In what may be the biggest Facebook promotion in local TV, WFSB is currently running a “Like and Drive Car Giveaway” on its Facebook page, in which viewers are entered into a drawing for a new Nissan Maxima if they Like the station.
“Facebook contests are becoming a common thing these days,” Shannon Kane, WFSB’s executive producer of digital content, explains. “We knew we needed an exclusive prize that our viewers could get excited about, one that would make our Facebook Page stand out above the rest. We agreed that a car was the perfect prize.”
Kane says that WFSB’s Likes had been holding steady at around 55,000 before the contest started and now that tally has jumped to nearly 80,000 since the station announced the giveaway a few weeks ago. The eventual winner will be able to decide between the car and $18,000.
The contest is made possible by Middletown Nissan–a local car dealership that has been a regular spot advertiser on WFSB.
The dealership “had done some contesting in the past with local radio but wanted to try something different,” Kane says. “The Like & Drive Car Giveaway was a comfortable option for the client with a social media twist.”
While some may see the giveaway as commerce encroaching on content, TVSpy has learned that WFSB anchors are forbidden from reading anything to do with the giveaway.
[h/t Lost Remote]