Soymilk and Deodorant

Remember Dove's Campaign For Real Beauty? The advertising campaign was centered around real women telling their stories of why they loved Dove products and so on and so forth.

This campaign was thought to be successful because women would rather be sold to by someone they see as their peer, rather than a faceless entitiy whose only goal is to separate them from their cash.

Following on this advertising bandwagon is Silk Soymilk. According to the Adweek article,
Take a sip forward" TV and print ads, from Berlin Cameron, New York, feature real women telling their stories about the first time they tried Silk and how it helps them take small steps towards a healthier lifestyle. The women chosen for the spots are not super health nuts, said Griffin Creech, co-creative director at Berlin Cameron. "It's honest. They are regular people who are clearly excited about the brand. They are saying, 'Why don't you give it a shot?'"

Pretty good idea, I think. Let's find out if it's actually successful.

Like free magazines?

Me too!

Here are two links for you.

Want a free subscription to Newsweek? All you have to do is join a website (that's reputable) and then write a review on your favorite breakfast foods.

Not a Newsweek person? How about Car and Driver? Same deal, but this time you have to tell them about your car.

Simple enough, eh?

It's no secret that I love the Ellen DeGeneres show. I'm also a big fan of her constant giveaways and contests. They do wonders for her image.

Here's a cool one. According to the site:

You've Gotta Have Faith!

George Michael is going on his first tour in 17 years, and not only does he want you to see him, he wants you to see him for free! He's giving away 2 tickets for each of these cities so enter to win and make sure you choose the city closest to you.

That's right, kids, you too can see George Michael for free!

And I know all the games you play because I play them too

(click on the image to enter)

I Want All That's Coming to Me.

So, yes, I'm stuck in 1999 and I enjoy LiveJournal.

There.

I'm not ashamed.

We've been buddies since I had braces. It's hard to let go of a friendship like that.

Besides, dearest ElJay has provided me with my favorite outlet of Free Stuff.

There. That's my secret. That's how I found the coffeemaker that I sold on Amazon for $60 bucks. That's where I got my subscriptions to TV Guide and Nylon. And that community is why I have one of those new Neutrogena Wavers. Companies routinely give away their products for free as a way to increase trialability and promote awareness of new products.

Free Stuff. also has a link to a site with a nice catalog of free stuff that appears pretty legit, called Thunder Fap. Unfortunate name, yes?

Have fun, guys!

Money Money Money . . . MONNNEEEYYY

Everyone has at one time or another received one of those stupid e-mails or pop-ups promising you a free product, gift card, or check if you completed one of their surveys.

And by now, we all know that they're fake and you will never, ever receive something in return.

Well, if you didn't, you did now.

Anyway, there are a few reputable websites that pay for surveys or offer products in return. Of all these sites, PineCone Research is my favorite.

According to the PineCone Research website:

"PineCone Research is at the forefront of "online research", today's sophisticated and leading-edge approach to gathering consumer opinions. Consumer input is vital to the development of new and improved products.

Traditional survey methods, although effective, can be inconvenient and time consuming. Online research helps solve this dilemma. With online research, you can answer surveys from the comfort and convenience of your own PC and at a time that is convenient for you."

So, what happens is companies hire PineCone Research to survey large groups of people for them. Sometimes, they send new products, not yet on the market, for users to test and report back with their opinions and criticism.

Cool right? Well, it gets better.

As anyone who has tried to get a large group of people to fill out a survey accurately knows, it's really, really hard. Not many people want to bother with it or will fill in with fake answers. To combat this, PineCone Research pays $3 per survey you complete. I, personally, have racked up almost $40 in a couple months. I've also received two products to test out. However, due to PineCone's confidentiality agreement, I am forbidden to speak about them! Sorry guys.

The other bad thing is you cannot sign up for the panels, you have to track down one of the ever-moving banner ads and join that way. There are groups on the internet devoted to pointing out where they lie. Currently, my sources say that this LINK works. Good luck with it, if it does! I promise it's worth it!

Ellen again!

The Ellen DeGeneres show has another cool promotion going on right now.

