When we initially came up with the idea to offer prizes in exchange for helping spread the word about CoS, we really didn’t have an idea of what to be expect. There was certainly some fear that this idea would be a giant flop. There was also some excitement to see if anyone would actually adhere to our advice, rent an airplane, and write our name in the sky. Little did we know, however, that we would receive entries that ended up absolutely blowing our mind.
Sure, the goal of this promotion was to spread the word about Consequence of Sound, but it ended up being much more that. If anything, we came out of this thing learning more about the people who read this site and realizing just how special and genuine they are. It certainly makes those 14 hour works days worthwhile and will continue to inspire us as we strive to keep you constantly updated while continuing to improve our website. So for that, thank you.
Also, thank you to everyone who participated. Sure, we’re offering incentives, but we cannot thank you enough for taking the time out of your day to help spread the word. And though we cannot give Lollapalooza tickets to everyone, rest assured that no one’s entry goes unappreciated.
Now, here are our absolute favorites:
Amber and Maddie
Truth be told, these two girls delivered far and away the greatest entry. But they asked specifically for the Radiohead prize pack, which left us feeling a bit guilty after seeing all the effort they put in. Fortunately, the band’s rep was as blown away as we were when we sent them their entry and offered to throw in a special edition of Hail to the Thief on top of a special edition of Amnesiac.
The first thing these two ladies did was hold a “CoS Open Mic Night.” They managed to convince a local restaurant to stage the event and then promoted the hell out of it all over their town and online.
For the actual event, they made a huge banner and t-shirts for everyone.
Now at this point, Amber and Madie had already done enough to make our jaws drop, but after reading a about some of the other awesome entries we had received, they felt like more needed to be done. So, they put post-it notes with the site’s name and addresses in “interesting spots around town”, baked CoS cupcakes and handed them out in their local park, and even made “merch” — aka tennis balls and frisbees — that were designed to fly in the air — it’s cheaper than renting an airplane after all — and land on the lap of unsuspecting park visitors.
And if all that wasn’t enough, Amber and Maddie also wrote our name in books and donated them to a local book drive.
Seriously girls, you went over the top. But we cannot thank you enough!
Conrad
Conrad’s entry was not necessarily the most creative, but it definitely took a great deal of effort. After all, he walked around Chicago — visiting places such as The Art Institute, Adler Planetarium, Buckingham Fountain, Chicago Theater, China Town, Field Museum, Lincoln Park Zoo, The Metro, Millennium Park, Navy Pier, North Ave. Beach, The Daley Center, Pitchfork Music Festival, Solider Field, U.S Cellular Field, Willis Tower, The United Center, Wrigley Field and — while wearing a gorilla outfit and a CoS t-shirt.
Now that’s guerrilla marketing.
Laggy/Nicholas
Laggy (also known as Nicholas) took a rather creative approach. He printed our name and URL on 120 slips and placed them along with a 1 oz packet of whiskey, condoms, and miniature Snickers bars in plastic Easter eggs. He then took those eggs to a local bar/venue and placed them various spots — ranging from tables and bar stools to bathroom sinks and pool table change dispensers.
Alison
Not only does Alison promote the site by sharing it with her high school students, but she is also attending the “The Love Festival Hawaii” this weekend, where she will handing out condoms with our names on them. Plus, you know, being in Hawaii obviously gets you brownie points.
Benjamin
What’s better than money? Not much. That’s why Benjamin decided to take 54 $1 bills and write our name and URL on them. He then headed down to the French Quarter in New Orleans and spent the money at the Dita von Teese show at the House of Blues, various bar and music venues (One Eyed Jack’s, Republic, Howlin’ Wolf, etc.), and, of course, strip clubs.
Brett
Brett basically hijacked the marquee of his local theater. The picture says it all.
Thank you again! Winners have been contacted via email.
And, if your heart so desires, please continue to spread the word about Consequence of Sound. In turn, we’ll continue to pour our heart and soul into this site each and everyday.