LENOX, Mass. — Sports brackets and the performing arts are rarely mentioned in the same sentence, but this summer, marketing agency Winstanley Partners is trying to win $10,000 for the Berkshire Theatre Group in a national endeavor dubbed "Social Madness."

 

In March when most people were paying attention to the NCAA brackets, Winstanley Partners entered Social Madness, a contest hosted by American City Business Journals designed to measure the social media and networking performance of companies across the country. Weeks of promotion and competition followed as the playing field narrowed to 43 businesses that will advance to the final, national round on Tuesday, July 16. This week, Winstanley Partners found themselves among that group.

 

Three national winners of the 11-week challenge in small-, medium- and large-size categories will be announced Aug. 20 and awarded $10,000 each to be given to a nonprofit organization on their behalf.

 

Jaclyn Stevenson, director of public relations and social media of Winstanley, said the Berkshire Theatre Group became the agency's charity of choice because of its various educational and performance opportunities for both residents and visitors, as well as its rich cultural legacy.

 

"Not only do we firmly support BTG's mission, we believe they are a perfect partner to help us put Berkshire County in the national spotlight," Stevenson said. "Promoting arts education and cultural programs in Berkshire County is a cause that our communities can get behind, and one that will gain strength in numbers. This contest is a great example of social philanthropy, which gives anyone and everyone a chance to contribute to the region's future with a few clicks of a mouse."

 

Social Madness measures a company's social media engagement through a variety of outlets. Activity on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Google+ pages is measured, and votes are counted on bizjournals.com. To help Winstanley Partners win the grand prize for Berkshire Theatre Group, anyone can like, comment on, or share content from the agency's Facebook and LinkedIn pages, mention @WinstanleyLenox on Twitter, and vote daily at the Social Madness homepage, from which all of Winstanley Partners' eligible social networks are linked.