During one of her shows the other day, she gave away a cruise on the new "Celebrity Solstice" from Celebrity Cruises. She then directed the viewing audience to her website to enter to win a cruise of their own. Being the excited person I am, I quickly scampered to her website and found the entry page.

According to the website:

You can win a cruise for two on the extraordinary, new, state of the art, "Celebrity Solstice" from Celebrity Cruises. Celebrity Solstice is ushering in a new era of style, accommodations, and of course, indulgence. It's the first cruise ship with a half-acre Lawn Club with real grass, 10 incredible restaurants, and a glassblowing show and studio! That's right, you could win a 7-night cruise during the inaugural season of Celebrity Solstice.

Promotions like these are good for both companies; Ellen's show is shown as being fun for giving a cruise away and the cruise line is given extra publicity.

And real grass . . . really?!

(click on the photo to enter)

Online Advertising: The Final Frontier

Okay, post number two where I stray from the original topic of this blog. But hey, it's not like anyone reads it anyway! hah.

Online advertising isn't just for young people anymore.

For the launch of their new drink called Tava, Pepsi has decided to advertise solely through its own website, banner ads, promotions, and "offbeat stunts like sampling events at popular shops and the delivery of free samples to the employees of prominent companies like Google and MTV."

According to the NYT article by Stuart Elliot;

That would not be an unusual introduction if Tava were intended for the younger consumers who have grown up in a digital world. But the product, which is fruit-flavored and caffeine-free, is being aimed primarily at men and women ages 35 to 49.

“There used to be an assumption this target was not online,” said Frank Cooper, vice president for flavored carbonated soft drinks at Pepsi-Cola North America in Purchase, N.Y. “But there’s a group in that category that’s ‘reborn digital.’ They’ve lived through the change and learned to adapt to it.”

“This consumer spends significant time online, although what they do may differ from the younger consumer,” Mr. Cooper said. “They’re not I.M.-ing their friends; they’re looking at e-mail or looking up information about travel, music, food.”

I think it's great that advertisers are finally taking notice that almost everyone is online and that traditional advertising is not as essential. With the development of TiV0 and the availability of DVRs, people are able to skip through their commercials, rendering TV advertising much less successful . . . there is no longer the "captive audience."

Way to go, Pepsi! But your Tava sounds disgusting.

Dear Drink Companies,

Please stop producing these "fruit flavored drinks" which have no benefit to the drinker and are worse for you than water and a zillion times more expensive. How about 100% juice? What happened to that, people?!?

Thaaaankks,

Chelsea

Oh well . . . You win some, you lose some.

Slightly Off-Topic?

This may not directly deal with the subject of my blog, but it's my blog, so deal.

I think this falls under "promotions."

Can't afford to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on advertising? Are you new product who needs to get introduced to the market, but spending that much money on advertising that may or may not be effective doesn't sound appealing to you?

Be like NXT.

NXT (pronounced "next") is a men's shaving gel that comes in a package reminiscent of a lava lamp.

According to the New York Times:

"The buyer was stunned until Mr. Leventhal pulled a prototype out of his briefcase. The product, called NXT, is sold in an arresting triangular container that lights up from the bottom, illuminating air bubbles suspended in the clear gel. The plastic is tinted blue, and when the AAA batteries in its base are lighted, the whole thing looks like a miniature lava lamp or a tiny fishless aquarium.

To call attention to themselves, the products, which are aimed at 18- to 24-year-old men, will glow on the shelves, inviting customers to pick them up. Every 15 seconds, a light-emitting diode (LED) in the bottom of the container flares on, stays lighted for a few seconds, then fades out."

Really, how cool is that? I know if I'm walking through Target and something in the personal care isle starts flashing and turning the place into a nightclub, I will probably stop to check it out. Now, I'm not a dude and do not currently have a beard or mustache to shave, but I will tell my guy friends that they, too, can turn their bathroom into Les Deux.

I'm sad I can't find a website for the product and I have no idea who the company is, it's probably in that article somewhere but I am full of s'mores and too lazy to look.

