Walsworth begins monthly Promotion Commotion sales contest

Kansas City, Mo. (Aug. 30, 2010) – Walsworth yearbook staffs will get the chance to compete to win monthly prizes, as well as two grand prizes, while they are marketing and selling the book this year in the company’s new Promotion Commotion contest.

Promotion Commotion encourages Walsworth yearbook staffs to experiment with a variety of marketing tactics that will help them sell more books, ads and yearbook options by giving them a chance to win prizes in monthly drawings, simply for using those tactics.

“This contest asks schools to use proven marketing tactics, and also encourages them to create their own,” said Alex Blackwell, Walsworth’s director of marketing. “Most of these techniques require little time or effort, but will really help them meet and exceed their yearbook, ad and options sales goals for this year.”

To qualify, a yearbook staff must be using Online Sales, and activate their online School Store. Once those steps are complete, the school automatically receives 10 entries into the first monthly drawing for prizes which will take place at the end of September, and is entered into all drawings for the rest of the year.

More entries for the first drawing can be earned by placing a banner ad on their school’s website, and selecting a student marketer for the yearbook staff and entering the student’s contact information in the Settings area in Members Only. Other marketing activities will also earn additional drawing entries, which is outlined below.

Monthly prizes
Four monthly prizes will be awarded each month of the school year, from September through April, and will include:

• 1st Prize: Nikon Digital SLR camera
• 2^nd Prize: UltraTM HD FlipCam camcorder
• 3^rd Prize: $75 spending spree at Target for supplies and treats for the yearbook room
• 4^th Prize: Pizza Hut pizza party for the staff

Grand Prize
In addition to the monthly prizes, each school that enters into Promotion Commotion becomes eligible for the Grand Prize at the end of the year. The school that shows the biggest increase in yearbook sales from last year will win $500 for the school’s yearbook program, and that staff’s student marketer will win a $500 scholarship. A student marketer must be identified in Members Only in order to be eligible for the $500 scholarship.

Additional entries
To qualify for up to five additional drawing entries each month, yearbook staffs will receive an email form at the end of each month asking them to indicate what marketing tactics they used to promote yearbook sales for that month. Additional entries will be earned for each tactic, which can include activities such as:

• Using email marketing
• Requesting customized marketing materials
• Creating a Facebook Fan Page
• Holding a Kiosk, or sales table, event
• Broadcasting an all-call phone message home to parents
• Creating a yearbook video
• A marketing tactic the staff created at their school to reach parents/students

“We’re very excited about Promotion Commotion, because the contest gives us a great way to motivate staffs to get involved with marketing,” said Blackwell. “We strongly believe that marketing the yearbook using these tactics will result in more sales, and we’re anxious for staffs to join in.”