This LAFCO candle giveaway ran in March 2012 and offered two chances to win a large glass-vessel candle. The contest is long over, but the post is a handy record of how it worked and what made the prizes interesting.
LAFCO candles were created to compliment the ambiance and decor in your home. These beautiful and versatile candles can be used in any area to create your own personal fragrance esthetic. LAFCO candles are poured in an over-sized, hand blown art glass vessel that will become a keepsake for generations to come. Made with 16 oz of clean burning and highly scented soy wax, these candles will last over 90 hours.
Join us for a chance to win a LAFCO candle! 2 chances to win. Here’s how:
Enter to win a LAFCO Lake House (Water Hyacinth) candle in our Website & Store Raffle:
- Earn 1 raffle entry for every LAFCO candle purchased in our store or on our website between 3/19/12 and 3/29/12.
- Earn 1 raffle entry for every LAFCO product review on our website between 3/19/12 and 3/29/12.
Enter to win a Light House (Fog & Mist) candle in our Facebook Raffle:
- ‘Like’ our Facebook Page. Pick a room (bedroom, porch, sun room…) or type of home (Swiss Chalet, NY Loft…). What fragrance would you create for that space? What color would you use for the vessel? Post your answer on our Facebook wall for 1 raffle entry.
We’ll pick a random winner for each raffle on Friday, March 30, 2012 and announce the winners here and on Facebook. We’ll ship to any continental US address.
Good luck!
How the LAFCO candle giveaway worked
There were two separate raffles with two different prizes. The website and store raffle awarded a Lake House (Water Hyacinth) candle, and entries came from buying a LAFCO candle or writing a LAFCO product review between 3/19/12 and 3/29/12.
The Facebook raffle awarded a Light House (Fog & Mist) candle. To enter, you liked the Candles Off Main page and posted on the wall which fragrance and vessel color you would create for a room or a type of home, such as a Swiss Chalet or a New York loft. Winners were drawn on Friday, March 30, 2012, with shipping to continental US addresses.
The contest also shows how the shop used a simple LAFCO candle giveaway to get people talking. Reviews, store visits and a Facebook answer all counted, and each gave a reason to look closely at the brand. If you ever enter a contest like this, read the dates and rules first, since they are strict by nature.
If you are reading this after the fact, the LAFCO candle giveaway is a useful template. Many shops run similar contests, and the structure of this LAFCO candle giveaway, with purchase, review and social entries, is a common one.
It is also worth remembering why a brand like LAFCO runs contests with large candles. A 16 oz candle is a showpiece, and putting one in a customer’s hands is a good way to introduce a fragrance line. For readers, the LAFCO candle giveaway was a low-cost chance to try a premium candle.
If you did not win, the next best step is to read reviews and descriptions of the two prize candles before you buy a full size. The names of both, Lake House and Light House, come from the same collection idea, which pairs scents with places.
The Facebook question is a good scent exercise
Even without a prize, the prompt is worth trying. Pick a room, say a porch or a bedroom, and decide whether you want it to smell like the place itself or like something it is missing. A ski cabin might call for evergreen and smoke, and a sun room for something light and bright.
Writing it down helps when you shop later, because you start from a feeling instead of a long list of names. If you want ideas, our post on the LAFCO Daffodil candle shows how one brand turns a single flower into a whole mood.
Another way to use the prompt is to think about a vessel color. The post asks which color you would choose, and it is a good question because glass and wax color affect how a candle looks in daylight and at night. A candle sits on a table for weeks, so you should like looking at it.
The creative question from the LAFCO candle giveaway is a fun one to try with friends. Each person names a room and a fragrance, and you compare answers. It teaches you quickly how differently people picture the same space.
The LAFCO candle giveaway questions are open-ended, so there is no wrong answer.
What to check on a big glass candle
The original description says these candles are poured into an oversized, hand blown art glass vessel, hold 16 oz of soy wax and last over 90 hours. Burn time figures like that come from the maker, and real results depend on how you use the candle.
Trim the wick before each burn, keep the candle out of drafts and let it burn long enough for the whole top layer to melt. A candle that is only burned for short stretches tends to tunnel and waste wax. Here is a quick overview of soy wax candles if you want to know what that wax is made from.
Our review of the LAFCO Moonglow Apricot candle is another way to see how the line compares.
Because the LAFCO candle giveaway centered on large candles, size is worth a note. A 16 oz candle is a commitment, and it makes sense in a living room, entry or open kitchen where the scent has space to spread. In a tiny room, a smaller candle may feel less intense and be easier to enjoy.
When a candle is that large, give it a good first burn. Burn it until the wax melts to the edge of the glass, which can take a few hours, so the surface stays level. Do this and the LAFCO candle you win or buy should burn evenly from the start and last close to the hours promised.
That is the practical side of the LAFCO candle giveaway: the prizes were big candles meant to be used, not just displayed. Keep that in mind when you shop for your own, and match the size to your room.
Every LAFCO candle giveaway has the same lesson: read the rules, enter on time and know which prize you want most.
That is the lasting value of the LAFCO candle giveaway: it shows how a shop can turn a product launch into a conversation. Look for the same approach when you follow your favorite candle shops online.
