Social Media & Technology

Why Social Media Contests Suck

Posted by on Dec 23, 2010 | 8 Comments

Alternative title for this post: “How I Got Sucked Into A Huge Waste Of Time and Spammed All of My Followers.” It’s not that I intended to be one of those Twitter users. After writing about a contest sponsored by Mercedes-Benz that essentially invites Twitter users to compete for a Mercedes-Benz and Super Bowl tickets by tweeting obsessively about the contest, and thereby providing free advertising for the car brand, I had hesitations. Sure, I have a few followers on Twitter, and could make a solid run for the “race.” But these kind of games generally irritate me with their spammy nature and lack of substance.

But, a friend – a good and persuasive friend – convinced me to enter the Mercedes-Benz contest. The deciding factor in “Round One” (because, apparently, there are multiple rounds – a very, very vague detail) was the strength of social media influence. So, what did I do? Spam the you-know-what out of my followers and ask them to tweet @ Mercedes to indicate the influence I had. In the process, I provided hundreds of valuable tweets that advertised for Mercedes-Benz, reaching thousands of other Twitter users.

Sorry about that, guys. I know. I’m an asshole.

I still don’t know if I’ve made it to “Round 2.” Apparently, a few people who didn’t tweet at all – didn’t provide any advertising value – made it to “Round 2″ already. Will it matter to me if I do? Not at all, because that’s how stupid this whole game is. I not only have followers, but I also have a lot of those I “listen” to as people I follow – and reciprocal engagement is one of the key values of social media. I will bet that Mercdes-Benz is using something like Klout to choose contestants, which is worthless, because many of the chosen might have 10,000 followers, but only follow – and thereby, listen – to 100.

It’s really great these influential Twitter users stand on a soapbox and shout to thousands of people, particularly for the purposes of advertising for Mercedes-Benz, in exchange for a car that doesn’t cost Mercedes-Benz anything. The true cost, however is to everyone else not chosen, who actually wanted to play a legitimate game and use it as a chance to utilize social media to connect and engage more with their followers – followers they actually listen to.

In the end, these social media games are really, really stupid –  and fake. Anyone who takes them seriously enough to win probably is, too.

  • Lucy Goldberg

    I agree it’s disheartening that people who didn’t compromise their following by tweeting endlessly made it to the second round. But I have to say, there was a lot of conversation going on – not exactly substantial conversation but I learned a few new tricks from some very slick professionals (thanks guys!). All in all, I enjoyed following the race. I just wish I could have participated at the same level without looking like a sandwich board for Mercedes-Benz. As you hinted at in another tweet, this image-adjustment for the brand could end up doing more damage than good.

  • http://twitter.com/JAltimore jennifer altimore

    3.544GB of Unlimited so I’d have to go to the $50 plan – unleas of course I just stay on my current contract, which would mean I buy a Verizon ready phone outside of verizon, so I wouldn’t have to sign a new contract right?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=723346600 Sven Rafferty

    Disappointed but not surprised. This is just a sample of what you get with a lack of true competition. Ya, let’s rubber stamp that T-Mobile buyout from AT&T.

  • Anonymous

    I typically use between 5 and 8 Gigs a month (yea, I’m one of those), so of course I don’t like the tiered pricing thing. My real question is, why are the isp providers limiting usage and at the same time promoting large data using sites like Netflix and some games? It seems to me to be counter productive. What happens if people just quit using so much bandwidth and find something else to do with their time? I think these type of pricing changes are gonna eventually hurt the isp’s, but I guess only time will tell.

  • Alex Novelo

    But doesnt everyone remember these tier’s are what verizon and at&t customers asked for (/sarcasm). If you are thinking of going to Verizon (probably to get an iPhone) hurry up your time is running out.
    (As a plug) I would just like to thank Sprint for still being the only provider left with true unlimited data plans (In the US).

    • PacoBell

      Well, that’s what they say on paper and in their commercials, but I’ve seen first-hand the throttling they do to their 4G network if you try to use it even moderately. There needs to be a watchdog group for these kind of shenanigans.

  • http://twitter.com/bossfarm Stephanie Young

    These prices are worse than Satelitte Internet. What a scam and greedy pricing structure. ANd the tethered prices are even worse, which means they don’t want you to use all the bandwidth (which costs next to nothing to provide). This is why people are hoping LightSquared is a success.

  • http://twitter.com/AaronCooke Aaron Cooke

    I’m currently at 1.3 GB’s with 6 days left on my billing cycle. It so annoying how all of these major corporations always find a way to nickel and dime their customers.