misc Scovie Advertising and Product Analysis - Worth the $$?

PepperDaddy

PepperDaddy

I was wondering if anyone who has won a scovie has paid (or will pay) for the advertising and product analysis.  The product analysis is $50/product.  It would be nice to have this info but that's $150 for me.  Ouch.
 
Also, another $75 for advertising on www.scovieawards.com.  Forgive me but the website looks like a grade school web project. There's nothing there.  I don't ever recall seeing other advertisements and the 2014 ads must be down because there page is empty except for a drop down box.  I'm reluctant to spend for this, although the price is cheap.  All I have ever seen is an empty page.
 
Any thoughts?
 
Ken
 
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ConGrats!!! 
 
Texas Creek won 2 first place Scovies a couple years ago.  I wasn't paying attention enough to all the Rules&Regulations to realize the statue is not included in the awards package but could be ordered in the "now you've won, get all the goods.." email.  After all, I'd just received the trophy that comes with the Golden Chiles.......:rolleyes:  ...I did receive a few sheets of 1/2diameter ScovieAwardsDate stickers (maybe 500?1000? dunno) and 2 foot by 3 foot banners.....
 
like I have time to put ANOTHER sticker on a bottle....But they also do include graphics that can be used on labels, as do all( or most) competitions....
 
apparently, we're supposed to find how to display 2'x3' Scovie banners....and hopefully MULTIPLE banners???//// but I missed the BuyNow for purchasing a ScovieAwards trophy.  That small little Flame thing that everyone covets. 
 
Texas Creek has also won some Golden Chile awards, and they send out trophies with the win.  You don't have to buy them extra.
 
To the promoters of the Scovie awards......Ditch the banner and pony up for the trophy for your first place winners.  (aight~  I'm over it, I missed it...gotta move on, but still not beyond getting a dig in...)
 
 
 
 
As to the "report".... a couple years ago, I entered 2 very different products expecting WOW results.  Don't we all~?~?~???  :lol:  I paid for the "report" for those products.  One was Spicy Worcestershire.  I guess the report was worth it in that I will never enter that product into a competition again until the competition has a Worcestershire category. 
 
Think about it.. if a person were a BlindTasteTestingJudge and you tasted LaVictoria, Tabasco, LuckyDog, HBD, HighRiver, and any other number of exquisite medium heat hot sauces......and then tasted Lea&Perrins Worcestershire....
 
How could L&P compare to those products?  They can't.  They are totally different products.  But due to lack of categories and the lack of ability for the competition producers to have an "other" category where they could tell the tasters "what" they were tasting...   
 
The comments from the Producer of the completion regarding labeling were verbatim for both entries and really did not relate to the Texas Creek "brand".   Didn't seem like they actually looked at the Brand  or had anything really constructive to say.  I just blew them off, but what would a very new hot sauce business make of their "comments"?
 
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Scovie Advertising.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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salsalady said:
ConGrats!!! 
 
Texas Creek won 2 first place Scovies a couple years ago.  I wasn't paying attention enough to all the Rules&Regulations to realize the statue is not included in the awards package but could be ordered in the "now you've won, get all the goods.." email.  After all, I'd just received the trophy that comes with the Golden Chiles....... :rolleyes:  ...I did receive a few sheets of 1/2diameter ScovieAwardsDate stickers (maybe 500?1000? dunno) and 2 foot by 3 foot banners.....
 
like I have time to put ANOTHER sticker on a bottle....But they also do include graphics that can be used on labels, as do all( or most) competitions....
 
apparently, we're supposed to find how to display 2'x3' Scovie banners....and hopefully MULTIPLE banners???//// but I missed the BuyNow for purchasing a ScovieAwards trophy.  That small little Flame thing that everyone covets. 
 
Texas Creek has also won some Golden Chile awards, and they send out trophies with the win.  You don't have to buy them extra.
 
To the promoters of the Scovie awards......Ditch the banner and pony up for the trophy for your first place winners.  (aight~  I'm over it, I missed it...gotta move on, but still not beyond getting a dig in...)
 
 
 
 
As to the "report".... a couple years ago, I entered 2 very different products expecting WOW results.  Don't we all~?~?~???  :lol:  I paid for the "report" for those products.  One was Spicy Worcestershire.  I guess the report was worth it in that I will never enter that product into a competition again until the competition has a Worcestershire category. 
 
Think about it.. if a person were a BlindTasteTestingJudge and you tasted LaVictoria, Tabasco, LuckyDog, HBD, HighRiver, and any other number of exquisite medium heat hot sauces......and then tasted Lea&Perrins Worcestershire....
 
How could L&P compare to those products?  They can't.  They are totally different products.  But due to lack of categories and the lack of ability for the competition producers to have an "other" category where they could tell the tasters "what" they were tasting...   
 
The comments from the Producer of the completion regarding labeling were verbatim for both entries and really did not relate to the Texas Creek "brand".   Didn't seem like they actually looked at the Brand  or had anything really constructive to say.  I just blew them off, but what would a very new hot sauce business make of their "comments"?
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They are only providing 100 stickers now and I did not see anything about a trophy.  I think it was replaced by medals that look like Olympic metals (gold/silver/bronze).  They cost $10 each and I can order as many as I want as long as I do by Oct 31.  They provide one 2x3 banner and additional banners are $25 ea.  A year of advertising is $25/product and $50/product for placement and tasting notes.  It's just as expensive to win as it it is to enter.
 
