Archive for the ‘Competition Stuff’ Category

A disturbing turn of events…

Friday, November 20th, 2009

Pepe’s Progress is, as we have previously established, pretty unstoppable. The show of public support for this red rubber band deity is second-to-none, and we, as an office, have been truly touched. Apart from Customer Services, of course. With all this positivity in mind, it is with great regret that we have to report another piece of hate-mail directed at our beloved Pepe:

Sick.

We do not know who sent it, but we are taking this very seriously. The culprit is obviously just jealous of Pepe’s might and stature, and is TOTALLY LAME. What does it even mean? Send them where? Is it from the dreaded RAUL?! Are Customer Services to blame? We’re considering turning this disgusting artefact into a paper plane and lobbing it into the Thames. Tied to a brick.

IWOOT’s Children In Need Hat Competition Winner

Friday, November 20th, 2009

After a day of mildly ridiculous headwear being bandied around the office, a consensus has been reached. It was decided that, due to sheer effort, interactivity, topicality and ingenuity that Cathy from Customer Services would be a worthy winner - one look at her Jedward-themed hat will surely convince even the most stony-hearted of cynics. The joy of it, people, the joy!

cathy1

It really does deserve a close-up:

EVEN MORE AMAZING.

Here are some other notable entrants:

ElliotWoot masquerades as an extra from 'Chicago'

DebbieWoot is markedly more traditional

JennaWoot just misunderstands.

Don’t forget to keep on donating to our Just Giving page, here.

Pepe’s Progress

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

As you can see, Pepe is now something of a minor giant, stalking the IWOOT office with the ease and demeanour of a jungle cat. It’s all thanks to you, generous blog readers and rubber band senders - we are truly touched by your dedication to Pepe’s cause.

The tail-end of last week saw a mammoth package containing a reported 427 elastic bands (as detailed here) and, truth be told, it was this behemoth that saw Pepe truly take off. As things stand currently, we’re wrapping each band around only once rather than twice or three times. That’s how serious things are getting.

Day 4

Of course, we still need more, so keep them coming in:

Pepe, Creative Department
Unit C11 Parkhall Trading Estate
40 Martell Road
London
SE21 8EN

If yours is the 25th, 50th or 75th package we receive then you’ll win a small token of our gratitude, so make sure you include your postal and email address along with your phone number. We’re getting there, folks!

And The Winner Is… (Week 7)

Monday, November 16th, 2009

As you may have read on our Facebook wall, this week’s decision was another difficult one. Some entries were just unfeasibly cute or funny or weird, but we opted for one that ended up ticking all three of those boxes. We got a great response this week on a particularly tasking challenge (apparently getting cats to stay still when they’re dressed up is a bit tricky - who knew?), so well done to everyone who had a go, we’ve now got a thoroughly strange gallery of dressed pets.

Someone has to win, though, so we’d like to congratulate Elliott D’Alvarez on dressing his rabbit as Super Mario:

elliott-dalvarez

How cool is that?!

We were also impressed by these two, amazing efforts all round!

Lianne Johnson (SNAILS?!)

Sarah Cank

There are only three iPhones left, so make sure you get your thinking caps on for this week’s competition too.

Win An iPhone Week 8

Monday, November 16th, 2009

Can it be that there are only three iPhones left at IWOOT Towers? Well, yes. It can. So if you want to bet the one that makes it two, make sure you get involved in Week 8 - definitely the most cryptic week yet.

We want you to come up with the most ingenious riddle you possibly can and post it on our Facebook wall OR via Twitter. It’s very important that you do not answer it yourself - we want everyone to have a crack at guessing them, and no-one likes a spoil-sport so no giving them away! Entries via Twitter should have @iwootblog in the reply. Hopefully we’ll be able to solve as many as possible (no Googling!), and the most interesting, creative or original one will be sent a lovely new iPhone.

As usual we’ve got an example for you to get started:

What is yours but your friend uses more than you do?

 Well?

Have a think, then head to our Facebook wall and add your own. Who knows, maybe we’ll tell you the answer later in the week. Anyway, same rules apply as ever. One entry per person, an make sure they’re in by Monday 23rd November.

Competition Terms & Conditions:

• Closing Date For this competition is 10AM on Monday 23rd November 2009.
• Sadly, you can only enter this competition once. (You can’t fool us, you know!)
• This competition is completely free to enter, no purchase is necessary.
• No cash alternative is available for the prize(s) offered.
• This competition is open to residents of the UK only.
• Employees of I Want One of Those and their immediate families and anyone professionally connected with the promotion are not eligible to enter this competition
• The winner will be chosen by the IWOOT team.
• The winner will be notified of their win via Facebook or Twitter, and under the name submitted on their entry. If a response to this notification is not received within 14 days, IWOOT reserves the right to randomly select another winner. In light of this, please ensure you submit an email address that you use regularly!
• No responsibility will be accepted for entries that are not received.
• From time to time we may include customer comments and feedback on the site, and in our catalogue and other media. By submitting your comment you are granting us permission to publish it and, if necessary, edit it for clarity and typos.

