Over Ultimate, Fantastic, Great, Amazing + More
It probably won't be noticeable, but in the future we're going to be using a lot less descriptions in our competition headings.
Last month was the tipping point, when a competition was listed as an 'Ultimate Mother's Day Prize'. How ultimate? The value was around $140, which isn't really ultimate anything.
So, I started taking a look over our base of competitions and noticed 10 that all used the word 'ultimate'. Some, to be fair, were actually a pretty valuable prize, but most weren't.
As a rule, we simply list competitions that we choose, and don't offer an opinion either way. Yet, over the years our descriptions have generally followed those that promoters use. Great, Amazing, Fantastic, Mega, just to name a few.
Our 'Comp-Hunters' do an amazing (and yes, we can use that description when describing them) job of finding daily and weekly competitions. They each have their own descriptive style, which I try to make as across-the-board as I possibly can, but for the most part there's little differences that creep in which are no problems at all.
The most difficult descriptions we have are those that involve heaps of prizes, and nothing in particular stands out. I don't like descriptions such as 'Win $5,000 worth of prizes', but sometimes there isn't any choice.
Likewise, those little thumbnail images aren't always possible to get from the actual website hosting the competition. We like to give a small image that comes directly from the page, but if a site is offering $1,000 cash, and the page has no images whatsoever, we sometimes have no choice but to go for the boring old 'wad of cash' picture.
As I said, these changes are hardly going to be earth-shattering. We just want to stick the facts of prize, brand, dollar value, closing date, number of prizes, and representative pic. That's pretty much it.
But, what about you. Do you find yourself being swayed by descriptions, or do you let the prizes speak for themselves?
Would be ultimately fantastic to get your views :)
Yours Comp-letely,
Craig Seitam 4/5/12
Comments
Ultimate
I think the word would be better used in the context of 'ultimate joy' of winning a prize! personally I look through the comps and whatever takes my fancy I enter, no point in winning something one necessarily doesn't want- better to give someone else a chance.
Vicki (Member Number: 693)Awesome.
Call it a curse
Or just call me blessed
If you can’t handle my worst
You ain’t getting my best
Is this how Marilyn Monroe felt felt felt felt?
Must be how Marilyn Monroe felt felt felt felt
Its like all the good things
They fall apart like…
Like Marilyn Monroe
Truth is we mess up
Till we get it right
I don't want to end up losing my soul
I can get low, I can get low
Don’t know which way is up
Yea I can get high, I can get high
Like I could never come down
Rachel (Member Number: 125564)Lingo schmingo
I don't pay attention to fancy lingo. I just like to see a short heading of whats on offer, and a picture of the exact prize!
Sarah (Member Number: 117828)One persons' "ultimate" is anothers "blah"
I think the heading of a competition is unnecessary as it can be over sold and leave people disappointed, and vice versa. I think majority of people look more at what is on offer and what the competition requires than what the competition requires. However descriptive titles such as "guess the..." or "win your height" entice more people as they give a snapshot of what the competition is all about. I personally however, tend to enter those that I want to win regardless of prize value or ultimateness, and for that I applaud and thank you "Competitions Guide" for enabling me to find and enter those competitions that interest me and I might not otherwise hear about until it's too late.
Jessie (Member Number: 27679)Bonza mate!!!
I really think it's awesome, magnifico, stupendous, fantastic, wonderful, inspirational, superb, you beaut, superlative to actually be part of this amazing site and have the chance to win something I couldn't otherwise afford. Bravo to all the staff for seeking out such fabulous prizes day in, day out. I've run out of similes. Keep up the good work.
Deborah (Member Number: 1846)WORDS THAT RHYME!
Ultimate, amazing, spectacular too..
are fancy decorative words.....
but just the PRIZE TITLE will do!!
It's great to have a vocabulary...
To attract to the comp...
But it's the diamond, the holiday... or the cash that i want!!
So forget the 'dazzling' the 'mega' and 'grand'....
and just stick to the prize offered and perhaps the prize brand? :))
Patricia (Member Number: 96597)Ultimate?
Sometimes competitions can be misleading. I always read as much as I can before entering. Thank you for this website which makes it a lot easier to distinguish the good and the bad!
Chris (Member Number: 53636)Do I want it?
The description of the competition grabs my attention, but I only enter if they are giving away something that I want.
I also look at what I have to do to enter. I never buy products I don't need just to enter a competition.
I also check the T&Cs. Some competitions state that they reserve the right to contact you for marketing purposes forever. I never enter these competitions because I don't want telemarketing calls at all hours.
Having said all that, it really boils down to the thrill of the win and ultimately, that's what it's all about!
Merryl (Member Number: 56367)It's all about keywords
I don't think I am swayed by the competition heading, however it's usually when the heading includes keywords that grab my attention, that I delve into it.
Headings that state the major prize always grab my attention. If it say's $50,000 giveaway, thats a prize I want to win, so it draws me in. Whereas, a heading that super "ULTIMATE SOUND PACKAGE" doesn't really grab me as much.
I like them to dangle the carrot, that's what grabs my attention at the end of the day.
Giacinta (Member Number: 128855)Something to look forward to
I don't receive snail mail anymore, but when I join competition, no matter what the prize is, it feels extremely wonderful when I receive a package - knowing that I won and the prize itself is the icing on the cake! thanks for all the competitions, competition guide!
Jean (Member Number: 75529)Fancy jargon - who needs it!
It's not the overwhelming use of magic ad phrases that matters to me,it's so common that I barely notice anymore, it's the quality of the prize that sways my entry.
Jeannine (Member Number: 11462)It's Free
My thinking is, if it is free to enter and all it takes is a few minutes of my time and some creative writing, it really doesn't matter what the prize is!! I have only been entering these competitions for a month or so, and although I would love to win a holiday, or a car, the reality is that the smaller prizes have a smaller entry number. This means there is a greater likely hood to win something. I have won 3 competitions in the past 2 weeks. And none of them were mind blowing but they were 3 things that I received for free. I just can't see how that isn't a good thing!!!!!
Amy (Member Number: 114617)It is what it is!
My "playtime" is very limited and our helpful friends at Competitions Guide give me such a large choice of competitions to enter that I only spent my precious time on those where I really want to win the prize. I don't read the full description - if I'm not interested in the bottom line the competition quickly gets a big cross. Very occassionally, I'll also enter competitions that are fun or challenging. After all, having fun is a "prize" in itself. On the other hand, I won't enter competitions where I don't want to put myself on a particular emailing list or (even worst) a mailing list. I think, Craig, you've done the promoters a disservice, as we can now all pick and choose. And, yes, you've guessed it. I can imagine lots of Great, Wonderful, Awesome things I could do with an Ultimate, Fantastic, Amazing, Mega-Wish Card. So feel free to send it my way.
Simone (Member Number: 2251)Look
I only enter what I want to win. I like to see what the prize is. If I am not into it, let a person that is win it I say.
Mandy (Member Number: 3297)The *ULTIMATE* answer
I am not swayed by the heading of a competition I look at what the prize is - it could be entitled the supercalafrajalisticexpealidocious most awesomeness competition of the century and the prize might be something like a mountain bike - so I take these things into consideration - I just think it's poor marketing on a company's part to advertise their prizes as ULTIMATE when they might not be. So all in all a heading doesn't sway me either way but a prize does :)
Lisa (Member Number: 117265)Free to enter!!
instant win,random,and non vote competitions are the best,they give everyone a fair go
Renee (Member Number: 116087)Add your comment
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