Promosis Blog

Preliminary winner notification and clearance is a critically important element of skill contest administration. Without it, you could throw away the goodwill you worked to gain, and incur unexpected legal fees and greater prize expense.

Club Libby Lu, a national chain of stores primarily for "tween" girls, conducted a contest offering a grand prize of a Hannah Montana concert experience. To enter, a participant needed to submit an essay detailing why she was most deserving of the prize.

Unfortunately, Club Libby Lu discovered their winning entrant falsified her entry - but not until after they awarded it to her. Though they selected another entrant as the grand prize winner, there remain unanswered questions. Did the official rules clearly forbid the entrant from receiving assistance and submitting a work of fiction? Was the sponsor within its rights to withdraw a prize it had already awarded? And could the initial winner file a lawsuit?

What's the lesson learned? The creative can dazzle and the prize pop, but you need to ensure your contest official rules clearly state your entry criteria and judging process. If you'd feel more comfortable having an independent judging organization manage your program, Promosis has administered countless skill contests and can help you avoid the problems that often accompany a poorly-managed contest. Now, ready for recess after your short promotion lesson?

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Thanks for visiting, and please don't hesitate to share your thoughts and ideas with us and others who share your interest in getting your target audience to ACT; just click below on the "comment" link.

Best wishes,

Harry