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THP Contests.........and the future

bama said:
I think you both make a good point.
TC, I think you are trying to get the right message across but maybe in a little too aggressive of a fashion. A lot of people on this forum might not really realize just how much the contests are relied upon for THP's livelihood.

A manager once told me that you will get more response to an issue by practicing the phrase, "Educate, dont intimidate".

This is all "IMHO"....as always..
-bama-
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you're probably right bama, i will work on that.
 
TC already apologized for his tone, so brow beating him about it is not really constructive.

Truth is that if either of the last two contests had been for an iron set or a driver that people would have found time to come up with something.
 
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Hawk said:
TC already apologized for his tone, so brow beating him about it is not really constructive.
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Exactly

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Hawk said:
TC already apologized for his tone, so brow beating him about it is not really constructive.

Truth is that if either of the last two contests had been for an iron set or a driver that people would have found time to come up with something.
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i completely agree hawk, if it were for a putter, or driver or iron set, it would've blown up. yet people didn't enter the contest for shoes or a gps b/c they "already have one". i'd also assume that most have a putter, driver and irons too, right?

again, i am not looking for excuses, reasons or explanations from anyone, i am just trying to shed some light on the situation.
 
IMO a way should be found to increase participation in the contests by encouraging the members to enter them by their free will, and for the right reasons. The companies aren't interested in participation in the contests per se, IMO. They want participation by members who want to win the contest. I don't see much wrong with there being popular contests and less popular contests. That's just natural. And perhaps a company can learn more from an unpopular contest than from a popular contest.
 
v3.0 said:
IMO a way should be found to increase participation in the contests by encouraging the members to enter them by their free will, and for the right reasons. The companies aren't interested in participation in the contests per se, IMO. They want participation by members who want to win the contest. I don't see much wrong with there being popular contests and less popular contests. That's just natural. And perhaps a company can learn more from an unpopular contest than from a popular contest.
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Companies want BUZZ about the contests.
They want people to be excited to get a Bushnell GPS unit, to talk about the unit, and to try to win the unit. Companies want the name association that comes with people chatting about the product. It has nothing to do with them "learning" anything. Bushnell can't do anything more than offer a GPS- they can't give away a set of irons.

You are right about the less popular and more popular contests. It has always been that way and always will... but for contests to get less than 20 entries on a site as big as this IS not common and shouldnt happen. IMO.
 
Without getting into all my personal opinions, I'll just say that I agree with most of 'Sean' says. This topic has come up a couple times prior and it's always the same 'soapbox'. I feel no obligation to participate in a contest just as the website is under no obligation to put them on. If I find something that interests me and there is little effort involved I might enter. Quite frankly I don't like being made to jump through hoops for a chance to win a prize. If I feel that way, I just won't enter. Everyone comes here for their own reasons, if they don't want to particpate as much as others, so what.

TC said:
i think what you may not be understanding is that without the support of the companies who actively participate (THROUGH CONTESTS) there will be no THP.
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Company support, maybe, contests, no way. I have seen dozens of similar websites that survive just fine without holding contests and giving away a bunch of stuff. I would have to think there are many more than just the few I have seen. Contests and giveaways are nothing more than an attempt to draw attention to a brand or product in hopes of getting some extra web hits or a sale or two for the supplier, all done through THP. I highly doubt that THP would have to fold up shop if they didn't have contests.
 
+1 Steve.

And, for the companies that donate a product it's a win-win. The item in question is probably a tax write off, it generates some buzz (even if folks don't participate), and the winner will write a review...from an average person's perspective as opposed to some magazine maven's.
 
RxGus said:
Companies want BUZZ about the contests.
They want people to be excited to get a Bushnell GPS unit, to talk about the unit, and to try to win the unit. Companies want the name association that comes with people chatting about the product. It has nothing to do with them "learning" anything. Bushnell can't do anything more than offer a GPS- they can't give away a set of irons.

You are right about the less popular and more popular contests. It has always been that way and always will... but for contests to get less than 20 entries on a site as big as this IS not common and shouldnt happen. IMO.
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Indeed they want buzz. But what if the members don't buzz over a GPS unit, for whatever reason. You can't really make them. If they (the company) didn't already know it they might learn that it is pretty hard to sell GPS units in general, or a particular model specifically.
 
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Nobody on THP is gonna put your arm behind your back and make you enter a contest. It's an individual's choice, however I for one, choose to support this forum and if they put a pile of :poop: up as a prize, I gonna take my 5 minutes to make an entry. Like some have said, I can give it away to a kid at my golf course, if it does not suit my fancy, well anything except for the pile of poop...
 
StLCardsFan said:
Without getting into all my personal opinions, I'll just say that I agree with most of 'Sean' says. This topic has come up a couple times prior and it's always the same 'soapbox'. I feel no obligation to participate in a contest just as the website is under no obligation to put them on. If I find something that interests me and there is little effort involved I might enter. Quite frankly I don't like being made to jump through hoops for a chance to win a prize. If I feel that way, I just won't enter. Everyone comes here for their own reasons, if they don't want to particpate as much as others, so what.



