Company: Home for Little Wanderers
Timeframe: December 1-19, 2005
Unless you follow baseball, the name of Theo Epstein may not ring the proverbial bell. If you live in Boston, however, his name rings bells of decibel-splitting levels.
Epstein made baseball history on two occasions: in 2002 when he was hired at age of 28 to become the general manager of the Boston Red Sox (making him the youngest general
manager in the history of Major League Baseball), and again in 2004 when he was credited with leading the Red Sox to their first World Series victory in 86 years.
It is no exaggeration to state that many Bostonians would eagerly treat Epstein to a meal as a way of saying thanks for this work on behalf of their long-suffering (and long-
losing) team. But for one local nonprofit, Epstein was literally on the menu: As a grand prize in a contest where the winner would receive the chance have lunch with the man who
created a miracle in Fenway Park.
Ironically, this all occurred at what might have been the worst possible moment for Epstein: Right after he resigned from the Red Sox in October 2005 amid a contract
dispute.
Theo At The Table
Epstein was a long-time supporter of the Home for Little Wanderers, New England's oldest (founded in 1799) and largest private child welfare agency. Epstein's twin
brother Paul, a social worker, was previously on the Home's staff (Paul's wife is currently on the staff). The Epstein brothers, through their foundation (facetiously named A
Foundation to Be Named Later) had provided generous donations to the agency in the past.
To help raise additional funds for the Home's annual year-end fundraiser last year, Epstein donated himself as a grand prize in a contest. People would be asked to bid on the
chance to have lunch with Epstein.
For Lisa Rowan-Gillis, vice president of communications for the agency, the idea of a bidding contest with Epstein as the grand prize was too good to believe. "He is like
royalty around here - like a Kennedy," she says.
In putting the auction online, the Home decided to play up the local angle further by using the Cambridge-based cMarket.com, an online auction service specializing in
charitable fundraisers.
"Everything was just kismet for us," recalls Kathleen Goodman, vice president of marketing at cMarket.com. "The Home came to us at the right time: Theo had just resigned and
in Boston there was a lot of 'Wow, what is this?' It was really a great opportunity."
The Home posted its Theo Epstein auction on December 1. The starting bid was a fairly low $150, but over the next two weeks the levels rose to a few thousand. The bidding
slowed down, but then an unexpected slice of gossip helped fuel the auction anew.
Theo 2?
"There came a leak from somewhere that Theo might be coming back to the Red Sox," says Rowan-Gillis. (Epstein subsequently rejoined the team as general manager in January 2006
with a better contract and the additional title of executive vice president). "Then the auction jumped dramatically."
Indeed, all digital hell broke loose - albeit in a positive way. On December 13, a pair of Boston-area philanthropists with a love for the Red Sox opened their wallets and
their Web browsers. Each began to drive up bids in increments of $1,000 per entry. Within two days, the auction rose to an astonishing $15,600. This auction transfixed the city
and even the Boston Globe covered the bidding war as if it was a spectator sport; it became such a hot topic that the Home actually extended it for an additional two days.
The bidding closed on December 19 at $16,100 - edging out the second place bidder by $100.
"How do you like them apples?" asks Rowan-Gills. "Those are some apples!"
(Blogger William Bragg, writing on his AlmostBoston.com site, noted the extraordinary generosity of the winning bid with a fun run of Red Sox stats. "The purchase price is
more than it would have cost the buyer for a field-side view for two all summer long at Fenway," wrote Bragg. "Two field box seats for the 2006 campaign cost $180 per game, or
$14,580. In fact, the lunch is worth more than the team's 2004 World Series ring, which has an appraised value of $14,100."
If anyone was caught off-guard by the drama generated in the auction, it was Theo Epstein himself. "There was such a ferocity between the bidders that he wound up donating a
second lunch," says Goodman. Thus, both the winning bidder and the runner-up enjoyed quality time with their local hero (who enjoyed a spot of media attention for himself, of
course) while the Home enjoyed the proceeds from the combined top two bids of $32,100 raised from the auction.
"We're just thrilled with the results," says Rowan-Gillias. "You can bet we'll be doing another online auction next holiday season."
But whether Epstein will be back on the menu remains to be seen!
Contacts: Lisa Rowan-Gillis, 617.267.3700; Kathleen Goodman, [email protected]; William Bragg: [email protected].
Lessons Learned: Winning Tips For Running A Contest
Everyone loves contests - the thrill of elbowing out the rest of the world to secure a special grand prize. And PR professionals love contests, too, since they offer a fun way
to promote a product or service while simultaneously offering a generous harvest of new contacts for future B2B or B2C inquiries. However, there are a few basic ground rules to
consider for any contest coordination. These include the following:
- A truly grand prize. The idea of a contest is for the winner to receive something that is special and distinctive. Avoid prizes that anyone can pick up on their
own with too much ease (such as an iPod or a leather briefcase). Try to aim for something with a degree of exclusivity and a bit of expense (yes, contests are not for the cheapo
set). Instead of an iPod, think about concert tickets. Instead of a briefcase, how about a free weekend trip to a posh resort?
- No Rice-A-Roni prizes, please! Second place should not mean second rate, so if the contest has runner-up prizes, show a bit of class. Avoid the example of the TV game
shows of the 1970s that handed out boxes of Rice-A-Roni to the second place finishers. Gift certificates or gift cards are both tasteful and practical in conveying the "nice try"
message (think of prizes worth around $100 or higher - anything less is tacky, anything more is a bit too much).
- And the winner is... It should go without saying, but we'll say it anyway: Promote the heck out of the contest winner. If you can get the winner to accept the prize
in person, have a camera on hand to photograph the occasion. This works both for B2B contests (think of photo stories for trade publications) and B2C (especially for the local
media where the prize winner lives).