PASADENA, Calif.—Eight lucky winners of the Giti Tire (USA) Ltd. Rose Parade Facebook contest relished their winnings at the 127th Rose Parade over the New Year's holiday.
Giti Tire, the official tire sponsor of the event, held a Facebook contest in November to provide eight contestants the opportunity to attend the parade and college bowl game.
The winner of the grand prize of a trip for four was Abraham Liandro, while runners-up Patricia Houston, Karleatha Jackson, Edmond Leung, Michael Riitano, Patricia Smith, Michael Wiesner and Irene Wilczewski were able to bring one other guest along.
“Last year I took my younger sister to the Rose Bowl. She passed away in April and I would love to take my other sister this time in her memory,” said Ms. Smith, of Galesburg, Ill.
In addition to telling their story on the Facebook page, contestants had to garner votes for their entry from their Facebook friends, Giti said. The top vote getters were chosen in a random drawing.
“We want to thank everyone who entered our contest and cast votes,” said Joe Anzelmo, senior manager, marketing, advertising and promotions for Giti.
“With Giti Tire being a family-owned company, it was very special to read the many family-oriented stories among the entries and be able to fulfill the dreams of the winners.”
Giti reported its Facebook page gained almost 4,000 fans during the contest—with Facebook and Twitter combined generating 87 percent of the entry shares. Additionally, Pinterest, Google+ and LinkedIn accounted for most of the other 13 percent.
The contest winners received round-trip airfare, two nights' hotel stay and tickets to the parade, Rose Bowl football game and the game's VIP tailgate party.
As the official tire sponsor of the Rose Parade, Giti Tire said it had signage along the parade route. Approximately 700,000 spectators lined the streets of Pasadena and millions more watched the parade via various TV broadcasts.
“The Rose Parade sponsorship and accompanying Facebook contest represented first steps in building awareness in North America for Giti as a global tire company with excellent product quality and customer service, along with a strong commitment to the communities we serve,” Mr. Anzelmo said.