Nothing says Christmas like Hallmark’s feel-good holiday films. Its brand of romantic, family-friendly holiday magic is perfect for those cold winter nights. The company knows this, so it put together a Christmas movie checklist to help viewers get in the spirit. Click or tap here to see it.
Since you’re going to be watching these movies anyway, maybe you should pay attention to the Hallmark Christmas movie sweepstakes.
This sweepstakes is much more than it first appears, but don’t worry. We’ll tell you how to can enter the sweepstakes, and what you need to know before pulling the trigger.
Watch movies, get paid.
A new holiday contest is going viral across social media. A CenturyLink cable affiliate is daring entrants to watch 24 Hallmark Christmas movies in the span of 12 days to qualify for a shot at $1,000 cash.
All you need to do to enter is visit the contests’ website, fill out the application form and start watching. As per the terms and conditions, you’ll need to post your thoughts about each movie on social media — but that’s peanuts compared to the $1,000 you can net from the prize, right?
Click or tap here to enter the contest.
OK, what’s the catch?
Glad you asked! Interestingly enough, it’s worth noting the contest is neither sponsored nor endorsed by the official Hallmark Channel. It’s also not officially backed by CenturyLink, either.
The sweepstakes is being hosted by an “Internet Service Partners: Authorized CenturyLink Sales Agent.” This means it’s essentially a third-party sales department attempting to generate public interest and promotion for itself.
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But that’s not all it wants. Per the contest’s rules, you need to submit several pieces of personal data as part of the application process. This includes your name, phone number, email address and social media accounts.
You’re also required to give feedback on the movies from your social media accounts — which makes the whole contest seem more like a data-collecting operation than a sweepstakes.
To tech companies of all stripes, data collection is big business. This information can shed light on consumer trends, which makes marketers’ jobs a whole lot easier. This data can also be sold off to other parties with ease, which repeats the entire process and makes marketing campaigns even more effective.
That said, if you’re still interested in entering, just make sure to tread cautiously. Better yet, you may want to use a throwaway email address or set up separate social media accounts just for sweepstakes and contests. Click or tap here to see 9 amazing online contests and how to safely enter them.
