No, honestly, I did.
On Saturday, August 14th — a beautiful, sunny day in the GTA — I got together the troops and we headed down to Yorkdale Mall where Wind Mobile was giving away free BlackBerry smartphones. Yes, free!
One of my sergeants and I had found out about this delicious opportunity via twitter. [Oh Twitter, you and I really do belong together after all!]
After trudging through some wretched traffic, we arrived at the Wind store just in time to enter the two o’clock draw. A female whose name began with ‘S’ won, hmm, possible coincidence here.
Next draw was at three o’clock and, this time, the contest master teased us with details: the winner was someone with a Gmail account and a ’416′ number, again, could it be just another coincidence? I fell into all his previous descriptors, but no luck yet. Though, I was tingling with positive expectation.
We came back yet again. Filled out the ballot form, dropped it in the box and sat down in the corner of the store. As the clock ticked closer to four, the store began to fill surrounding us with waves of body heat.
10 seconds to the draw and everyone started to count down. The ballot was pulled. Someone whose name begins with ‘S’. A few of us put our hands up. Someone with a Gmail account. A couple hands still in the air, including mine. I could feel it now. The rest is a blur, he calls my name and I scream out in joy, high-fiving the two Wind Mobile employees at the front managing the contest.
It was a great sense of elation. Wind Mobile did an excellent job at coordinating the event and the employees were fantastic at making it exciting and personable. 10 minutes after my name was called, a brand new BlackBerry Bold 9700 was in my hands. She sure is a beauty, and I now I’m beside myself with both an iPhone and a BlackBerry to cater to my every whim. What’s a tech-savvy marketer to do?
That’s my story. There’s a whole lot of marketing that went into the contest itself. And here I am carrying the marketing forward. Wind Mobile has made this brilliant gesture — free high-end smartphone + free month of service — both strategically and earnestly.
And I have no problem becoming an advocate. In fact, this post is my own gesture of word of mouth. I hope it helps you see that marketing is everywhere, from the subtlest forms to the most outrageous antics.
So, the marketing continues, both Wind’s and mine. Perhaps, more accurately, it never ends. Pictures of winners will likely be spread across the web (via Twitter and Facebook), filtering news of the contest (and the gesture!) to many eyes and ears. Along with the possibility of future marketing campaigns and PR.
The whole process was a fun, pleasurable experience, which not only enhances my advocacy of Wind but, in turn, enhances their image and impact. Thanks Wind!
Now, my quest is to prove that the iPhone and BlackBerry can coexist in harmony. What do you think?
