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Contest Discussion(s)

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  • Mar 19th, 2024 12:05 am
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Deal Guru
User avatar
May 25, 2011
10100 posts
14411 upvotes
sherlockmandango wrote: After it all, I'm still planning to do a lot of entries for the next Instagram contest. I will retain my faith that random means random.
...or fewer entries with greater emphasis on looking cool and sexy!
Deal Expert
User avatar
Jan 11, 2013
15578 posts
5092 upvotes
Toronto
ishfish wrote: ...or fewer entries with greater emphasis on looking cool and sexy!
It's a good plan, but I'd need a stunt double. : )

I'll update this board with my estimated odds before the winner is selected, but I'm going whole hog with this one.
Wishing everyone a lucky 2023!
Newbie
User avatar
Dec 1, 2013
4 posts
71 upvotes
Ontario
sherlockmandango wrote: It's a good plan, but I'd need a stunt double. : )

I'll update this board with my estimated odds before the winner is selected, but I'm going whole hog with this one.
Good luck! :)
2014 Contest Wins Total = $8,200. Biggest Win, Trip to Calgary / Banff.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Jan 29, 2009
2961 posts
757 upvotes
Richmond
Question for anyone out there. For the IHG rewards contest - movie ticket win, it is just one ticket per win correct? ie Not a pair of tickets.

Thanks,
Deal Expert
Jan 17, 2009
24148 posts
43040 upvotes
ONTARIO
travelbuds wrote: Question for anyone out there. For the IHG rewards contest - movie ticket win, it is just one ticket per win correct? ie Not a pair of tickets.

Thanks,
1 ticket
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Aug 13, 2009
8501 posts
2496 upvotes
Toronto
sherlockmandango wrote: A photo contest recently ended for a major prize. The winner was to be selected at random from all the valid entries. I entered 10 times per day (maximum allowed in the rules), adding up to about 700 entries. That represented between 20% and 25% of the valid entries (I could verify by looking at tagboard).

Didn't win. Like last year, they went with a photogenic young woman who entered a couple of times.

I don't have anything against the winners, I'm happy for them in fact, but it's hard to shake the feeling that the selection may have been less than entirely random.

Part of this hobby seems to be dealing with the disappointment when you haven't won for a while, and the little paranoid thoughts that follow: "It's fixed!", "They don't even give the prizes away!", "They give them to their friends", etc. I know that most of that is nonsense, but whenever something suspicious happens, or when there's straight-up evidence that a contest broke its own rules (not the case here, but I've seen it before more than once), I get pretty discouraged.

Sorry for my little rant. I know I'm not entitled to prizes or anything, and that it's supposed to be a fun hobby where prizes are just a bonus, but I worked pretty hard on that one.

Ah well.
I agree and with the car one too.

Only the "beautiful people" who don't need the stuff will win.