Company support, maybe, contests, no way. I have seen dozens of similar websites that survive just fine without holding contests and giving away a bunch of stuff. I would have to think there are many more than just the few I have seen. Contests and giveaways are nothing more than an attempt to draw attention to a brand or product in hopes of getting some extra web hits or a sale or two for the supplier, all done through THP. I highly doubt that THP would have to fold up shop if they didn't have contests.
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Sean said:
+1 Steve.

And, for the companies that donate a product it's a win-win. The item in question is probably a tax write off, it generates some buzz (even if folks don't participate), and the winner will write a review...from an average person's perspective as opposed to some magazine maven's.
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and you two know this b/c you own your own website (media outlet really) that happens to have a forum, that also has developed relationships with companies that use contests as a way to gauge interest?

like it or not, companies use these contests as a way to gauge if THP is a site they want to support......period!

i find it offensive that you are both so naive about this. clearly, you find the contests to be unecessary and a nuisance at times, yet you both seem to enjoy your time here. how is it you have so much insight into how things work for THP? what the contests mean to THP and the companies involved?

good lord, looks like i'm not the only one who needs to step off a soapbox!
 
v3.0 said:
Indeed they want buzz. But what if the members don't buzz over for a GPS unit, for whatever reason. You can't really make them. If they (the company) didn't already know it they might learn that it is pretty hard to sell GPS units in general, or a particular model specifically.
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Then we will have to agree to disagree.
 
If a person is philosophically opposed to the idea of contests and comes here for conversation, then that makes sense to me. However, when you say, "Sure, I'd like you to send me a free set of your unreleased irons", but don't say a word about a pair of shoes, it can come across as ungrateful, whether that is your intent or not. I'm not saying we owe anything to any company, but I am saying that you shouldn't expect to have your cake and eat it too.

As far as sites that survive without many contests: Sure, I can think of one in particular right now. It has minimal product reviews and ads for shaving the face off of your driver. It doesn't have huge demo days to give regular golfers access to anything they desire or seeding from multiple companies. They rely off of information they get here for their product info. Huge difference, imo.
 
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Hawk said:
If a person is philosophically opposed to the idea of contests and comes here for conversation, then that makes sense to me. However, when you say, "Sure, I'd like you to send me a free set of your unreleased irons", but don't say a word about a pair of shoes, it can come across as ungrateful, whether that is your intent or not. I'm not saying we owe anything to any company, but I am saying that you shouldn't expect to have your cake and eat it too.

As far as sites that survive without many contests: Sure, I can think of one in particular right now. It has minimal far less product reviews and ads for shaving the face off of your driver. It doesn't have huge demo days to give regular golfers access to anything they desire or seeding from multiple companies. They rely off of information they get here for their product info. Huge difference, imo.
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Don't forget that TM didn't just walk into THP and say "Wanna seed test our Burner 2.0s pre-release" or "Want 72 dozen unreleased golf balls?". That happens because of 2 years of product support and building relations with THP and a large part of that is contests. I don't want us to poison the well that we drink from by not supporting the companies that make this possible because, quite frankly, I want to continue to have to opportunity to try pre-release equipment and have other people get the opportunity to play pre-release irons for review.
 
RxGus said:
Don't forget that TM didn't just walk into THP and say "Wanna seed test our Burner 2.0s pre-release" or "Want 72 dozen unreleased golf balls?". That happens because of 2 years of product support and building relations with THP and a large part of that is contests. I don't want us to poison the well that we drink from by not supporting the companies that make this possible because, quite frankly, I want to continue to have to opportunity to try pre-release equipment and have other people get the opportunity to play pre-release irons for review.
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This is exactly the point. And it's not about getting free stuff for site members. It's about having unparalleled access to true feedback from real consumers. We could wonder what the new TM ball is going to be like, but we are fortunate enough to have SEVENTY FREAKING TWO members to tell us their opinion.
 
RxGus said:
Don't forget that TM didn't just walk into THP and say "Wanna seed test our Burner 2.0s pre-release" or "Want 72 dozen unreleased golf balls?". That happens because of 2 years of product support and building relations with THP and a large part of that is contests. I don't want us to poison the well that we drink from by not supporting the companies that make this possible because, quite frankly, I want to continue to have to opportunity to try pre-release equipment and have other people get the opportunity to play pre-release irons for review.
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This post sums up my thoughts to a "T", great work Gus. I hope that my assumption that every one of us here at THP genuinely wants and hopes for success is right, we all come here and spend hours talking golf with people that we've come to know (quite well in some cases). Completely separate from the time we spend online with each other everyday is the fact that we've met in person (some multiple almost countless times) and have really developed a strong bond with some people that we would never have met without THP. There are probably some of you that are on tons of different forums and have your thoughts and expectations or preconceived thoughts of internet forums but I don't, I am an active member at exactly 1 online forum and I happen to really like it here. Companies that deal with and offer these great prizes to THP do so because by and large the group is a great group of people that really stands behind products that they believe in. I'll do whatever I can to continue to pass along that love and "buzz" that these companies need. If you come here please join me in staying as involved as you possibly can in all of the contests and other forms of giving back as you can. Heck you might even win some sweet golf gear at the same time!!!
 
