$27,500 Top Prize to Creators "Joshinthebox" for "Rap around the world" in Record-Setting User-Generated Advertising Campaign
SEATTLE, Aug. 4, 2009 — The North Carolina-based video production team known as "Joshinthebox" is $27,500 richer, thanks to "Rap around the world," the video they submitted to Zooppa's user-generated advertising competition for the brand Webtel.mobi (http://www.zooppa.com/ads/webtelmobi/videos/rap-around-the-world-with-webtelmobi).
The $76,000 in prize money and the record number of 174 video submissions make this Zooppa's largest-ever advertising competition.
"Rap around the world," which follows its rapping, half-clothed creators as they stage phone calls to celebrities from various international locations, was named Overall Competition Winner by Webtel.mobi, as well as the $7,500 category prize for best "International" video. $56,000 was awarded in five competition categories to 11 competitors by Webtel.mobi, Zooppa staff, and by popular vote among Zooppa's creative community.
According to Zooppa CEO Wil Merritt, "The most important factor in determining the success of a Zooppa's campaign is the satisfaction of the client. Judged by that metric alone we can say that our Webtel.mobi competition was a smash hit."
Indeed, in a letter posted to Zooppa's blog ), Webtel.mobi CEO Stuart Sterzel thanked the Zooppa community for their hard work and creativity, saying, "We're happy as a company to be associated with a collection of such highly skilled and creative artists."
Sterzel also discussed the rise of user-generated advertising, saying, "'Citizen Marketers' are also mainstream participants in the professional media industry." He went on to say, "We believe that Zooppa.com is the leading site internationally for community-driven competitions such as the one that we've just held, and that it is a first-mover in this industry – set for great success in the future."
The Zooppa campaign was managed by London-based Unruly Media. Project manager Sarah Wood said of the campaign, "Not only has the quantity of video entries been unprecedented, the quality has also been unusually high and refreshingly varied, with film-makers ranging from students to indie production houses producing content that demonstrates an astonishing breadth of video-making styles and viral genres."
Zooppa (http://www.zooppa.com) is the world's foremost source of social advertising. Its 42,000-member creative community competes to produce the best ads for partner brands such as Nike, Google and Sony. Winners are chosen by community vote, Zooppa staff, and by the partner brands.
The Webtel.mobi competition has drawn positive media coverage in print and digital outlets. One article, published on TransWorldNews.com, says the "Webtel.mobi video competition heralds [a] seismic shift in [the] advertising industry," and describes over half the video submissions as "good enough to go straight to air."
To view all the video submissions, visit http://zooppa.com/ads/webtelmobi#contest-filter-2
For a complete list of Webtel.mobi winners, visit
About Zooppa
Zooppa is the largest social network for user-generated advertising. With a community more than 42,000 people strong, Zooppa offers brands an innovative and cost-effective model for developing creative work that connects with the new generation of consumers.
To learn more about Zooppa, visit http://www.zooppa.com, or contact Wil Merritt, CEO, at Email.
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