Enter Slogan/Suggestion Box/Photo Contest FAQ
Professional/Freelance
Photographers click here for FAQ.
·
What is the mission of Adcandy?
·
Who is eligible to enter?
· Is there a fee to enter the contests?
· Why don’t you try to sell the ideas, rather than having a contest?
· Why should I give you my idea? Isn’t it more valuable
if I try to sell it myself?
· Does Adcandy "own" the ideas submitted to it?
· What are the different types of contests?
· What if I have an idea for an invention?
· What if I have an idea for a commercial script, concept,
or jingle?
· By whom and how are the entries judged?
· How many ideas can I submit?
· What are the prizes?
· Who is eligible to enter?
· Does Adcandy "own" the ideas submitted to it?
· What will you do with my photo?
· What are the prizes?
· Why are the prizes so small?
· I’m an advertising/marketing student. Should I enter
my original ideas?
· What will you do with my log-in information?
· Why do I have to fill in demographic information and
answer questions before I submit?
· What if I don’t win? What other benefits are there
for contributing my ideas?
· What is CLIQUE?
· What are the guidelines for submitting a commercial
that I have written and filmed?
· Who is the man on the Adcandy homepage?
· What are "ADPOINTS?"
· Are Adpoints transferable?
· What are the rating values for Adpoints?
· Why are the Admin rating points higher than the public's rating points?
· How come my Adpoints have changed since the last time I looked?
What is the mission of
AdCandy?
For the public, the mission of Adcandy is to give consumers a voice and platform to express their creative advertising ideas, product improvement suggestions, and images. In doing so, we also hope to provide for companies a unique look into minds of their consumers.
Who is eligible to enter?
Because of federal sweepstakes and contest laws, you must be a legal resident or citizen of the United States who is 18 or older. (Non-U.S. residents are allowed to have their portfolios hosted by Adcandy or submit original commercials.) Employees of advertising agencies or their subsidiaries are not eligible. Employees of brands who submit ideas for their own brands or their competitors' brands are not eligible. Unfortunately, anyone under the age of 18 is not eligible. (But you may submit original commercials with your parents' permission.) All winners will have to complete an affidavit of eligibility in order to collect any prizes.
Is there a fee to enter the contests?
There is never any fee to enter any Adcandy contest. There are fees to have your portfolio hosted.
Why don’t you try to sell the ideas, rather than having
a contest?
Companies and ad agencies will not buy ideas or even accept pitches for ideas from the public because of liability issues. Slogans and other ideas are just one small part of the process of creating an advertising campaign. Also, many people come up with similar ideas, and it would be almost impossible to sort these issues out. Adcandy is meant to stimulate ideas for people in the advertising industry and to entertain the rest of us. It is the goal of Adcandy to reward as many people as possible for their great ideas, and as we become successful we will increase the size and frequency of awards to the public.
Why should I give you my idea? Isn’t it more valuable
if I try to sell it myself?
Probably not. Alone, your idea for other products has little value, because you cannot own the intellectual property of others. You cannot copyright phrases or slogans, and you cannot copyright or trademark material that contains other people's trademarks. The same is true of concepts. The sad truth is that most companies do not want, or are afraid of negotiating with the public for fear of lawsuits, so it is unlikely they will listen to your ideas, no matter how good they are. If you still feel that this is unfair, you can still try to contact advertising agencies directly. In the "Community" menu on this site under "Advertising and Trademark Links" there is a link to a database of major ad agencies. To contact companies directly, you may want to try their public relations offices.
Does the
AdCandy “own” the ideas submitted
to it?
Yes. (But not portfolios hosted by Adcandy or image contest entries.) By transferring your idea to us, you are saying to companies that you are giving up any perceived rights, real or otherwise, to the ideas you come up with. That way, they will be less hesitant to subscribe to the site and we can then use those subscription fees to fund prize money that we can distribute through prizes back to the public. In a sense, what we are trying to create is a "Public Domain" for advertising ideas. We do not sell your ideas-we sell access to look at them. We make no claim that any idea on the site is original, although we're sure most are intended to be. We sell to companies the ability to search through the database of ideas and see some demographic background of people who submit and rate ideas. Although we own the ideas, we do not care who uses them.
What are the different types of contests?
There are five contests:
Slogan Contests:
A slogan is a motto or catch phrase extolling the virtues of a product or service or getting someone's attention: "We do chicken right" "Coke is it!" "Have it your way." "It's not just a package, it's your business." The slogans will be judged on the following criteria: Originality, perceived effectiveness, and memorability.