RxGus said:
Don't forget that TM didn't just walk into THP and say "Wanna seed test our Burner 2.0s pre-release" or "Want 72 dozen unreleased golf balls?". That happens because of 2 years of product support and building relations with THP and a large part of that is contests. I don't want us to poison the well that we drink from by not supporting the companies that make this possible because, quite frankly, I want to continue to have to opportunity to try pre-release equipment and have other people get the opportunity to play pre-release irons for review.
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well said gus - you will not see me miss a contest ever! i will run through the streets in a THP shirt if i have too. I cannot express how much respect i have for all of you that help make THP what it is. i will do my part to support what little i can.
 
v3.0 said:
IMO a way should be found to increase participation in the contests by encouraging the members to enter them by their free will, and for the right reasons. The companies aren't interested in participation in the contests per se, IMO. They want participation by members who want to win the contest. I don't see much wrong with there being popular contests and less popular contests. That's just natural. And perhaps a company can learn more from an unpopular contest than from a popular contest.
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This is a good point. There is some value for the various compnaies to see how much interest there actually is in thier product. The contests are used as test marketing basicly. They hold the contest on THP becase they see that for some contests there are 100's and maybe 1000's of entries so there is a good base of actual golfers. So if they are only getting 20 entries for a GPS, that may say something about the popularity of the brand or the product and give them an idea of the kind of sales to expect or the kind of marketing they need to do. Sure they want buzz, and the contest is a part of the effort to create it- but they are definately learning from it.

Out of every 100 golfers for example, how many have a GPS? 1? Maybe 2? I have never played with anyone that used one. In that sense the 20 entries is probably about right in terms of the actual interest. This is no refelction on THP's efforts to review or promote the product and it could well be that had there not been a review the entries might have been less than 10 or even 5.

I also think the comment about not being aware of the contests is true as well. I can't actually remember the shoe one, but I have been pretty busy lately, otherwise I probbaly would have entered that one.

Anyway I would be curious to know if companies really want contest where 100 people enter and for all they know only 5 are actually interested in the product or if they prefer to use the contests to judge actual interest.

Finnaly I think a good solution was mentioned earlier about at least posting on the contest threads even if you don't enter. That's even better for markeing research. If you know 100 people were aware of the contest and only 5 entered that's a good starting point for the advertzing department to think up a new campaign.
 
great post Gus
RxGus said:
Don't forget that TM didn't just walk into THP and say "Wanna seed test our Burner 2.0s pre-release" or "Want 72 dozen unreleased golf balls?". That happens because of 2 years of product support and building relations with THP and a large part of that is contests. I don't want us to poison the well that we drink from by not supporting the companies that make this possible because, quite frankly, I want to continue to have to opportunity to try pre-release equipment and have other people get the opportunity to play pre-release irons for review.
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Wow, I'm a little in shock over this thread....

My background is in marketing and both sides of the debate on why contests are held are both true. Gauge interest in a product and generate buzz. Sometimes it's not the entries but what goes on in the thread that can generate buzz. I agree with TC, companies do look at contest/threads to gauge how far THP reaches. But I'm pretty sure content is also a big part.

On that note... I would also like to point out if people are participating because they felt guilty or "pushed" into it, does that say anything positive about a companies product? Do we all think they don't read through this thread too? Believe me, I know entries count for something but content counts too.

I'm only a member on two online forum sites (this and a sports card collecting one) and while I don't take offense to anything anyone has said, I can't help but feel some resentment. Not directed at anyone in particular but that's the tone I get from this thread. I'm kinda pissed that I even feel bad for not particpating in a GPS/Shoe contest when I just didn't want to be greedy. I'm thinking, I just bought a GPS... Man, I don't want this place to be divided and clique'ish. For some of us that have been here awhile, leading by example might be the key. I didn't know forum etiquette at first and I'm still learning. Honest, sincere thoughts would seem more like the THP way.
 
Well said yoccos.
 
I think the relationships that THP has with OEMs needs to be valued. And by us not entering, could put stress on that relationship. We are the kids in this marriage, and if we can keep the wife happy(OEMs), well, we all know how that one finishes.
 
Lol. Nothing about it not being good enough. I'm sensing sarcasm but if not, that's probably not the best way to generate buzz.
Thainer21 said:
And ps if the gps isnt good enough for you, then maybe the irons arent either.
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