Quiznos sub shop has introduced a new user-generated content (UGC) contest that ties together the value the sandwich company presents to its consumers through low prices and quality food. Quiznos has been serving sandwich favourites such as the famous “Classic Italian’ for over 30 years and is widely known as the place to go for subs, soups and salad. The company has a reputation for innovative and delicious recipes combined with quirky advertising. This year the company has done even more to offer its one-of-a-kind taste at an affordable price, allowing consumers to watch what they spend and get what they crave. Participants can visit and register within the Poptent community to develop and create a 30 second video that best depicts the value and variety they offer. Using the tag: Delicious meal options for $5, $4, and $3! I should go get it today!” Videos will be featured online for the public to share their creations with their friends and families. As well, the sub maker is offering an added bonus to those who submit a video and are able to get it in earlier than the contest deadline. The winner of the early draw contest will receive $5000. The creator of this spot will also earn a bonus of $2500. The actual deadline of August 22, 2010 will see one video selected by the sponsor judges and will receive $5000. Additionally, the Poptent community will be providing an Editor’s Choice Awards that will total $2000.

When you work for a moderation services company you get to understand that there are certain rules of engagement - and not in the silly Hollywood sitcom kind of way. Community managers are tasked with a specific set of skills to engage directly with consumers across social networks. These same rules can be applied to your own company’s social engagement. Social media managers or an outsourced social media moderation and/or monitoring team should be performing key tasks on a daily basis to keep your community running smoothly. 1. Monitoring conversation and buzz Manual search or through the assistance of listening software, daily snapshots of who you’re users are and what they are talking about will help offer you analytical insight into the trends inside your community and the strategic direction you might decide to pursue. 2. Engagement Sending out regular updates and sharing content can be a big task, however it goes a long way in developing relationships and reinforcing your brand’s values and voice within the community. 3. Customer Service Many consumers are turning to social media to get feedback or support for their purchases or services. Community managers are able to address consumers directly or pass their important information to the appropriate person. 4. Measurement Simply responding to people all day long, it is easy to lose track of where your day began and where it ended. Trained community managers should be able to keep tabs on what is happening across your social networks by collecting detailed statistics.

Life is constantly evolving. Whether it’s the clothes you wear, your career path or the loved ones who become the not so loved ones - we are continually growing and changing. Dove wants fans to show how those changes can make your life Better Than Ever. When Dove gofresh asked itself how it could become even better for its consumers the answer came in the form of a boost of NutriumMoisture. Now the brand is turning a very similar question over to fans by asking: “What in your life is better than ever?” Participants can choose one of four categories to enter including, play, love, live and style. Submissions should be in the form of a before and after photo showing how you have changed your life. Entries can be uploaded through the Brickfish entry editor or through the Dove Facebook application until August 2, 2010. Entries will be posted on the contest website for public viewing where audience members may vote, share and review the submissions. Friends and family can vote up to once every day for their favourite entries. Public support will determine the top 250 entries that will move into the second phase of judging. The top ranked submissions from all of the four categories will then be judged by sponsor representatives based on their creativity and relevance to their chosen category. One runner up from each category will be selected to receive the second, third, fourth and fifth place prize. One grand prize winner will receive a refreshing Sedona Spa and Adventure getaway that includes a trip for two to Flagstaff, AZ with three nights stay at the Sedona Spa. They will also receive a hot air balloon ride for tour, a tour of Sedona, cash allowance for travel and a Canon PowerShot digital camera to record all of their memories.

As companies look to bloggers for social media stardom, more and more people are trying to poach themselves as social media experts. A term that is quite loaded, and often nothing more than an attempt at catching your eye. To save you the stress of finding out your new brand ambassador is nothing more than a social media user, here are a few qualified skills that you might want to consider before hiring your next big star. 1. Written communication skills Your social media manager must be able to express themselves clearly and concisely. They must stay on point and be able to change tone to adjust to the community and audience they are writing for - and a sense of humour never hurt anybody. 2. Understanding your brand The person who is representing your brand online should surely have an intimate understanding of it. Make sure to share your brand identity, business goals and social objectives as far as how you want your brand presented. 3. Creativity and Social Know-How Your social media representative should know the in’s and out’s of social platforms, as well as understand where your brand will best fit in. Grabbing someone’s attention in 140 characters or less is not always an easy task - so be sure they have the knowledge to back it up. 4. Passion Don’t underestimate the need for passion. Keeping up with social media, the emerging platforms and the constant need to do more and create more can be tiring. If your social media manager doesn’t have a passion for the medium they probably won’t last long.