Pepe’s Rise Continues

Friday, November 13th, 2009

We’ve not quite hit the 25th package yet, so no prizes today, but we did receive another enormous amount of red rubber bands - we thank you all!

Pepe’s progress is now really gathering some momentum, as you can see from today’s picture below. He now feels a little more like a cricket ball than the rubber ball we were used to, it’s only a matter of time before he becomes football-sized…

 

 

 

My, how he's come on!

One person in particular sent an especially large number of bands - 427 if the letter is accurate - so super-thanks go to Tanya Embleton! Here’s her package of red rubber happiness:

tanya_pack

Keep them coming in people, Pepe needs you to help him grow.

Send Us Your Red Rubber Bands and Win a Prize

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

In the last few weeks, we haven’t been sure what would be going on in regard to the Royal Mail strike. Worried that we might never again walk past a red rubber band-adorned pavement, we started collecting the little gems as exquisite reminders of how noticing that cute little rubbery guy could brighten up one’s day. As the collection of these elastic treasures started mounting, we started investigating a way to best economise, Ikea-style, the storage surface area that the slow wave of malleable redness was taking up. You know, that ‘Just because I have nowhere else to put it that doesn’t mean it can’t look vaguely cool’ solution. That, folks, is how we gave birth to Pepe. As you can instantly see, Pepe is a ball made up of rubber bands.

Pepe has grown into a bit of an obsession in the creative department. We have spent hours scouring pavements and drains, and have just stopped short of mugging posties (although Simon the Aussie was not too shy to help himself to a nice little stash he found on top of an unguarded trolley). With Pepe growing in leaps and bounds week by week, we have been strutting while maintaining that Atari-playing, emo-retro cool suaveness that us swanky creative types are best known for.

Here are some pictures of Pepe’s very gradual progress so far:

He began as a baby...

... and became...

... a slightly bigger baby.

It was with much horror that we have recently discovered that we have been played for fools. You see, our wonderful (grumble grumble) Customer Services team have actually been constructing there own ball of rubber band glory for the last two years. And, whilst it pains me to admit it, the CS Ball whom we shall not dignify with a name, is somewhat monstrously larger than Pepe. That was fine - we were prepared to endure the sniggering, the taunting and the name-calling. It did, however, reach a breaking point when Jade loudly pronounced for the entire office to hear, “Wow, if you look at them next to each other, it seems only fitting that Pepe orbits our [name removed out of spite] ball.” And that was the final straw.

Luckily, the Royal Mail strike is over. And with Customer Services hungrily hoarding any bands that come into our office, we are left scavenging the streets for tidbits that the Postie might have dropped on the floor. Luckily for us, we have you, oh valued and loyal reader of the blog, and this is why we implore you to help us. Similarly, as is the spirit of the IWOOT blog, that help will most certainly be rewarded.

So, without further ado, I (finally) introduce you to THE MOST RANDOM COMPETITION WE HAVE EVER RUN EVER EVER. Basically, we would like you to send us in any Red Royal Mail Rubber Bands that you might find. And, keeping the fun factor, we will be giving a sur-PRIZE to the person that sends us the 1st, 25th, 50th and 75th envelope containing a rubber band.

Send all red rubber band packages to:

Pepe, Creative Department
Unit C11 Parkhall Trading Estate
40 Martell Road
London
SE21 8EN

Make sure you include your address and phone number so we can send you your prize, should you win!

 

Competition Terms & Conditions:

• The competition closes as soon as the 75th package arrives.
• Prizes will be awarded to the 1st, 25th, 50th and 75th rubber band pakages we receive - only one package to be sent per person in the interests of keeping it fair.
• This competition is completely free to enter, no purchase is necessary.
• No cash alternative is available for the prize(s) offered.
• This competition is open to residents of the UK only.
• Employees of I Want One of Those and their immediate families and anyone professionally connected with the promotion are not eligible to enter this competition.
• The winner will be notified of their win via the e-mail address provided in their package, and under the name submitted on their entry. If a response to this notification is not received within 14 days, IWOOT reserves the right to randomly select another winner. In light of this, please ensure you submit an email address that you use regularly!
• No responsibility will be accepted for entries that are not received.
• From time to time we may include customer comments and feedback on the site, and in our catalogue and other media. By submitting your comment you are granting us permission to publish it and, if necessary, edit it for clarity and typos.

And The Winner Is… (Week 6)

Monday, November 9th, 2009

We’re a cruel bunch at times, aren’t we? Making you all think of nature’s most base and engaging conundrum, the meaning of life, and then asking you to distil the answer into one single tweet? What were we thinking?!

