Posted on Friday, June 02, 2006 @ 11:55:25 EDT by xtv
Snap.com launched a contest to help promote the use of their improved search engine. One entrepreneur thinks the answer is simply to "Make Snap.com a Habit". If you agree, your vote can help make the win a snap!
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, June 2, 2006 -- Remember that Marketing 101 course? Get those create juices flowing and you could win $5000 in the Snap.com Marketing Contest. For Joe Ward of Hybrid-X Technologies, the cash prize is just a bonus.
"The real reward is seeing your own marketing strategy adapted for use in such a high profile search portal as Snap.com" he says.
Ward's entry into the Snap.com contest can be found at http://blog.snap.com/2006/05/22/cracking-the-snapcom-code-25-days-to-25-ks/.
So far the entry has received positive comments but has been out-voted by what Ward considers somewhat "less viable" ideas.
His entry titled "Cracking the Snap.com Code - 25 Days to $25Ks" involves a contest with a $25,000 cash prize. However, the real power behind the contest strategy is two factors:
- Getting surfers to use Snap.com for an extended period (25 Days), thereby helping them "form the habit" of searching at Snap.com
- Including a viral marketing
aspect, making it easy for users to make the message pervasive through blogs, forums, and social networking portals like MySpace.
How is all this done with Ward's plan?
Basically his contest (with a $25,000 cash reward) and runner up prizes involves using Snap.com to find “Snap.com Code - Letters of the Day”, each day for 25 days. The letters are found by using the Snap search engine to submit popular searches such as "over the hedge", "mischa barton", "x-men", "jimmy
hoffa" or "elliott yamin", etc. This also makes it possible for Snap.com to launch co-marketing initiatives with companies seeking to promote their related search terms (such as the aforementioned terms).
Search keywords that reveal the clue have to be discovered by the user as a part of the challenge, but Snap.com would provide a daily theme to give users direction. During the process of searching for the clues, users are essentially forming a new habit, i.e. "using Snap.com as their
primary search engine".
After 25 days, users can "Crack the Snap.com Code" by assembling the letters & identifying the correct answer phrase. The first user to submit the correct answer wins the $25,000 prize.
Ward says the idea is good at present due to the popularity of "Da Vinci Code" movie and book - and it would be possible for Snap.com's marketing team to do some kind of promotion with the movie's distributors - but it is not a requirement. The strategy will likely
work very well on its own.
"People have generally been exposed to this concept, therefore they are likely to be in the mood for some 'clue finding' right now. This will make the contest more fun for them, even if it does not result in them discovering the answers to any mysteries regarding the personal life of Jesus OR any other fiction or non-fiction controversies of any sort!"
How does it get viral? Ward says giving users earlier access to clues or bonus clues for posting information
(or banners) on their blogs, forums, and social networking pages will help spread the word.
"If you want it to get viral, there has to be an incentive... to make users 'promiscuous' in spreading the word as Seth Godin would tell you" says Ward.
Mr. Ward invites those interested in hearing more details about his strategy to check out the full description at the Snap.com blog:
"I want to make sure
everyone interested gets a chance to check out my idea - and hopefully vote for me - if they like it of course." says a smiling Ward.
Contact: Joseph Ward Hybrid-X Technologies http://blog.snap.com/2006/05/22/cracking-the-snapcom-code-25-days-to-25-ks/ 7875652006
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