A new study out of Forrester is reporting that marketers may have jumped the gun on location-based sharing platforms such as Foursquare and Gowalla, unless their only seeking a small portion of male influencers. Despite a growing reputation among the marketing community as the hot new “it” media, the heavily hyped applications are still too narrowly used to garner the kind of measurement that many brand names are looking for. Almost 80 per cent of location-based service users are male, with close to 70 per cent of them between the ages of 19 and 35. Forrester also reported that a high percentage of these users have a college degree or higher. While those numbers may suggest a good strategy base, you may want to take a closer look. Forrester also found that only four per cent of U.S. online adults have ever used location-based mobile applications, and only one per cent of these use them more than once a week. Perhaps more alarming is that 84 per cent of respondents said they were not familiar with location-based apps at all. Location-based sharing made the 2010 list for applications to watch out for, and many predicted that it would explode over the year as the new model for marketing and advertising. However, predictions were scarce about how this application should or could be used to come out on top. While the Forrester report will give marketers some insight into who they can reach and how to segment their opportunities using this application - they should keep in mind that not everything is so cut and dry as “men use Foursquare”. Many non-male oriented brands including Starbucks, Bravo, PepsiCo, and Campbell’s Soup have already launched campaigns using the app. Again, success with location-based apps doesn’t necessarily rely on the application itself, however as we all know customers are generally more interested in the “what’s in it for me” aspect.

While the summer is not quite over, many are looking to the fall and talking back-to-school. SchoolMessenger, a leading provider of parent notification services for education announced a new video contest early last week. Spread The Word Back-to-School video contest is offering grants and scholarships to schools and districts that can best communicate the value of its notification system through a 30 second video. Participants can create a video by visiting the contest page and upload their submission, as well as visiting the company Facebook page for requirements, guidelines, voting and inviting to share with your friends. Videos must be original works and it is suggested that yearbook, media, drama or A/V clubs, students, community or PR departments, IT departments, student services groups, school TV stations teams or PTA/PTO leadership apply for the contest. All submissions will be judged by the public through the contest or Facebook page. Two grand prize winners will be awarded a $5000 scholarship or grant. The winners will be awarded based on the video that best meet the goals and requirements of the program. SchoolMessenger will also award five winners through a random drawing among all eligible videos. Winners of the draws will be awarded a prize of $100 Best Buy gift card. “Our customers understand that by having a notification solution in place their school benefits by increasing parent involvement, academic achievement and safety. But for these same customers, communicating this value to parents and the greater community can be a challenge,” said Nate Brogan, vice president of marketing for SchoolMessenger. “By using video to spread the word, schools have a fun, new way to share their plans and encourage families to get involved, and win grants and scholarships while they do.”

For generations, families have built memories surrounding meals. Cooking and eating bring people together and Le Creuset, the French cookware manufacturer best known for its colourful enamel cast iron, plays a large role in creating these moments. In celebration of its 85th year, Le Creuset is hosting a user-generated content (UGC) contest called True Memories through the Brickfish platform to invite people everywhere to share their memories of this famous cookware and the memories it has created for them. Participants can enter the contest by submitting a photo with a description or a blog that features a story about a personal experience of having made something truly enduring with Le Creuset. Blogs cannot be longer than 1000 words and all entries must be original work. Entrants can visit the Brickfish website to share their photo or blog and submit them through the contest page. Participants can then share their entries with friends and family to try and acquire more votes. Eighty-five winners will be selected as runners-up and will be selected by representatives from Le Creuset from the top 500 highest scoring entries. Those winners will receive one piece of Le Creuset classic cookware. One grand prize winner will be selected from the top 250 highest scoring entries to receive a $5000 shopping spree from Le Creuset.

When it comes to having the top Facebook page a few select brands are doing it right. They are incorporating multimedia, engagement and a well thought out communications strategy that keeps their brand at the forefront. So how can you do the same? Well, Facebook is a platform which is always coming up with ways for more brands to use them. So if you stay on top of how you can get involved or augment your profile then it shouldn’t be hard to stay at the top of your game. However, if you’re just getting into it - then you might want to review this list. 1. Multi-task Building a large following requires a network of platforms. Working together with your many outlets to drive visitors to your pages is crucial. Whether its pushing traffic through links, video or a brand ambassador - you can’t do it alone. 2. Value If people think of your page as a resource, then they won’t just “Like” your page, but they will return multiple times and spread your message for you. We have said it before, but I will say it again - Content is King. 3. Can’t go wrong with a giveaway Facebook fans love a contest, especially if its simple and could result in them getting some free schwag or coupons. Using your Facebook page to communicate or promote your contest is a great way to get your participants involved and where you want them to be. When in doubt take a look at some of the big one’s; Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Disney, or Victoria Secret. Video, events, customer service, contests and link juice all play a part in making your Facebook page more successful. What else makes for a successful Facebook page? Post your ideas below.