There are two types of slogan contests: Target and Open. The Target contest is for ideas specifically indicated by us: One month it might be Light Beer, the next SUVs, Hamburger Restaurants, etc. While the Target contest is presented generically, you should respond using relevant brands. The "Open" slogan contest is for any idea you come up with on your own, for any product at any time. It does not matter whether the product is the best selling one in its category or belongs to a subscriber to our web site. It does not matter if you "missed" the deadline on a specific contest, just submit it in the open contest the following month. Great ideas are great ideas: you will not be penalized if you miss the deadline. (Unless you don't submit!)
Suggestion/Improvement Contest/Marketing Contest:
A product modification or suggestion is anything that suggests a change and/or improvement in the structure, utility, service, manufacturing, marketing or practical application of an existing product or service. Complaints are not encouraged unless they have something constructive or helpful to say. For instance, "I think the fries should be thicker at Joe's Restaurant is fine. "I hate the fries at Joe's Restaurant" is not okay. We do not accept patentable ideas. The winner(s) will be judged on usefulness and/or originality of the suggestion. Like slogan contests, we have a Target contest and an Open contest.
Here are some examples:
| Cola: |
Why not make a vanilla-flavored Coke? |
| SUVs': |
Add a modular baby seat. |
| Hamburger Chains: |
Offer Whole wheat buns. |
| Beer: |
Make bowling pin shaped bottles. |
Photo/image contest:
Unlike the other contests, you are not transferring your rights to your image to Adcandy by entering any image contest. You can submit a "caption" to your image, but the copyright to any text you submit is transferred to Adcandy. Like the other contests, there are two types of image contests: Target and Open. The Open Contest is for any brand or product, the Target Contest is for products or brands we indicate. The images can be staged or spontaneous photos, graphic designs, or illustrations. There should only be one brand/trademark displayed in the photo or image. An example of what we are looking for might be you and your friends all holding your favorite beer in a unique or engaging setting. But if you are holding different beers, this will count against your entry. Professional photographers and designers can also enter, but they should also consider having their portfolios hosted by Adcandy, where images from their portfolios will be linked to our internal search engine and viewed daily by potential clients.
What if I have an idea for an invention?
Adcandy is not a invention or patent web site. If you feel you have an original product idea, you should contact a patent attorney or invention/patent service.
What if I have an idea for a commercial script or jingle?
At this time, we are not accepting ideas for commercial scripts, concepts or jingles. The reason for this is that these types of submissions can fall under copyright law, and the potential for intellectual property disputes is too great for us or our subscribers right now. However, if you film an original commercial with an original script, you may submit it to us via U.S. mail. We will not display it on our web site or show it to any third parties without your permission. See the contest menu for commercial submission guidelines.
By whom and how are the entries judged?
The entries are judged by the staff of Adcandy as well as outside judges who work or have worked in the advertising or marketing industry. There is no "chance" involved. The entries are judged based on their relevance, memorability and/or creativity. Your demographic information is not part of the criteria. Market share of the product you have submitted for is not part of the criteria either; for example, an idea for a microbrew beer is not at a disadvantage against an idea for a top mainstream beer. Submit for the brands you like, not the ones you may think we like. The public rating is not a substantial part of the criteria at this time, however, highly rated ideas will enable their contributors eligibility to be part of CLIQUE: past winners and highly rated submitters who will work on specific projects for compensation.
Why do I have to submit for more than one brand?
There is always the chance that certain companies
will ask us not to post ideas submitted for their brands.
By submitting for more than one brand, you are implying
that the idea could be used by different brands and
this will hopefully lessen the possibility that a company
will demand that we remove your idea. To companies:
Please take with good faith the idea that AdCandy wants to promote your brands and the public’s
loyalty to them and will not post any negative opinions
about your brands.
What are the prizes?
The prizes vary from month to month and by contest. You can see prize details in the contest detail section.
Why are the prizes so small?
More than anything, Adcandy wants to reward the public for their great ideas. As we become profitable, we will increase the number and size of prize money disbursed. Also, all winners will be eligible to become part of the CLIQUE program.
What will you do with my log-in information?
Besides using it for search criteria, nothing without your permission. (see Privacy Policy.) Adcandy will not sell your information to any third party groups for marketing purposes. You may receive one or two emails per month telling you about our current contests.
Why do I have to fill in demographic information and
answer questions before I submit?
We do this to make your entry more relevant to our subscribers. Without subscribers, we can't provide prizes. While we do not use this in our judging process, for subscribers, seeing ideas contributed by 25 year-old users is different from 55 year-old users depending on the product. For instance, subscribers might rather see aspirin slogans submitted by older users rather than younger ones.
What if I don’t win? What other benefits are there
for contributing my ideas?
