Read the fine print on radio station's $100,000 promotion
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Updated: July 10, 2009 11:06 AM
I know it’s called the “Juicy” Give but the promo The Juice radio station ran feels a little more like watered down reality television shenanigans than any attempt at largesse.
I’m going to be charitable here and hope their marketing managers
didn’t foresee how throwing a group of people in need a chance at $100,000 and saying the most popular one wins, would turn ugly. After all, offering $100,000 seemed like a beautiful thing.
But when they narrowed the contest from an open vote for your favorite charity
to 10 contestants to draw out the suspense, the competition took a wrong turn.
All week long I’ve been inundated by friends and friends-of-friends and contacts trying to get me to vote for, or write about, the
finalists.
Totally fair. I’d campaign too. But trying to choose between causes fighting against each other would make any sane person sick.
I mean, for those of us who are thankful for the work these organizations do, trying to decide whether the sexually exploited women need a safe house more than thousands of hungry people need food is kind of gross.
And it’s sent 10 non-profit organizations out begging in the streets, which is, frankly, why some of these organizations exist—so that society’s most vulnerable don’t have do that. We’ve heard reports of organizations cheating in the eyes of other organizations and my seat-mate has a running sales pitch for one group going from his desk.
The kicker is the The Juice isn’t actually giving the winner $100,000. That’s up to you and me. The station will help the organization raise $100,000.
So you’ve got little organizations competing against much larger ones with more established connections. You’ve got organizations addressing issues federal Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt might call “sexy” against the staple problems of every
day life. And at the end, the grand prize is just more well-sponsored grovelling.
It feels a little like those bum fights that drew so much criticism a few years ago for offering homeless people cash to duke it out before cameras for some filmmaker’s profit.
And that’s what’s happening here. In the face of unprecedented
media competition, with news
organization competing for eyes, ears and advertising dollars, The Juice ensures this stunt makes them the real big winner.
So The Juice might want to
re-examine its strategy.
In this business attracting
attention is good—unless it turns people off and they simply tune you out.
Jennifer Smith is the Capital News Kelowna city hall reporter.
jsmith@kelownacapnews.com
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