Life is s*(% :(
Member
Jul 1, 2012
256 posts
1267 upvotes
Has anyone won a car before? What's the experience like? I keep seeing nightmarish car winning stories from the the US because they count contest winnings as income. Wonder what it's like in Canada.
Deal Expert
User avatar
Jan 11, 2013
15578 posts
5092 upvotes
Toronto
Lucidly wrote: Has anyone won a car before? What's the experience like? I keep seeing nightmarish car winning stories from the the US because they count contest winnings as income. Wonder what it's like in Canada.
Haven't won one, but I know that lottery/contest winnings aren't taxable here.
Wishing everyone a lucky 2023!
Member
Nov 14, 2006
350 posts
89 upvotes
Lucidly wrote: Has anyone won a car before? What's the experience like? I keep seeing nightmarish car winning stories from the the US because they count contest winnings as income. Wonder what it's like in Canada.
My wife won a car about 10+ years ago. Pretty much the contest agency asks you which dealership you want to pick the car up from, they send it there, sign for it, and it's yours.
Deal Addict
Aug 4, 2008
1064 posts
4202 upvotes
Ontario
Lucidly wrote: Has anyone won a car before? What's the experience like? I keep seeing nightmarish car winning stories from the the US because they count contest winnings as income. Wonder what it's like in Canada.
You’ll be glad to know that any prizes you win in a lottery are generally tax-free in Canada. If you win something other than cash, such as a house, car, or other things, the property you’ve won will have an adjusted cost base (ACB) equal to the fair market value of the property on the day you win it. Although you won’t pay any tax on the prize itself, you might have a taxable capital gain if you sell the prize later for more than your ACB.
If you win a sizable amount, it’s common to receive the prize over time as a certain amount each month for life, that is, as an annuity, will be partly taxable. Not the winning amount, but on the interest calculated (The Queen v. Rumack (92 DTC 6142))
Deal Addict
Aug 4, 2008
1064 posts
4202 upvotes
Ontario
so what are your takes on this. This was posted this morning and that was my one and only response. Many others jumped in with similar thoughts. Of coarse they deleted it and posted something different, are deleting posts they don't like, and now have posted that they banned a bunch of us. Yes I got banned.
Do you think it was warranted??

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0603/ ... 0bf0a6.jpg[/IMG]
Member
User avatar
Mar 2, 2012
391 posts
2359 upvotes
North Bay
Wow ^^ that got a little nasty, I won't enter their contests...... :|
Deal Addict
User avatar
Oct 26, 2012
3516 posts
15859 upvotes
Halifax
Wowsers. Well, don't have a contest on facebook if you don't want entries from all over. Just do it in-store.

Kind of silly of them anyway, since as of Nov, they're not even allowed to use "likes" as a requirement to enter contests.
Deal Expert
User avatar
Jun 23, 2005
26001 posts
211229 upvotes
GTA
Rather foul-mouthed for a southerner, lol. A tiny computer shop run out of papa bear's basement and they actually care about who is winning prizes, lol...
Deal Addict
User avatar
Oct 26, 2012
3516 posts
15859 upvotes
Halifax
toguy wrote: Rather foul-mouthed for a southerner, lol. A tiny computer shop run out of papa bear's basement and they actually care about who is winning prizes, lol...
Yep, I think it's pretty obvious a kid is running that business. Lol
Newbie
User avatar
Dec 1, 2013
4 posts
71 upvotes
Ontario
Wow. I thought the point of contests was to spread the word about a product and potentially gain new customers for your business. By alienating potential new customers and focusing only on the current ones is completely counter-productive. Way to go bud, you just gave people a reason to NOT buy your product, instead of the opposite.
2014 Contest Wins Total = $8,200. Biggest Win, Trip to Calgary / Banff.
Jr. Member
Nov 23, 2007
135 posts
247 upvotes
Toronto
sherlockmandango wrote: A photo contest recently ended for a major prize. The winner was to be selected at random from all the valid entries. I entered 10 times per day (maximum allowed in the rules), adding up to about 700 entries. That represented between 20% and 25% of the valid entries (I could verify by looking at tagboard).

Didn't win. Like last year, they went with a photogenic young woman who entered a couple of times.

I don't have anything against the winners, I'm happy for them in fact, but it's hard to shake the feeling that the selection may have been less than entirely random.

Part of this hobby seems to be dealing with the disappointment when you haven't won for a while, and the little paranoid thoughts that follow: "It's fixed!", "They don't even give the prizes away!", "They give them to their friends", etc. I know that most of that is nonsense, but whenever something suspicious happens, or when there's straight-up evidence that a contest broke its own rules (not the case here, but I've seen it before more than once), I get pretty discouraged.

Sorry for my little rant. I know I'm not entitled to prizes or anything, and that it's supposed to be a fun hobby where prizes are just a bonus, but I worked pretty hard on that one.

