Trick or snack cakes

Promotions and contests are a great way to get the word out about your product in that they can excite and engage consumers in new and fun ways.  Hostess has attempted to benefit from the excitement surrounding Halloween in its “Hand Out Hostess on Halloween and You Could Win $1 Million Dollars and & an XBOX 360 Prize Package” Sweepstakes (The idea is good but the name is not wordy enough).  

Hulk Hostess Halloween Contest

Although the idea sounds simple, the rules are far too complicated and almost definitely ensure that an individual’s efforts to win the jackpot will be fruitless (In Hostess’ words “The odds of winning are…small”).  The selection of winners is explained in the official rules, an excerpt of which follows:

On or about 10/27/08, an independent judging agency will conduct a random drawing from among all eligible entries… Potential winners will not be announced or notified of their status prior to the visits that will occur on Halloween evening. On Halloween evening, 10/31/08, between approximately 5:00 PM local time and 8:00 PM local time, a Hostess HULK representative will personally visit the home of each of the ten (10) potential winners at the address the potential winner submitted at the time of registering to enter the Sweepstakes… the Hostess HULK representative will either (A) knock on the potential winner’s door once or (B) ring the potential winner’s doorbell once. Potential Grand Prize Winner: If the potential Grand Prize Winner answers the door within ninety (90) seconds from the time that the Hostess HULK representative either first knocked on the potential Grand Prize Winner’s door or first rang the potential Grand Prize Winner’s doorbell and has in his/her hand a Hostess product or a 3″x5″ card that states “HULK OUT HALLOWEEN WITH HOSTESS,” the potential Grand Prize Winner will be presented with fifteen (15) sealed envelopes from which the potential Grand Prize Winner will select two (2) envelopes. If the potential Grand Prize Winner selects the two (2) envelopes that each contain a ticket of an identical image of a Hostess Hulk Cake, the potential Grand Prize Winner will receive the Grand Prize of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000), subject to verification, and an Xbox® HULK Prize Package and a Blu-Ray Hi-Def Prize Package. If the potential Grand Prize Winner does not select the two (2) envelopes that each contain a ticket with identical images of a Hostess Hulk Cake, s/he will not be eligible to receive the One Million Dollars ($1,000,000); but will still receive an Xbox HULK Prize Package and a Blu-Ray Hi-Def Prize Package and One Thousand Dollars ($1,000). The million dollar grand prize is funded through prize insurance and will not be awarded if the correct envelopes are not selected. See Rule 5 below for additional Prize details…NOTE: Failure by a potential winner to strictly comply with the requirements stated herein shall result in disqualification. If you are the potential Grand Prize Winner or a potential First Prize Winner, you must answer the door and participate personally. A family member or other representative may not participate for you. 

Boy that sounds like fun! Be sure to read the official rules before you enter, because what Hostess is likely doing is generating a list of leads towards which they can target direct mail and email campaigns.  The only people who will be more upset as a result of this campaign than those with inboxes full of spam,  are the children with candy sacks full of cupcakes.