Deal of the Century
To commemorate 100 years of business, Ben Bridge Jeweler threw its splashiest promotion yet: the $100,000 Wedding of the Century Sweepstakes, which offered marriage-minded couples (in the 11 states where Ben Bridge stores are located) a chance to win a $100,000 wedding package complete with jewelry and a honeymoon.
From Nov. 1 to Feb. 14, nearly 10,000 engaged or soon-to-be-engaged couples liked the Ben Bridge Facebook page, filled out entry forms, uploaded photos, and encouraged friends and family to vote to increase their chances of winning. “Couples earned an extra entry for each vote received,” explains Lisa Bridge, the company’s assistant vice president of education. Plus, nearly 500,000 people visited the “Wedding of the Century” Facebook tab on the page. Winners were selected in a random drawing; 100 people received tungsten ArtCarved gents’ bands, 25 earned Mikimoto pearl earrings, and five received his-and-hers Raymond Weil watches.
The grand prize winners—Jamie Newsom and fiancé Tom Eaton of Anchorage, Alaska—won $30,000 in engagement and wedding jewelry (including a 2 ct. t.w. diamond engagement ring), a trip to Johannesburg and Botswana sponsored by Forevermark, and nearly $40,000 in cash. An additional 3,000 entrants won $25 Ben Bridge gift cards (250 a week were given out over the course of the entire contest).
“We have been a part of special moments in customers’ lives for 100 years,” says Bridge. “And we thought, What better way to celebrate than to be part of the wedding all the way through?”
Both Lisa and Marc Bridge, secretary and associate general counsel, flew to Anchorage to tell the winning couple in person, which proved an adventure in its own right due to the running of the world famous Iditarod the same weekend. Adds Lisa, “I spent a lot of time on the phone with Alaska Airlines.”