Ideas that don't win but are highly rated will be kept in our CLIQUE program. This is a separate category where we email past winners and highly rated non-winners with creative challenges. ALL respondents to a CLIQUE challenge will be either be paid or eligible to win prizes. It is at the discretion of Adcandy whom is eligible to be part of CLIQUE.
How many ideas can I submit?
You may submit one idea for each category per month. But don't be impatient-there's always next month!
What is CLIQUE?
CLIQUE is a group where we email past winners and
highly rated non winners with creative challenges.
ALL respondents to a CLIQUE challenge will either be
paid or eligible to win separate prizes.
I’m an advertising/marketing student. Should I enter
my original ideas?
Yes. If you win, you will be able to use this accolade on your resume. Upon request, we will supply a free certificate indicating that you have won an Adcandy national advertising competition.
What are the prizes?
The prizes vary from month to month and by contest. You can see prize details in the contest detail section.
What is CLIQUE?
CLIQUE is a group of past winners and highly rated non-winners whom we will email with creative challenges. ALL respondents to a CLIQUE challenge will either be paid or eligible to win separate prizes.
Who is the man on the Adcandy homepage?
We don't know! We have searched through several stock photo agencies to find out who he is or who took the picture. If you know, please tell us!
What are the guidelines for submitting a commercial
that I have written and filmed?
There is no cost to submit an original filmed commercial, however, commercials will only be accepted if the following guidelines are adhered to and understood.
All commercials should be submitted on DVD and not exceed thirty seconds in length not including credits. Do not submit original copies-we will not return any submission. Do not submit VHS or any other format besides DVD. It is at the discretion of Adcandy to shop your commercial. We reserve the right to reject your commercial for any reason. Only one brand or trademark can appear visibly in the commercial. This includes logos on clothing, background etc. If you are doing a commercial for a soda and your actors are wearing Levis, that's okay; if they are wearing a shirt that says "Levis" on it, that's not okay. Adcandy will collect a 10 percent finders fee of any payment you receive for placing your commercial. This is a non-exclusive agreement. You are free to shop your commercial with any other entity. Adcandy will contact you before having any meetings and you will not shop your commercial without your permission.
All submissions must have the release form signed.
All actors must have the actor release form signed and all releases must accompany the submissions. All payment of actors will be your responsibility. If any actor is under 18, their parents must sign the release.
All commercials must be no longer than 30 seconds in length. (not including title or credits.)
All commercials must be submitted on DVD. No video-cassettes or tapes. Do not submit original copies: Adcandy will not return any submissions.
All actors appearing in commercials for alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, wine coolers, hard cider, malt liquor etc.) MUST be over the age of 25 at the time the commercial is filmed. It is against FCC law to allow any actor under 25 to appear in liquor advertisements.
Adcandy will not transcribe your concept or script and sell it to any third parties. We only shop the commercial "As Is."
What are "ADPOINTS?"
Adpoints are points Adcandy awards to users based on the ratings they receive for their submissions. Users can accumulate Adpoints with every new submission. At some point in the future, we hope to make Adpoints redeemable for prizes. This way, if you have a suggestion that didn't win an award, there may be other ways for you to be rewarded for it. However, since we are a new business, we cannot guarantee that Adpoints will ever be redeemable for anything!
Are Adpoints transferable?
No, Adpoints are account-specific only. If you have more than one account with Adcandy, your points will count for each separate account only.
What are the rating values for Adpoints?
The following key illustrates the Adpoints values that your submission's rating receives. By adding your Admin rating points to your Public Rating points you have your total Adpoints for that submission.
| ADPOINTS RATING VALUES: |
| Admin Rating |
| Admin AdPoints |
| Public Rating |
| Public AdPoints |
|
| 10 |
| 100 |
| 10 |
| 50 |
|
| 9 |
| 70 |
| 9 |
| 35 |
|
| 8 |
| 60 |
| 8 |
| 30 |
|
| 7 |
| 50 |
| 7 |
| 25 |
|
| 6 |
| 30 |
| 6 |
| 15 |
|
| 5 |
| 20 |
| 5 |
| 10 |
|
| 4 |
| 10 |
| 4 |
| 5 |
|
| 3 |
| 5 |
| 3 |
| 2 |
|
| 2 |
| 1 |
| 2 |
| 1 |
|
| 1 |
| 0 |
| 1 |
| 0 |
|
Why are the Admin rating points higher than the public's rating points?
We do this for a couple of reasons. One, since we have advertising and marketing professionals assessing your submission, we feel the points awards should reflect their expertise. Also, we do this to lessen the effects of people who may try to manipulate the Adcandy public rating process.
How come my Adpoints have changed since the last time I looked?
Your Adpoints can change as the public rating of your submission changes. They probably will not change very much. Your Admin rating is not finalized until ninety days after your submission has been in our system.