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Here are my thoughts: 
 
feedback/summary purchase: 
It's a group of judges, and so all judging is entirely subjective. If I win, awesome - that group of judges liked my products. If I lose, bummer - the group of judges did not like my products. Since the judges change year over year, it doesn't seem like a great use of my resources to pay for that information. 
 
Here's a good example using Zestfest/Golden Chiles:
In 2013 I entered 3 products in 5 categories and won a golden chile with Green Label (for one of the "big 3", Mild - Consumer Ready").  I also won a 2nd place in Jalapeno - Consumer Ready with Green Label. Red Label & Orange Label won nothing. 
 
In 2014 I had 6 products, which I entered into 9 categories. I won a Golden Chile for Purple Label, and 3x 2nd place and 2x 3rd place awards. The relevant part of all this? Green Label, the 2013 Golden Chile winner for Mild, won nothing, while Red & Orange both won 2nd place awards in 2014. 
 
What changed? Not my product - Green Label was the exact same formula I submitted in 2013. Red & Orange Label were both the same products I entered in 2013 too.  Different year, different judges, different tastes. 
 
So to me, getting a write-up of why my products won or didn't win, or what the specific scores were is totally meaningless in terms of product development.  The 1st two years at the Scovies I had 3, then 4 products skunked. When I won this year it was with two of the same products I entered in 2013 (Black & Orange Labels), and one of the same entered in 2012 (Orange Label) - again, what changed? Not my products - just the judges and their tastes.  Since I'd won in other formats at other significant events, I was pretty confident in my products and did not feel that paying for the feedback would be of value. 
 
That all said, I could see a scenario in which the feedback/summary of comments/scores could be quite valuable. If you have entered the Scovies, the THPAs, the Fiery Food Challenge (Golden Chiles) and the MiMi's and maybe a couple of peripheral awards and never won anything, the Scovies do provide a unique opportunity to pay to see feedback - and while true that it's just going to represent the perspective of the particular judges form that event, it will at least help to provide some clarity on why you're not winning anything which could actually aid in product development. Maybe you can't taste something undesirable that the judges can, or perhaps the sauce is too muddled, or too simple to get accolades. None of the other events (to my knowledge) provide this opportunity. 
 
Buying the trophies/medallions:
Totally up to you - if you want the hardware, pay for it. I can hang the banners from my market tent weather permitting, and I will hang them at festivals and other events where I feel they will catch people's eye. But mostly I want the electronic badges for my website and marketing materials.  Stickers are great, but they're kind of a pain in the ass too. I have 1000s of Golden Chile stickers (they are more generous with their sticker rolls) and the only time I've ever stickered up my bottles was at the NY Hot Sauce Expo, and at a gourmet tasting event where there were other hot sauce companies. It's nice to show the customers what you've won, and specifically what sauces have won what. But for day to day markets, stores, web orders and festivals? I just don't have time to put stickers on 100s of bottles a week and I'm not sure it would matter if I did. 
 
So I'd pass on the stickers too, unless you really want to rock 'em. Totally up to you. If you display the banner, and have it on your website, your customers will know. That should be enough. 
 
But it's a personal decision of what kind of marketing efforts are needed and how much value you believe these will add. I can only share what I feel is right for me. 
 
My $,02
 
:cheers:
 
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PepperDaddy said:
 
They are only providing 100 stickers now and I did not see anything about a trophy.  I think it was replaced by medals that look like Olympic metals (gold/silver/bronze).  They cost $10 each and I can order as many as I want as long as I do by Oct 31.  They provide one 2x3 banner and additional banners are $25 ea.  A year of advertising is $25/product and $50/product for placement and tasting notes.  It's just as expensive to win as it it is to enter.
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You got that right!  more comments below~~~ I didn't enter the last 2 years, so it sounds like things hafe changed as far as the awards/trophys go. 
 
Lucky Dog Hot Sauce said:
 
  Stickers are great, but they're kind of a pain in the ass too. I have 1000s of Golden Chile stickers (they are more generous with their sticker rolls) and the only time I've ever stickered up my bottles was at the NY Hot Sauce Expo, and at a gourmet tasting event where there were other hot sauce companies. It's nice to show the customers what you've won, and specifically what sauces have won what. But for day to day markets, stores, web orders and festivals? I just don't have time to put stickers on 100s of bottles a week and I'm not sure it would matter if I did. 
 
So I'd pass on the stickers too, unless you really want to rock 'em. Totally up to you. If you display the banner, and have it on your website, your customers will know. That should be enough. 
:cheers:
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People in the Industry should recognize the awards sticker at food shows etc.  I'd say 99% of the rest of Brick&Mortar/FM consumers wouldn't have a clue what a Scovie or Golden Chile is.  And like Scott, I definitely don't have time to put stickers on every bottle!  Being able to put the graphics on the label is a good thing to utilize.  And having the graphics on the website will definitely draw in chileheads who are familiar with the industry and awards and might be cruising through websites looking for good sauces to buy. 
 
How many awards has Defcon won....and how many stickers do they put on their bottles?    :lol:  They do have "Multi-National Award Winning" stuff like that on the labels. 
 
 
 
PepperDaddy said:
Thanks everyone for the input. I'm definitely getting a couple medals.  The banner and stickers are free.  I won't get extras. Still on the fence on the www.scovieawards.com advertising.
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Again.....Who reads the publications?  And how likely are they to buy your product based on comments or an ad in that magazine?  A lot of industry folks (ie-other sauce makers) read the stuff, but they won't be big buyers.  I could be wrong about that though.  I've never advertised in the mag/etc so I can't say that you won't get sales.
 
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