Ah well.
I don't know about your specific contest, but in my day job I work in a large advertising/marketing agency and work with some big name companies you would know. I can't say I've ever seen a contest be "fixed" to pick a particular individual at this level, but I can promise you that the companies (and their agencies) do CARE about the status of the contest while it's going on, and do their best to ensure fairness. But ultimately, when running a contest, sometimes things happen and you need to make the best of the situation.

Recently, there was a contest for a candy company in which you had to submit a video, and the video with the most votes would win. Well, some genius decided to purchase and/or write a computer program to vote for his video repeatedly and in the middle of the contest was ahead by a mile. It was clear he was cheating. And just as clear, we discovered how he was cheating by the log files of the site. The voting pattern gave it away. We disqualified him, took the video down, and informed him what we found. Well, the guy then recorded another video (of his girlfriend), posted it again, and then miraculously took the lead on voting by the contest deadline. This time it was harder to prove how he was cheating. We couldn't prove it beyond a reasonable doubt, and so his girlfriend won the contest and was awarded the prize. And it was a decent prize. Honestly, what can you do when someone appears to have cheated but you can't prove it? And if you just deny the win, the vote tallies were public, lawsuits are involved, newspapers pick up the story, and this anomaly taints the client, taints the contest, and taints the agency. Nobody wants to ruin a successful ad campaign with a nasty fight in the end.

Perhaps in your case, the 700 entries (25% you estimate) was disqualified for some reason. They wouldn't have to tell you legally. And then some other random person was picked to win. I hate to say it, but having 25% of the entries to a contest does appear suspicious to anyone running a contest, and I would not be surprised if you were DQ'd by some "decision of the judges is final" clause. Even though the winner is picked randomly, real people look at the contest data to ensure it's meeting expectations.

I have so many stories from running contests in the ad biz, I should write a book. Or a blog. LOL.
Jr. Member
Nov 23, 2007
135 posts
247 upvotes
Toronto
twiggy04 wrote: Wow. I thought the point of contests was to spread the word about a product and potentially gain new customers for your business. By alienating potential new customers and focusing only on the current ones is completely counter-productive. Way to go bud, you just gave people a reason to NOT buy your product, instead of the opposite.
What this store owner said is definitely "thought but not said" by many businesses running contests - even big ones with big prizes. They would much prefer a loyal customer win a prize, than some person they've never met and will never meet, who doesn't even know the name of their business. There's $0 "spread the word" value in that type of contest entry.
Deal Expert
User avatar
Jan 11, 2013
15578 posts
5092 upvotes
Toronto
unreal32 wrote:
Perhaps in your case, the 700 entries (25% you estimate) was disqualified for some reason. They wouldn't have to tell you legally. And then some other random person was picked to win. I hate to say it, but having 25% of the entries to a contest does appear suspicious to anyone running a contest, and I would not be surprised if you were DQ'd by some "decision of the judges is final" clause. Even though the winner is picked randomly, real people look at the contest data to ensure it's meeting expectations.

I have so many stories from running contests in the ad biz, I should write a book. Or a blog. LOL.
Thanks kindly for the insights. I've often wondered what the other side of the process is like.

In the case of cheaters, I have absolutely no patience. Particularly those using computer programs to hack the system.

In my case, my entries were all individually taken photographs, all distinct from each other. I even took the time to add new elements, handwritten signs, etc whenever possible. Verifying their legitimacy should have been a simple matter. But it was only 25% or so, so I wasn't likely to win even with so many submissions.

I'll never resort to cheating to win a contest, but I WILL invest a ridiculous amount of my free time, so I'm a little disheartened by the idea of someone using a catch-all clause to DQ my entries because they feel like I'm overrepresented in the entries.

For my next attempt, I hope to have a lot more than 25%. I'll post details right before the winner is announced.

I'm hopeful that this contest will work out better than the previous one.

PS: I'm very interested in your Contest Organizer Blog/Book idea! If you ever do it, post a link!
Wishing everyone a lucky 2023!

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