Quickly approaching August, the beginning of the month marks the third in a series of sponsorship events for ICUC Moderation Services. August 11, 2010 will see CEO, Keith Bilous and business development manager, Dustin Plett in Chicago to the next BlogWell event. Participants can get practical, how-to advice on creating great content, getting management buy-in, educating employees, keeping lawyers and regulators happy, simple and ethical disclosure, and engaging fans. You’ll ask questions, discover new ideas, and get answers from people who have been there, done that — all in four hours. This coming month’s conference will see eight companies including McDonald’s, Whirlpool, General Motors, Chevron, Verizon, Kraft Foods, Alberto Culver, and CME Group share case studies in corporate social media. ICUC Moderation Services will again be acting as the wi-fi sponsor for the event and is offering a 20 per cent discounted rate if you use our coupon code: ICUCSENTME. Check back with our Snoo.ws blog to find out the latest on what we’re doing and where we’ll be and look out for some exciting things ahead. Tweet @keithbilous or @DustinPlett if you want to meet up or simply stay in touch. Let us know if you’re going to be in Chicago - See you there!

Canadian burger chain Harvey’s has recently opened a contest to name their thickest, juiciest, and tastiest burger yet. The premium burger naming contest has been running through the companies Facebook page and on the company website. Participants were only allowed to vote once per Facebook profile, and the response was enormous. The Harvey’s Burger With Your Name On It contest has pulled out the creativity and passion that fans have for the burger joint. For the past four weeks Harvey’s has received over 19,000 name submissions all fitting into three popular categories including, Canadian pride, the Harvey’s brand and Canadian slang. Recently, Harvey’s selected the top three names submitted to the contest; Gourm-eh Burger, The Mighty Harv and Great Canadian. Fans can visit the Harvey’s Facebook page to vote on their favourite, before August 2, 2010. Of the top three finalists, the person who submitted the burger name with the most votes at the end of the public voting period will receive $10,000 and free Harvey’s premium burgers for a full year. And, as a thanks to all the fans who submitted a name to The Harvey’s Burger With Your Name On It contest will receive a coupon for one free premium burger as a token of the brands appreciation.

There is no equation for the perfect company blog. Rather it might be better to think of it like juggling. Each ball represents the important pieces that make up a quality, well-like and popular blog - and it is your job as the publisher to keep all of these balls up in the air and moving. With so many blogs out there it can be hard to distinguish yourself as a a thought leader or a “must-read”, so here are a few tips on how to give your company blog that boost it may need. 1. No talking heads allowed Blogs are conversational, they’re social, they’re jargon-free zones. You need to be yourself and speak to your audience in the same way you would talk over dinner or at the water cooler. People want to talk to people - not robots. 2. My time is just as valuable as yours So, don’t waste it. Reading online is much different than reading in print. I don’t dedicate a whole evening to one story. Be concise, be clear and get to the point. 3. What’s it worth? If content is king, than boring content is a dirty band-aid. Nobody wants it. You need to provide your audience that is not simply rehashed, a sales pitch or company announcements. We share so that others will share too. 4. I wish this was better We all know that readers are drawn to images and that video is dominating the online space. Incorporate multimedia into your blog whenever you can and give your audience something entertaining to watch. 5. Don’t be a hater Opinions are often a good thing. Your blog should have a personality - however, with that being said, if you hate on everything - that can be a real turn off. Have you met Negative Norman, he’s the guy at the party that everyone avoids because he’s such a downer. Be nice, share, have fun. Happy blogging everyone.

