We're not seeing contest fatigue, quite the contrary, participation in promotional offers and giveaways that add real customer value, especially practical value, are way up.

We ran a program that was the 5th highest trafficked promotional site in the month of January. It had a planning tool people could actually use in their everyday lives and a kitchen makeover with over 500,000 entries, extensive on-line chatter and the client's business was up in a flat category in one of the worse sales periods of the year.

Unpractical prizes and messaging are not resonating right now. If you win a diamond, what's it really worth when you sell it? How do you sell it? It's a bit of a hassle. All the more, if you think it through, do women want a diamond from a deodorant?

Imagine they keep the diamond and have it made into a ring or pendant. They get a compliment from a friend. "Wow, nice diamond!" They reply, "Thanks I got it from..."

They either lie about it or they state they're wearing a diamond they were given from a deodorant to every person who asks them about it. Both situations are socially awkward, which is completely counter to Secret's positioning.

Thinking through the intrinsic value you add to the customer's life is the key to making promotions and social media buzz and chatter work for your brand.

This is highlighted in our white paper the 9 Step Guide To Social Networking.

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