How NOT to Stage a Video Contest for Your Marketing
When hosting a video contest, there are certain things that marketers should not do if they would like their contest to be successful. After hosting over 200 campaigns on our video contest platform, our experience has been that observing these guidelines results in a much higher success rate for both marketing teams and participants.
Marketers should:
1. Avoid having stringent contest requirements.
Be flexible in the formats. Try to make it as easy to participate as possible, mindful of your campaign's marketing objectives. Think of the equipment and technology that is readily available to participants and make the requirements achievable for the average digital citizen.
2. Don’t make the creative brief too complicated.
Keep the brief engaging but simple. Give the community enough information so that they have something to work with - not too wide so that there is no hook, but not too narrow so that the community becomes disinterested. Should presentation be more visual than verbal? Set the tone for the contest and make it inviting to encourage participation. Review some of our video contest case studies to get an idea of great creative brief concepts.
3. Don’t be neutral or factual in the brief.
The creative brief must be descriptive and include requirements but the contest should be inspirational. Think about how you can inspire the creative community to think about your brand in a new, positive way. Be persuasive enough to motivate them to take time to create content for you.
4. Don’t ever diss the creators!
Be respectful of the artist’s time and talent. Remember that they are giving up their time to create something that will promote your brand. They are interested in your feedback and often hope for a shout out. This is an opportunity for your company to reach out to the creative community and start a dialogue with them. The more positive the experience is for the community, the better the content will be.
5. Don’t assume that users will read between the lines of your brief.
Be clear about how the content will be used in the creative brief. Will this be a TV ad? Will it be displayed on the company Facebook page? Give them an idea of the reach this may have to motivate them to get creative and spend the time to create something fantastic.
6. Don’t be reserved in rewarding the winners.
Create an incentive program that is fair. The participants will be motivated by cash prizes, of course, but the potential for career advancement for the video contest winners can be very motivating. Would an internship be possible for the winner? Public recognition? Could they receive additional paid work opportunities with your company?
7. Don’t muddy the waters when it comes to legality.
Communicate the legal aspects of the contest clearly. Be above the fold with legal matters like content ownership and copyright and its role in the contest requirements. This is an opportunity to build trust, which will also strengthen their perception of your brand.
When launching a video contest, it is important to take the time to develop a well thought-out creative brief. The user’s participation in the contest will become part of their brand experience so try to make it as positive for them as possible. In return, you will receive a higher level of quality in the content that the contest generates.
Interested in learning about more best practices for video contest marketing? Download our white paper, "10 Tips for Running a Video Contest for Your Advertising."
