Wendy's Lets CFL Fans Compete to Kick for a Million Dollars

Over the past seven years, Wendy's has captured the interests and attention of millions of football fans throughout Canada by offering a Kick for a Million promotional platform that rewards CFL fans for eating at its chain locations.

The QSR chain leverages its status as an official partner of the Canadian Football League as well as a media partnership with TSN to feature a live halftime promotional contest that offers one lucky fan a chance to kick a 50-yard field goal for the chance to win $1 million. In addition, Wendy's grants the participant an opportunity to also attempt field goals from 20, 30, and 40 yards for the chance to also win a Samsung $25,000 Family Package, a 2011 Nissan Titan Crew Cab Pro, and $100,000 cash.

Fans can participate in the Kick to Win contest by visiting participating Wendy's locations throughout Canada to receive a game cup that offers a chance to win a variety of instant prizes, including Nissan automobiles, Samsung Galaxy tablets, Reebok merchandise, and Wendy's gift cards and food prizes. Fans who purchase Wendy's on a regular basis can also receive bonus entries for the chance to kick for $1 million.

The structure of the promotion, offering a series of lower-tier prizes, demonstrates how league partners can collaborate to amplify promotional events - both in-stadium and at retail. In total, Wendy's Kick for a Million contest generated 18 million entries - the most ever in the history of the contest. Wendy's has even attracted 11,000+ fans to "like" the promotion's official Facebook page.

Check out Wendy's Kick for a Million promotional video below:

Check out Wendy's Kick for a Million contest execution here:

A special thanks to Kelsey Philpott of GMR Marketing for his insights and contributions to this column!

Pepsi Teams Up with CFL Players to Refresh Canada

There's no question that Pepsi's "Refresh Project" has been an astounding success since it was launched in 2009. The initiative has impacted and inspired the lives of many as Pepsi has donated millions of dollars to fund great ideas to make communities around North America a better place. 

From a promotional standpoint, the platform has proven to be terrific for Pepsi on all fronts as it's easily applicable to all of Pepsi's touch points, including team and league partnerships. Pepsi recently teamed up the Canadian Football League and eight (8) CFL players (each representing a different team) to create a captivating campaign that features each of the players competing for a $50,000 Pepsi Refresh Project grant to support an idea that makes a positive change in their community.

The CFL Challenge initiative, which runs through Wednesday, November 24th, encourages CFL fans to vote for their favorite players' campaigns in a head-to-head competition that will decide who will win the $50,000 grant. The initiative allows notable CFL players to work hard off the field for a good cause and leverage the support of their avid fan base - a "win-win" for all parties involved.

Here is a quick breakdown of the campaigns each of the CFL players are supporting:

• Jason Arakgi, BC Lions - Camp Goodtimes
• Patrick Kabongo, Edmonton Eskimos - Wellspring Edmonton
• Wes Lysack, Calgary Stampeders - Canadian Cancer Society Patient Care Kits
• Rob Bagg, Saskatchewan Roughriders - Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation of Canada
• Luke Fritz, Winnipeg Blue Bombers - Winnipeg Harvest Hunger for Hope Program
• Andre Durie, Toronto Argonauts - Community Living Mississauga
• Marwan Hage, Hamilton Tiger-Cats - McMaster Children's Hospital
• Anthony Calvillo, Montreal Alouettes - The Cedars Cancer Institute

Check out the initiative below: