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Q. How do I find
competitions?
A. First of all watch this space! We will point
you in the right direction for most of the current
competitions. While out hunting you will gradually
develop an eye and find them lurking in all sorts of
places you didn't notice before. Keep a special look
out for competitions flashed on products or those
featured in freebie magazines and recipe booklets.
Local newspapers are another good source, particularly
for the beginner, as they generally attract fewer
entrants. If you have children they can be very
helpful, we have found that a small monetary reward
improves their eye sight no end!
Q. Is it
an expensive hobby?
A. On the contrary.
Buying qualifiers may seem expensive, especially if
you have to buy nappies and your youngest child is 12
! However, in the long run you can actually save
money. Hunting competitions takes you into a variety
of shops, where you can take advantage of all the
special offers. If you join the customer loyalty
schemes you are often able to claim free in-store
magazines, which are usually a good source of coupons
as well as competitions. Stamps can be expensive, but
remember to bulk buy those "Second Class" stamps
before a price increase. Of course once you win (and
you will if you persevere), you quickly go into
credit. In the short term you will enjoy better health
from that varied diet and your friends will be amazed
by the originality of your gifts!
Q. Can I
really win?
A. Of course you can. Our
comping "career" began with the same doubts and one
lucky win. You must however persevere. When people
first find out about our wins they say how lucky we
must be because they never win anything. Though there
may be an element of luck, our success is mainly due
to perspiration and practice. The skills you need can
easily be learned by reading past winning slogans and
following our tips. You must then enter as many
competitions as you can and not be disheartened. You
may have a little luck, as we did and have an early
win, but more likely you will have a barren few
months. If you weather the storm you will eventually
win. There are many skilful compers out there so you
have to play the numbers game. The "lucky" winner
actually wins a very small percentage of the
competitions they enter. Those "unlucky" moaners have
probably only entered one or two comps in their life.
Remember your odds of winning a comp are much better
than winning the lottery and at least you can usually
eat your qualifying purchase!
Q. How can
I write a winning slogan?
A. You will of course
have access to our invaluable library of past winning
slogans, the "WINDEX". Though in the interests of
"aptness and originality" we do not recommend
wholesale copying, they will be a tremendous source of
inspiration and example. By studying these you will
soon learn what the judges are looking for and
hopefully play them at their own game. Generally a
good slogan has RHYME, RHYTHM and preferably a PUN, so
get out those old school English books. You must also
ANSWER the opening line and FLATTER the
promoter/product. Don't just search the "WINDEX" in
the relevant area, think laterally, an original idea
may come from modifying a seemingly unrelated area.
Q. What's
a qualifier?
A. That's what you need
to buy in order to enter the competition. Proof of
purchase can vary. Usually it is a till receipt from
the store running the competition, on which the
relevant item is highlighted by circling it with a
pen. Sometimes though the promoter may ask for a
barcode or another part of the product packaging, -
make sure you read the instructions carefully.
Q. How can
I improve my chance of winning?
A. As we've said before,
quantity is all, but not at the cost of quality. It is
best to submit perhaps two carefully selected slogans
into each of many different competitions. Choose those
which express different styles, one might be humorous
while the other is sincere, you never know what might
tickle the fancy of the judges. If you are submitting
multiple entries however, do be sure to check the
conditions of the promoter, some of whom state only
one entry per household. In such circumstances we have
found that friends and relatives are only too willing
to help us out, at a price! Make sure you have
supplied the correct qualifier, answered any questions
and completed your slogan in the correct number of
words. When I was presented with one of my prizes (a
trip to Australia), the judges told me that of the 600
entrants into the competitions, 200 were disqualified
for making one of these unforgivable mistakes.
Finally, remember the more obscure the competition,
the fewer the entrants. If you find it difficult to
find a qualifier you should rejoice, when others give
up your perseverance will pay. Similarly, so what if
you have to buy Iguana Vitamin Drops, there'll be very
few other entrants, less experienced than you, and if
you don't win you could always buy an iguana.
Q. How do
I get started ?
A. Organisation is all.
The basic tool-kit consists of a good dictionary, a
thesaurus, a rhyming dictionary, plastic wallets,
folders and a high quality pen. We have found it best
to keep each comp in a separate plastic wallet labeled
with the closing date. Into this you put the entry
form/s, the qualifier, all your initial brain storming
and your complete slogan list, highlighting the one/s
you entered. At the end of the month you should file
all the comps so that you can refer to them if a
similar comp comes up or if you win. The pen is
essential, it is no good spending hours refining your
slogan if the judges can't read it. A "winnings file"
is another useful addition, it is nice to look back at
all those winning letters particularly if you also
keep a photographic record.
Q. Do
"can't", "don't" and "it's" count as one or two words?
A. Basic grammar skills
apply here, so back out with those English exercise
books. "Don't" is short for "Do not" and is therefore
two words, while "Can't" substitutes "Cannot" and is
therefore just one word. "It" is different. When used
as a pronoun as in "Its flavour is wonderful", then
"Its" is just one word. However, "It's" is two words,
as it is an abbreviation for "It is" as in "It's a
pleasure to drive." Clear? Of course the judges may
have forgotten all their "O" level English, but our
advice is don't risk it unless you have a second
back-up entry. A little fine tuning to get your slogan
within legal limits usually produces a more refined
product, justifying the extra time.
Q. How
about numbers, how do they score in word allocation?
A. A tricky one. Strictly
speaking, a number such as "forty-nine" counts as two
words, but of course you might get away with it if you
write it as "49". The choice is yours and the final
decision, the judge's!
Q. Can I
make multiple entries into a competition?
A. Read the small print
first and ignore it at your peril! While some
competitions allow multiple entries, some limit it to
one entry per person or per household. As we said
above, when multiple entries are allowed then it is a
good idea to take advantage of this and enter in a
variety of different styles. However, to enhance your
chances, we recommend that these should be entered in
separate envelopes and preferably posted on different
days. Another useful tip is to code your slogan in
some way, perhaps one in your name, another in your
partner's name, there is nothing more annoying than
winning, but not knowing which of your entries won!
Q. Should
I attach the qualifier to the entry form?
A. Never, unless
specifically asked to do so. Again, you must read the
small print carefully. Remember your entry will first
have to be sorted amongst a multitude of others, if
you cause the sorters any stress they may just sort it
directly into the bin! After all it shows you have not
followed the instructions, and the sorter is looking
for anything to help whittle down the judges' pile.
Q. What
about if I mess up my entry form?
A. Well, in our opinion you're
wasting your time and stamp! The small print usually
states that defaced entries will be disqualified. Once
again you have to think of the sorter, when faced with
an infinite number of entries, why select the ones you
can't read? You should ensure that you always collect
enough entry forms to prevent this situation! |
