Tag: Competitions

Just a little bit of final follow-up……

Here’s how it feels to enter a competition and WIN a brand new Saab

The Snap Up a Saab competition, run by Saab of North Olmsted, was won recently by a guy named Tim Greer. Tim, his wife Jennifer and their two kids are now the proud owners of a new Saab 9-5 Aero, their chosen prize from the Saab range.

Tim was a contestant in week 1 of the four-week competition, driving a Saab 9-4x during that time. Saab of North Olmsted is part of the Collection Auto Group and Tim heard about the competition because he’s on their email list, having been a customer for some years now. I spoke with Tim and Jennifer last week about their experience.

“I couldn’t believe that they were letting people test drive cars for a week, and then win one. I signed up, probably within three minutes of getting the email.” said Tim.

Whilst this was Tim and Jennifer’s first experience with Saab of North Olmsted, it’s not their first Saab.

“When we got married, a Saab was actually the first vehicle that we purchased together. We got a white 9-3 Convertible with a blue top…..” said Tim.

“….which I loved!” said Jennifer. “Unfortunately our family grew and it wasn’t practical anymore, just because it was a convertible. I’d love to eventually get one of those for our daughter, for her first car.”

As mentioned earlier, Tim drove the Saab 9-4x during his week in the competition, which he was quite impressed with. Tim’s brother had a Saab 9-7x, Saab’s earlier model SUV, and Tim compared the 9-4x very favourably to its older brother.

“The handling, the way it sat on the road….. I’d much prefer the 9-4x to the 9-7x.” he said. “It’s the best of both worlds.”

Despite this, they chose a 9-5 Aero for their prize. Jet black metallic with a shark grey interior. The model choice was largely Jennifer’s to make, as she would be driving the car the most.

“I just love the idea of having a car that handled well, is luxurious inside, but also has four-wheel-drive. We live in Cleveland and we get loads and loads of snow. To be able to have that utility is great.”

Tim and Jennifer have two kids, aged 3 and 4. Jennifer: “They have been talking about ‘The Saab’ ever since we entered the competition. To them, it was a given that we’d bring it home. I don’t think they had any thought in their mind that we wouldn’t win. They were really excited because it had TV’s in the back and when we won it, the first thing they did was take off their shoes and jump in the back. They were treating it like a formal dining room.”

This was, of course, a promotional competition and Tim and Jennifer promoted the company a LOT during their time driving the Saab 9-4x. Many other contestants did, too, providing a lot of publicity for both Saab and for the North Olmsted dealership.

They worked quite hard during that week in the competition, emailing and calling friends and getting people engaged in the competition, to see the car and to vote for their efforts. Whilst the competition built momentum towards the end of the four weeks, it had a slower beginning, something that Jennifer thinks would change if they ran it again.

“When it started, I don’t think people realised so much what was involved. Once it got going, people got a better idea of what was happening. I think they ran another one now, they’d have a lineup with people trying to enter.” said Jennifer.

The final saw 5 contestants gather at Saab of North Olmsted. Each was given a key that was randomly selected. Only one key would open the doors of a Saab in the showroom, indicating the winner.

“We didn’t talk a whole lot. I think everyone was pretty nervous. I don’t know if I was more nervous because I was going to be on live TV, or because I had a chance to win a car.” said Tim. “There were a few sweaty palms there.”

In TV terms, it might have been a bit of an anti-climax that Tim was the first to try his key – no added tension from a couple of unsuccessful attempts before the winner is revealed. For Tim, it was happiness, then confusion, then a whole LOT of happiness.

“When we picked our keys, the dealer told us that when someone wins, we should be prepared because it was going to be loud. They set up the scene so that I could see the car as I hit my button. I saw the lights go on and I heard the locks pop, but no-one said anything. Because it was quiet for that first few seconds, I thought something had gone wrong, that it had gone off accidentally. Then we heard a few alarm beeps and that’s when everyone started cheering.”

Here’s the live recorded video of the win. Skip ahead to 8m30s to see the action.

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I have to feel a little sorry (and a little bit amused) for the other four contestants being ushered away so quickly. Tim going first really did take some of the air out of the room.

But what an exciting moment!! And what a conclusion and reward for a week or so’s hard (but fun) work, driving and promoting the new Saab 9-4x.

Tim and Jennifer picked up their new Saab 9-5 Aero last Friday. On behalf of Saab Automobile, and I’m sure I speak for Saab of North Olmsted as well, I’d like to congratulate them on their win and wish them many happy years with their new Saab 9-5.

I’d also like to thank all of the participants in the Snap Up a Saab competition, who I hope had a wonderful time participating.

Want to get yourself a new Saab for just a single week’s hard work?

Saab of North Olmsted kicked off their Snap Up a Saab competition last weekend and it looks like they had a great take-off.

If you haven’t heard about this competition yet, it’s a huge promotion involving up to 100 cars and contestants per week with a big social media element involved. Here’s my previous entry detailing the competition.

Vehicles used in the competition have a scannable QR code on the inside and outside. Contestants take the car for a week and have to get as many supporters scanning the QR codes as possible. Contestants can also take photos of the vehicles and submit them to their own competition website. Contestants get points for all of these activities, and for ‘checking in’ at sponsor locations.

The website you need to bookmark in order to see what contestants are doing is here: Snap Up a Saab. Each contestant has their own individual page and you can check out their points score, as well as photos submitted by their followers. Some of the photos have been great, too.

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There are quite a few contestants with point totals in the hundreds.

That’s not going to do it for you, folks. The top 6 contestants with around 20 hours to go in week 1 are as follows:

Kristina – 3363 points
Timothy – 2233 points
Lauren – 2225 points
Nada – 2153 points
Linda – 2101 points
Paula – 1959 points

Those top 6 contestants, should they remain ranked in the top 6 for the week, will progress through to the next round of the competition, which will take place after the four preliminary rounds.

Contestants earn points as follows:

• Fans – Contestants earn points for having others “Become a Fan” on their Contestant Sites, or using Facebook and/or Twitter. – 10 points per fan
• Scans – Contestants earn points when people scan the Test Vehicle QR Codes. – 2pts for exterior scans, 5pts for interior scans
• Media – Contestants earn points for posting pictures and videos. – 1pt for each picture and 5pts for each video. Must be unique.
• Check-ins – Contestants earn points when their Test Vehicle is first scanned at a Sponsor location – 25 pts for the first scan at each sponsor location.

So, if you’ve got friends who are active on social media, if you can use a camera and can stop in at sponsor locations, you’re a good chance to do well.

And the big prize – a new Saab valued at up to $50,000

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Week 2 will start tomorrow.

You can still register to be part of week three or four if you’re in the area.

Click here to register. There are 100 opportunities per week and you’ll have a blast. And if you work hard enough, you could earn yourself a new Saab!!

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