As it turns out, we needn’t have worried - we were met with a raft of answers ready to challenge any conventional philosophies, and we consequently learnt an awful lot! As per usual, some of the entries erred on the side of ‘interesting’, with some folk naming idle foodstuffs as the meaning of life. There were several shouts for chocolate, a couple for beer and even one for pasta bake. Whatever floats your boat, I suppose.

Anyway, after much thought and scrolling up and down the pages of entries, we’ve decided that this week’s winner is:

 

Richard Harley: “To leave no gadget unplayed with, no paper unturned into a plane, no question ungoogled and no cable unplugged.”

 

Who can argue with that? Other entries we really liked are listed below.

 

paulinepppp: #iwootmeaningoflife to live life like my hair is on fire!

timbo1972: #iwootmeaningoflife To have fun and reproduce. At the same time. Whilst unicycling. Blindfolded.

ufp88: #iwootmeaningoflife -Life is totally modifiable, but if you wish to reset your life’s factory settings, press & hold belly button for 3 secs

drquesh: #iwootmeaningoflife is to not live for money, glory or power but to do something so utterly crazy that its ruins become a tourist attraction.

Descartes - thinker, philosopher, Tweeter. 

Well done to everyone (especially Richard) for making us think so hard. I’ve got a bit of a rash from stroking by beard and scratching my head. There’s a full list of entries if you fancy swotting up on your existential ponderings, just click the link. For anyone who was unlucky last week, this week’s competition is here. Dress your pets!

Win An iPhone Week 7

Monday, November 9th, 2009

We really do work you hard for your prizes, don’t we? If we’re not demanding that you carve a pumpkin into whatever shape, we’re pummelling your intellectual side for the meaning of life. Week 7 of our iPhone competition is no different - it’s a real interactive challenge.

Now everyone knows that you shouldn’t work with animals or children, but us progressive types here at IWOOT Towers think that’s pure bunkum. Animals in particular are a constant source of smelly, snuggly joy, and we think it’s about time we saluted our furry compadres. We’re not so keen on kids, though. Yuck, always leaving hair everywhere… Anyway, for this week’s competition we want you to dress your pets. That’s right. Dress Your Pets. In any costume you fancy, as long as it’s all your own work and your pet doesn’t mind too much. Perhaps something along the lines of this:

Aw. Get going, pet-lovers! If you haven’t got your own furry (or scaley or feathery) friend to dress up, then simply borrow a friend’s or approach wild animals - not the big ones, mind. We’re thinking pigeons, maybe a squirrel. No polecats or herons, you’ll lose a finger.

Make sure you take a photo, and then submit it to our Facebook wall by Monday November 16th. The most inventive, innovative, funny or plain interesting entry will win, and we’re hoping that this will throw up some of our most bizarre entries yet… it’s down to you, folks.

Competition Terms & Conditions:

• Closing Date For this competition is 10AM on Monday 16th November 2009.
• Sadly, you can only enter this competition once. (You can’t fool us, you know!)
• This competition is completely free to enter, no purchase is necessary.
• No cash alternative is available for the prize(s) offered.
• This competition is open to residents of the UK only.
• Employees of I Want One of Those and their immediate families and anyone professionally connected with the promotion are not eligible to enter this competition
• The winner will be chosen by the IWOOT team.
• The winner will be notified of their win via Facebook, and under the name submitted on their entry. If a response to this notification is not received within 14 days, IWOOT reserves the right to randomly select another winner. In light of this, please ensure you submit an email address that you use regularly!
• No responsibility will be accepted for entries that are not received.
• From time to time we may include customer comments and feedback on the site, and in our catalogue and other media. By submitting your comment you are granting us permission to publish it and, if necessary, edit it for clarity and typos.

And The Winner Is… (Week 5)

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

This week has undoubtedly been the toughest to judge, and we actually feel a bit sorry for some of the stronger entries that haven’t won. In all seriousness - ta a bunch for getting involved and making our Halloween that little bit spookier.

We’re sure you’ll agree, though, that the winning entry is very innovative, great fun and totally in the spirit of the whole competition. So congratulations go to Mark Ritchie for his guillotine entry. Well flipping done Mark!

 

 

mark-ritchie1

The photo quality isn’t terrific, but the idea is so good that we couldn’t resist making it the winner. There’s attention to detail, evidence of huge effort and, binding it all together, the slightly scary idea of pumpkin society evolving so much that they employ a judicial system and operate the death penalty. Lovely.

As we said, there were some superb entries (and a few that were pilfered from Google Image - tut tut!), the best of which are below. Once again, well done everyone, what a great week!

Darren Rye

Denis Rush

Debie Deane

Don’t forget to have a look at this week’s competition - simply tell us the meaning of life in one Tweet. Easy-peasy.