I am also bitter because I was supposed to be on a plane to Seattle today, but every flight everywhere has been canceled. Le Sigh.

Deodorant and MTV . . . A Match Made in Heaven?

From the website:

"Dove® go fresh in association with MTV presents Fresh Takes, a new micro-series, starring Alicia Keys. It takes a behind-the-scenes look at the surprising, hilarious, and inspiring chronicles of a 20-something putting her everyday pressures from career to dating to beauty in a fresh perspective.

How have you overcome your 20-something pressures to pursue your passion? Share your story with us."

The gist:

You enter and if you win, you get a walk on role on Dove's new micro-series on MTV. Plus, you get to hang out with the cast (however "fun" that may be). But you may get to hang out with Alicia Keys . . . I am not sure.

Although I think co-branding Dove with MTV is totally stupid and putting a promotional micro-series (which is apparently much smaller than a mini series and even smaller than a regular series, etc . . .), I guess the contest and further promotion will gain further publicity for both parties.

But then again, what do I know?

(click on the image to be taken to the entry form)

Procter & Gamble are pretty cool.

Check this out.

You know those P&G Brandsaver inserts you find in your Sunday paper (or the Saturday/Sunday version, here in Ithaca) that contain coupons for Procter & Gamble products?

Now, through April, for every coupon you redeem from the P&G Brandsaver, Proctor & Gamble will donate a liter of clean and purified filtered drinking water to children in developing countries. This is a pretty cool tie-in with PUR Water Filters, if I do say so myself. What a great way for the company to gain positive PR and take your money! :)

Save money and save people!

Check out the article from PR Newswire.

Ellen wants you to have a happy weekend.

The Ellen DeGeneres show wants to send you to Universal Orlando. That's right, friends, Ellen wants to give you:

- 2 Tickets to the March 28th taping of the Ellen DeGeneres show at Universal Orlando
- 3 Day/2 Park passes to both Universal Orland resorts.
- 3 Nights in a hotel on site
- Roundtrip airfare and ground transfers

Pretty sweet, right?

You get to win a contest and have fun in sunny Orlando (no, I'm not bitter at all that it was -11 degrees last night in Ithaca, oh no) and the Ellen DeGeneres show gets some awesome publicity.

Win-win situation.

(click on image to enter contest)

Free Money!

So, they lied.

All of them.

The "royal them." I think it's similar to the "royal you."

Anyway, check out this cool website called One Dollar Jackpot.

Everyday, a question is posted on the website and directions are given for you to answer it in 25 words or less. Add your name and e-mail address (that's connected to your PayPal account) and then click the handy "submit button." At the end of the day, the best entry is picked and blogged about on the One Dollar Jackpot Blog, and that person wins a happy dollar sent to their PayPal account. That's it!

Not too many people enter each day. Yesterday, for example, had only 12 entries, so your odds of winning a buck are pretty good. It's also just a really neat concept and the blog is fun to read.

The website was started by a guy named Andrew Beeston, who is now my favorite person of the day. Brown Box, An Australian company dedicated to making interesting and easy to use websites, runs One Dollar Jackpot. The site also states that you will receive no spam, they won't sell your name or address, and that they're simply giving the winner a dollar, no strings attached.

I, for one, think that's pretty damn cool.

Want a free iPod Touch?

I do understand the irony of posting about and entering a blogging contest in a blog about contests.

So get this, Titan Poker Bonus Code website is giving away a free 16 GB iPod touch just for blogging about their site! This website is dedicated solely to playing online Titan Poker and provides you with codes to help you do better at the game. There's also Titan Poker Review, a section that goes over the site's software, traffic, bonus codes and overall ratings. They also have an extensive community with strategy tips, articles about the game, and everything else that a Titan Poker fiend needs to stay on top of their game.

To enter the contest, check out Titan-Poker-Bonus-Code.com by clicking on the image above!

Want to be on TV?

MTV is constantly casting for many of its different reality shows.

However, they're currently looking for people to be contestants on their new game shows where you could possibly win money, fame, fortune, or something wacky!

