Domino's Show Us Your Pizza Contest is a very simple and engaging contest.

Domino's wants the world to know that their consumers are the best source for Domino's pizza pictures and they don't need a special photo shoot to get a great pizza shot.

To enter, order a Domino's pizza. Second, take a photo of your pizza and upload it to the contest site. Judges will select the best top four photos. Winners will receive $500 with a chance that their photo will be used in an actual Domino's commercial.

What I particularly like about the contest site is the behind-the-scene video of what it really takes to make the perfect pizza photo shoot. You can understand the reason behind the contest after watching the video. It's entertaining.

http://www.showusyourpizza.com/

Thanks to the economy, coupon use is on the rise. Consumers are looking for more ways to save money than ever before. In 2009, package goods companies saw an increase of 27% redemption over the year prior. But with the increase also comes fraud. As a manufacturer, you take steps to control fraud the best you can with the parameters you have. But some consumers clearly abuse the system. This article is targeted to the coupon users and what they should know about redeeming and using coupons.

http://www.nj.com/shopping/index.ssf/2010/06/the_8_rudest_coupon_sins_you_c.html

Bring the Promotion to the Consumer's Hometown

AMP Energy and the WEC are givings consumers the opportunity to bring a WEC fight to their hometown with the WEC Hometown Takedown Contest and Sweepstakes.

Consumers go to the website to vote for the city closest to where they live (there is a map of cities to select). Consumers can also vote by text. The city with the most votes by July 31 will host the WEC December bout. Plus one consumer will win a trip to the fight location including tickets to the event.

I like this promotion because consumers will determine the outcome of the host city. That's powerful. Fans can rally their friends to make a difference and drive more interested consumers to this site. The sponsors are giving the consumer a chance to make a difference and they are connecting with their target market. They are also building a database of those interested in future information on AMP Energy and the WEC.

Check out the site here while the promotion lasts (ends July 31, 2010) : http://promo3.cfapromo.com/wec_maverik/default.asp

At my local grocer, I found this shelf card with an actual Ziploc bag sample attached to the card.The shelf card reads - "New Smart Zip. Protection you can hear. Try it for yourself."

Now, we all know how a Ziploc bag works, and I've tried the cheaper brands, which don't seem to work as well. Regardless, I found myself trying the Ziploc sample right there in the store just to see if I could hear the difference.

In the book Brand Sense - Sensory Secrets Behind the Stuff We Buy, by Martin Lindstrom, brands need to 1) take advantage of all available sensory touch points 2) find an innovative sensory mind-set that sets it apart from its competitors 3) find a way for the consumer to associate these sensory signals with this particular brand.

Ziploc has creatively found a way to do this for a very basic, rather simple product. They have focused on two sensory touch points by promoting touch and sound. And I got to sample the product in the store, right next to the actual product on-shelf.

With five senses to explore, what can you do with your brand to promote it's brand sense?

Coupon Articles of Interest

Ten tips for curtailing online coupon fraud.

http://multichannelmerchant.com/retail/news/0308-curtailing-online-coupon-fraud/

Coupons can be loaded with a startling amount of data, including identification about the customer, Internet address, Facebook page information and even the search terms the customer used to find the coupon in the first place. Check out this link. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/17/business/media/17coupon.html?pagewanted=2&emc=eta1--

Making your promotion relevant to today .....

Tying your brand to what is happening "today" makes for an interesting promotional concept.

Icelandic vodka, Reyka Vodka, is promoting a contest that encourages travelers to enter their personal story about how the volcano eruption affected their travels. The winner will win a trip to Iceland.

Check out the article here:
http://promomagazine.com/news/0422-icelandic-vodka-trip-offer/

One piece of advice, if you are going to advertise a contest, your website should be updated. The promotion they have online (Win a trip to Iceland) is no longer available and there is nothing noted about the contest above.

Cheerios - Disruptive Packaging

General Mills has truly created a well rounded promotion with their latest Cheerios packaging.

Inside 2.2 million Cheerios boxes is the winning book written by the second Cheerios® New Author Contest, Lori Degman, a 52-year-old teacher for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. "1 Zany Zoo," is actually showing through a cutout on the package itself.

What I love about this:

1. When I saw this package on the cereal shelf, I actually touched it to see if it was a real cutout in the box. It grabbed my attention. It was disruptive.

2. This contest is part of Cheerios' ongoing Spoonfuls of Stories® program to nurture children's love of reading. They are now running their fourth new author contest.

3. Each winning book will be offered in packages of Cheerios.

4. This promotion has a never ending life cycle......

See more info here:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/talk-about-a-bestseller--winner-of-cheeriosr-new-author-contest-has-her-childrens-book-1-zany-zoo-featured-inside-22-million-cereal-boxes-this-spring-87769492.html