official sponsors and maybe even the unofficial ones. But […]
Once upon a time, Instagram had no formal promotion guidelines. And it was like the wild, wild west in promotion land, just like on Pinterest and Facebook and Twitter a few years ago before there were rules. Brands did whatever they wanted. Hashtags were untamed and unfiltered, and people wildly tagged anyone and everyone […]
Is the grass really greener at that other promotional marketing company? From a glance at some of other sweeps and contest vendors it might seem that way. Some other companies may charge less. Or even offer “free” promotional services. And they make lots of great promises, such as a guarantee your promotion will go viral […]
Fae Savignano, Marden-Kane SVP, provided this week’s post. When planning a promotion, age definitely matters. To fully understand this concept, we first need to define what the age of majority (legal age) means. The age of majority is the legally defined age at which a person is considered an adult, with all the attendant […]
Eric Grimm, Senior Programmer, offers up this advice if you run a contest asking for user generated content. I’m going to focus on some UGC (user generated content) aspects from a programming and security side of the equation. Now repeat after me: NEVER TRUST USER INPUT! This is true with a simple form that only […]
We frequently hear this from people who call us in a panic: “I didn’t know I had to register a sweepstakes in Florida. What’s the worst that can happen?” If the promotion won’t start for another 30 days, don’t stress. Review our information on Florida sweepstakes registration, and possibly getting a waiver, or contact […]
Senior Programmer Eric Grimm weighs in on what you should consider when planning your next photo or essay contest. The reasons for running an online contest are many and varied – engage your fans, promote your brand, gather inspiring ideas, build a contact list. There are many different types of contests, but today we […]