Pretty Smart
(from the website)

Are you more Brains than Braun? Want to get back at the Jocks that tortured you in high school? Are you recovering from a Broken Heart? Do you have a nightmare roommate? Or are you just plain broke and want to win some prizes?

Seeking energetic guys and gals (18 and over) to be CONTESTANTS on MTV's new game show: "Pretty Smart."

For more information, check out MTV here.

Name That Tune
(from the website)

We're raising the stakes in this all new version of the classic game show, Name That Tune. Each week thousands and thousands of dollars can be won just by naming the tunes to the hits you love.

Fore more information, check out MTV here.

Who knows? Maybe you'll be the next MTV sensation!

Video games?

Do you like contests? Do you like video games? Do you like developing your own video games to win contests?

From the Indie Game Showcase website,

"The "Call for Entries" is out for the best developed games Independent game developers have to offer. Now in its' third year, this year's contest promises to be bigger and better than ever before with more games and prizes. There are two categories for game entries - General and Casual. The Winner of each category will receive a specially configured game development workstation and there are several prizes for Finalists and Semi-Finalists. Also, to celebrate our upcoming generation of game developers, ECD Systems has added a special recognition award for student entries. Winner of the "Best Student Entry" will receive a cash scholarship award."

For more information, click on the image above or visit Fox Business.

From Newspaper to the Internet: the Evolution of the Coupon

Bargain hunters used to have to wait until Sunday to clip money-saving coupons from their local paper. Recently, the switch to coupon websites has been an afterthought for most consumers who still prefer to cut their coupons from a physical newspaper.

On January 3rd, Valassis Communications, a leading publisher of Sunday coupon inserts, made the switch to a new forum. RedPlum is a new coupon distributer that places Sunday coupon inserts but has also created a new, expansive, website in which users can print online coupons, but also read product reviews and find recipes.

A New York Times article has more information, if you're curious!

Free food?

Facebook has a new application you can add to your profile called "Food Frenzy." Sponsored by the popular online food-ordering website, Campusfood.

In a few words, you add this application to your Facebook profile and through it, play a couple games. If you win, you receive money to use on the website to order yourself something tasty. The catch? The money expires in three days.

This isn't exactly "free food." Campusfood is generating publicity for itself and free advertising by offering mere tokens to users. Most of the cash generated isn't used in the three days and the website then loses nothing.

But hey, if you're bored and hungry now (or in the next three days), give it a shot. You're not going to get an entire free meal out of this, but maybe you'll earn enough for that cookie you so desperately deserve. For more info, check out Slick Deals and click on the image to be taken directly to the Facebook application.

Who says there's no such thing as a free meal?

It's not unusual for companies to give free things away in order to promote their business. The amount of publicity generated normally greatly exceeds the relative "pennies" they spend to produce the products.

Sometimes, companies will also band together with charities while they give something away. The company gains free publicity and public association with a good cause that gives them amazing PR stories and brings "warm fuzzies" to the public's mind.

On February 12th, in celebration of National Pancake Day, IHOP will be giving away free short stacks (one per person) from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. It's their hope that you'll consider making a donation to the Children's Miracle Network in exchange for this tasty meal. For more information, please click on the image.

Retail Me Not

The internet is a vast source of knowledge if you're someone who wants to save a few bucks on your purchases, both online and in store.

Why bother paying retail when with a few clicks of the mouse, you can find discounts of varying percentages, free shipping, or even a couple of dollars off your purchase?

One of the more popular sites for online shopping discounts is Retail Me Not (click image to open the page). A simple concept that generates thousands of hits per day. All you have to do is type the URL of the online store you wish you purchase from into the search box on the homepage. Click "search" and the website will then pull up a page of known discount codes for that particular store. Each code is also rated by user success rate. Copy and paste the discount code into the appropriate spot while checking out on the store's websites, and volia; easy discount with no sweat attached. For example, a search of Amazon.com results in more than two dozen hits, all with a written success rate.

Discounts without work . . . nice, eh?

Test Post

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Stay tuned . . .