For one contest, WantedList has teamed with director Andre Madness to offer fans a chance to win a trip to Los Angeles to direct a video for his studio, Madness Pictures, including a director’s credit on the finished film. Twenty-five runners up will get a month of free DVD rentals.
A second contest gives fans a chance to name the mascot for Bad Seed, a gonzo line distributed exclusively by Adam & Eve, as well as a year’s worth of free WantedList rentals. The winner will receive a year’s worth of Bad Seed releases. Second-place winners will get free copies of Bad Seed’s premier release, “Big Gulps,” and third-place winners will receive a free month of WantedList rentals.
WantedList co-founder Ahn Tran said the contests provide opportunities for studios to connect with fans and make their names stand out in a crowded market.
“Over the past two years, the contests page on WantedList.com has become the second most visited page next to the home page,” Tran told XBiz. “The contests help us and the companies we deal with in many different ways.
“For the contest with Bad Seed, it's about brand awareness around the mascot,” Tran added. “Whenever a consumer sees the Sperm [mascot] with the spiked collar, they'll remember that Bad Seed did a fun contest where you could ‘Name the Sperm.’”
When WantedList launches a contest, it sends out emails to customers to let them know how to participate and what they could win. After the contest is over, WantedList sends out follow-up emails with winners’ names and pictures. All of this, Tran said, helps to generate interest in the company’s involved.
“In the retail or rental space most companies just throw up a big sale or highlight a movie on their front page to push it,” Tran explained. “It's standard issue practice and doesn't do that much [in the long run]. Contests, on the other hand, help bring the adult world literally to the doorsteps of consumers and provides long-lasting brand recognition through the consumer's involvement.”
The end result, according to Adam & Eve Senior Account Representative Ryan Thomas, is increased sales for everyone involved.
“Working with WantedList brings tremendous exposure to our production company,” Thomas said. Madness added that the contests also are a great way to give something back to fans, strengthen relationships and increase goodwill.
“I’m happy to see Madness and WantedList found a way to reach the fans together and hope to do more customer appreciation promotions in the future,” he said. “Whether it’s for pleasure or business that the winner comes out to the set to direct, I’m certain they will take home with them an experience of a lifetime.”