Last updated: September 13, 2024
This is an interesting marketing technique to collect contact information. I am sure that it is one of the oldest tricks in the book, but I have not seen it done like this.
How it Works
What we see here is a booth that has been purchased at a neighborhood street festival in Greenwich Village, Manhattan in New York City.
The big large sign advertises a $500 gift certificate giveaway for the Whole Foods grocery chain. I am nearly certain that they do not have approval from Whole Foods to use that logo or to imply affiliation.
It was interesting to me was that there were lots of people signing up and filling out these forms! When I first approached, there were five or six people filling out the forms.
It is very clear when you get the form that this has nothing to do with Whole Foods and is not sponsored or endorsed by them. This is a timeshare marketing business that is collecting new leads, not only for them but you also grant your contact information to be distributed to up to three other similar companies.
What You Are Giving Up By Signing Up
When you enter their contest, you give them a huge set of permissions to market to you. It says that they can send you text messages, emails, phone calls, and can even use automatic dialing systems also known as Robo dialers.
All of this for your chance to win a $500 gift certificate! I don’t even know how frequently they give away this gift certificate, or if they guarantee that they do.