In my last assignment, I suggested Blendtec should orchestrate an online contest as a follow-up to the original and highly successful “Will It Blend?” campaign. Recently I have come across a publication by Stikeman Elliott coming out a 2011 seminar called Advertising and Marketing in a Social Media World.
There was a whole presentation about online contests and if I saw this publication I would have realized the dangers a lot more clearly. The publication outlines a “social media contest gone wrong”. Chevy had a “Design Your Own Tahoe” competition in 2006 that was crashed by environmentalists who talked about the environmental dangers of such a vehicle.
The publication suggested (among other things) that entrants should agree to at a minimum:
- That the content submitted be original to him/her,
- The content submitted is subject to review according to the submission requirements as outlined in Official Rules.
A company embarking on such an adventure would be wise to invest in legal counsel.
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 