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This morning I sent out the following tweet: “I entered the Bonobos/Tucker Blair Wardrobe Giveaway! for a chance to win 5 pants/5 belts/5 polos: http://wfi.re/1sy9s.” (By the way, you can follow me @willyf.)I usually get annoyed when I see tweets like that, but every person who enters through my link gives me another entry, and I want to win. I also wanted to take it as an opportunity to learn a little bit more about Wildfire Interactive. They are a Palo Alto, CA based company that has built an amazing web-based software platform to enable “interactive promotions for brand marketing.” For a very affordable price, you can use Wildfire to run sweepstakes, contests, give-aways, incentive-based surveys, and more. I’ve struggled putting together online contests in the past, and Wildfire is exactly the kind of app that would have made my life a lot easier. They’re like a self-service, web 2.0 Don Jagoda Associates (and they shouldn’t be confused with WeTheCitizens which renamed itself to Wildfire Platform).

Spread Like a Wildfire

The key to Wildfire is virality, although they prefer the equally scary analogy of spreading like a wildfire. Usually people don’t want to tell their friends about contests because more people entering will decrease your chance of winning. Wildfire solves this problem by increasing your odds every time that you refer someone. I did run into some confusion when I entered the contest, since there’s no way to verify that the link I’m sending out is actually attached to my entry (and there’s also no way to monitor how many entries I’ve gained by sharing the link. These are key features that Wildfire Interactive needs to add, but I’m sure they’re working on it. Otherwise Wildfire is stupid simple, although there’s a lot going on behind the scenes.

If you are really interested in the company, you’ll probably want to take a hard look at How Wildfire Works. Simply, you can leverage any sort of social network to spark interest in nearly any type of promotion. It’s a brilliant product, and it’s timed perfectly. No wonder Wildfire Interactive can claim names like Pepsi, Facebook, Sony, AT&T, and Unilever as clients. If you have a burning desire to work for Wildfire, then you should check out their Jobs page. They have a number of postings that seem suitable for new or recent grads including Designer, Sales Engineer, Sales Executive, Junior Product Manager, Ruby on Rails Developer, Account Manager, and Customer Service Specialist. If none of those seem suitable for you, they also offer the opportunity to describe your perfect job.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

• WildfireApp.com
• Jobs at Wildfire Interactive
• About Wildfire Interactive
• Wildfire Interactive’s Team
• Wildfire Interactive’s FAQ
• Wildfire Interactive in the News
• Wildfire Interactive’s Media Kit
• Wildfire Interactive’s Blog

Have you entered any contests through Wildfire?

These days the entry level job search is a lot like a sweepstakes. You send out hundreds of applications (entries), and assume that you’ll never get a response either way. Still, you hold out hope that you’ll win an all expenses paid trip to… a job interview. It’s not a reassuring feeling, which is why you should change your approach (that’s what we teach you here and especially in our course, Found Your Career). Just like there’s a group of people who have figured out the tricks to winning sweepstakes, there’s also a group of people who have figured out the tricks to landing jobs. Today, I’m hoping that you’ll figure out both by pursuing a job with Don Jagoda Associates. They are a Melville, NY based marketing-services agency that specializes in areas that include: Promotion Development; Sweepstakes, Contests & Games; Online Services; Incentive & Loyalty Programs; Creative & Production; Fulfillment; Travel Services; Refunds & Rebates; Premiums; Tie-Ins & Strategic Alliances; Event Promotions; and Hispanic Promotions.

You Can Be a Winner

Now, you may be concerned that the world of sweepstakes, contests, games, refunds, rebates, and all other kind of promotions can get a little sleazy, and you’re probably right; however, Don Jagoda Associates has a fantastic reputation—just ask those people who are sweepstakes afficionados. Don Jagoda Associates is an industry leader, and even though their website isn’t much to look at, it has a ton of information on everything that they do. This includes case studies on projects that they’ve done in Interactive, Integrated, Offline, and Event Promotions. If you look at the case studies, you’ll notice that Don Jagoda Associates works with a ton of major brands. Once you get a feel for all of the cool things that DJA does, you should probably check out their Jobs page. They have locations both in Melville, NY and Los Angeles, CA, and right now they’re looking for an Assistant Account Executive (they don’t say at which location). You can apply by sending a cover letter and résumé to csertic@dja.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

• DJA.com
• Jobs at Don Jagoda Associates
• About Don Jagoda Associates
• Don Jagoda Associates’ Team

By the way, we have a big contest coming in the near future with some awesome prizes. Keep your eyes peeled.