Backed by some big names in social media, Flipboard has just launched as the iPad’s social media magazine. Personalized pages aggregated from networks such as Facebook and Twitter are changing the way we browse. The platform launched this past Wednesday and is now available at Apple’s iPad app store, the start-up pulls information from your news feeds and creates an interface that will read like a personalized magazine. Along with the launch, Flipboard made two large announcements. First the company raised $10.5 million in a Series A round including KPCB, Index Ventures, The Cherin Group, Jack Dorsey (Twitter’s creator), Dustin Moskovitz (Facebook’s co-founder) and Ashton Kutcher. And second that they acquired Ellerdale, a real-time web intelligence start-up which will help Flipboard choose and organize the most relevant stories for the reader. People are able to view what their friends are sharing and uploading including text and photos, comment, or like anything that they can see on their Flipboard. The platform also takes popular news sources to provide a unique experience for the user. The tool is easy to use and is free to download. Participants can simply flip through the pages, the same way they might flip through their favourite magazine or newspaper. The only difference is that these articles are multimedia. While the first glance of Flipboard has many users singing its praises in terms of aesthetics and ease-of -use - many others were complaining about errors when connecting to Facebook and Twitter. I guess everyone jumped on that bandwagon at the exact same time. Who else is interested to see how it all plays out?

For the past twenty years restaurant chain Zaxby’s has had one fanatic fan - his name is Matt. In honour of the restaurants 20th anniversary they are letting customers have their chance to dethrone the ultimate Zaxby’s Fanatic, if anyone can. Participants are encouraged to create an original video showing off what makes them the biggest Zaxby’s Fanatic. All videos should not be longer than 60 seconds and should be uploaded to the contest website by no later than August 8, 2010. The Zaxby’s marketing team, including the title fanatic Matt, will chose 20 finalists based on their creativity and originality, overall appeal and adherence to the assignment. Entries will be scored and the highest totals will move forward. In the second phase all videos will be featured on the contest website for public voting. Friends, family and visitors will be allowed to vote once a day on their favourite video submissions. Public voting will then count toward the selection of winners, as a part of the overall appeal score, who will again be judged on the same criteria as the preliminary round. Of the 20 finalists, 17 entries will win the runner up prize of a $50 pre-paid gift card and a Zaxby’s Fanatic T-shirt. Third and second prizes will win cash, a flip video camera, a Zaxby’s Fanatic plaque and T-shirt. The grand prize winner of the Zaxby’s Fanatic contest will win $5000, $500 in pre-paid Zaxby’s pre-paid gift cards, a flip video camera, a Zaxby’s Fanatic plaque and a Fanatic T-shirt.

Brightkite, the location-based social networking platform has just launched a new way for its participants and partnering brands to get more out of checkins in a bid to expand its role in the marketing field and give its users incentive to keep posting where they are. The company has now added the ability to “level up” on the badges they earn, which means that brands will now have more opportunities to offer their most loyal group of customers more rewards - and not simply targeting the very narrow, single, top brand ambassador or the very broad all users who checkin to that location. Unlike its competitors, Brightkite checkins and badge levels will generate more data for brands that will highlight a customers level of engagement with the brand and allow them to be compensated accordingly. The Brightkite system distinguishes a “superfine” from a “regular” from a casual visitor. This data is becoming more and more important for marketing professionals when it comes to reporting the metrics and measurement of social media campaigns and projects. The Brightkite badges themselves have been much improved since they were first introduced earlier this year. Participants can now track their progress in earning different levels through a progress bar directly below the badge, as well participants are given tips on how to reach their goal. The company has already partnered with several larger scale corporations to offer rewards through the badge program, including that of Starbucks, Sharpie, Dentyne and Redbook. They are currently working on several more branded badge programs with companies such as McDonald’s Visa and the CW, which are due for launch in the next few weeks. Brightkite continues to work on their own badges and says users should “[e]xpect to see a range of branded badges that are both fun to earn and also give you real world rewards as you hit different levels,” according to the companies blog.

Amazon Kindle allows avid readers to more easily enjoy their favourite books. The tablet allows customers to think of a book they want and start reading it in 60 seconds no matter how far away they are from home, and let’s them take their entire library with them everywhere they go. Amazon is looking for a television commercial that demonstrates how the product makes the entire reading experience better no matter how, what or where a person likes to read. With so many reasons to enjoy the service such as free 3G wireless without contracts or monthly bills, being lighter than your typical paperback at only 10.2 ounces or over 620,000 of the most popular books, magazines and newspapers to choose from - participants are encouraged to highlight the best reasons to pick up a Kindle today. Through the Poptent community, participants are given plenty of tips on the do’s and don’ts of a good Kindle advertisement, as well as several assets to help them with the development of their submission. Entrants should ensure they read all of the guidelines to submit the perfect ad before the July 31, 2010 deadline. Video submissions can be uploaded to the Poptent community contest site where a panel of judges from the client sponsor will select one video for use in a Amazon campaign. The grand prize winner will receive a one-time fee of $10,000. As well, