One of the most difficult things to manage about contests and sweepstakes is how to forms together and to organize them without losing your mind. The forms would be coming in from different retail outlets and a team of people would have to be hired just for this task. Yes, the task is simple and yet, it is an undeniably tedious one.

So, when we heard that Lindemans is already moving in on the modern way to doing things by launching the 'Summer of Discovery Weekend Getaways' sweepstakes, our antenna went up.

The main target for this sweepstakes are busy moms who have a love for good wine. In retail outlets like Wal-mart, Publix, and Safeway, apart from finding physical forms to enter the contest, participants will find a 2D barcode printed on leaflets, product packaging and labels that they can scan with a smart phone so that they can enter their the sweepstakes on the spot.

With this technology, the worry about losing the form is eliminated. To top if all off, consumers will have the assurance that entry to the sweepstakes is instant.

The wine giant's new approach to this, although not the first, is very '21st century'. Purchasers of their wine will get a chance to win travel prizes via the sweepstakes. It's smart....busy moms REALLY do need weekend getaways...especially free ones.

Anyway, the 2D barcode campaign is not only going to raise sales for their products, we think they are solidifying their brand and image at the same time. In order to be a leader in ANY given industry, you need to be singing the same tune with modern people. You need to be open-minded about new technologies...and this act alone shows that the company is willing to open new doors and use new approaches to bridge the divide between the company, its products and the consumers. Such connectivity always guarantees loyalty from their followers.

The company is said to be aggressively promoting the campaign via online partnership with a huge travel website, Travelocity, Facebook and Twitter accounts. Although initially rather hesitant about using high-end technology, we are happy that this adds another company to our list companies who are willing to learn new tricks to get the job done.