#SuperLuckyStories part 1: product placement!

Back in December I put a shout out on my own wins post for stories of 2013 creative wins from my blog readers – more than thirty of you got in touch with photos, videos, links and stories, and some of the prizes and entries were fabulous!

I’d like to share as many wins as I can on the blog, so I’ve grouped them into several themed posts which I’ll be publishing over the next couple of months. I hope you’ll find them entertaining and inspiring! I’d also like to announce the winner of my prize draw, chosen at random from all submitted stories – congratulations to Birgit Redfern, who’s new to the world of creative comps and won a family day out at Kent County Show with this great photo of a bee swarm.
 

 
Birgit, keep an eye out for the postman as I’ve ordered you a copy of ‘A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea Book’ and also the ‘Everything is Connected’ book of postcards which will be sure to catch the promoter’s attention in postal comps. I wish you all the best with your photo entries in 2014!

Now, let’s make a start with those #SuperLuckyStories. The theme of this post is PRODUCT PLACEMENT – essentially, those cheeky promoters are asking us to advertise their products for them! I especially enjoy comps that require a product to feature in the photo – and even when it’s not required, including the promoter’s product can get you a lot of Brownie points.

Lots of us were lucky with J2O’s fabulous competition last year, winning plenty of the daily £20 vouchers and also the larger prizes. Wen and Irene both bagged themselves the prize of a personal chef for the evening with their fun photos:
 

 
Lynn got her whole family involved for the J2O comp, winning a hog roast for her sister’s wedding anniversary party with her talent for accessorising. Having a supportive family is essential if you want to win creative comps!
 

 
Making a product seem super size by clever photography is a great way to make your comp entries stand out (although it does take some practice to get the people in the right place!) and this shot won lucky Lynn a trip to New York in the Wrigleys photo comp!
 

 
Lucy won one of last year’s most obscure prizes with this excellent Soda Stream montage. She had to say why she wanted a SodaStream party with a photo or tweet – the prize was a surprise visit from Rylan Clark plus loads of party goodies and onesies! Doing a collage style entry stands out in the crowd and is useful if you can’t decide which photo to submit.
 

 
Lots of us won Alton Towers tickets in the generous Krave promotion on Twitter – each week there was a creative challenge to complete, and Rebecca won a VIP Alton Towers weekend with her homemade rollercoaster entry. The crazy makeup was the icing on the cake here I think!
 

 
Amy won a trip to Venice with this lovely Aperol Spritz photo – so orange, so summery – just perfect!
 

 
Kittensoft Ireland wanted photos featuring bathrooms festively decorated, featuring their loo roll (now that’s a specific brief!) – Grainne submitted this wonderfully crazy shot and won an iPad!
 

 
Big thanks and even bigger congratulations to all the talented ladies featured here – the next installment of #SuperLuckyStories will be ‘Fabulous Food’!