It’s often said, “don’t believe everything you hear.” This simple lesson is taught by parents, hoping to keep their children safe from falling victim to rumors, gossip and fraudulent claims. By now, it’s common practice to question everything. But, what happens in these cynical times when you’re tasked with convincing others that what you are telling them is true (however incredible it may seem)?
For years, I have been receiving (& deleting) emails from marketers and companies telling me that I won a free car. I have encountered (& closed) the ever-present pop-up advertisements saying “Click Here to Win $10,000” numerous times, without a second thought. It’s easy to dismiss these claims as fake; everyone’s a skeptic, myself included. Until now…
I have been at Strobe Promotions for about a year now. Working in the promotional marketing field has opened my eyes to the value that promotions provide not only for the prize winners, but also for the sponsor. I now know about the great amount of awareness, excitement and buzz promotions can bring to a brand; I see it every day with the sheer volume of mail or large online entry files we receive for each project. The prize in each promotion not necessarily the main focus, like I previously thought, it’s more like the cherry on top. A big portion of my job as a Marketing Assistant is to deliver that cherry by notifying the potential winners in the various promotions we administer for our clients. When contacting our potential winners, I am often asked the question “Are you serious?” It is sometimes a daunting task to convince the potential winner that we are a legitimate company and that they have actually won a prize. In some cases, the consumer may be unaware that they even entered a sweepstakes (with an automatic-entry promotion), making them even more skeptical. I have found one of the best remedies for this problem is to put the consumer in contact with the client directly. Whether by email, or over of the phone, hearing an employee from the sponsoring company usually puts the consumer at ease.
I never imagined that it would be so difficult to give away money (or trips or cars or cool gadgets). A part of me is still somewhat amazed when people refuse to accept the prizes they have won, even though I understand how hard it may be to believe that opening one email or answering one phone call could reward you with extravagant prizes. After all, there still are some shady individuals who use less than honest means to trick people. That’s why questions and follow up are warranted. As a promotion marketing professional, I now know to take a closer look at the next winner notification email I may receive. Sometimes I wonder, what if all of those emails I deleted weren’t just spam? I could be vacationing on an island, driving around a new convertible, and living a lavish life with thousands of prize dollars.
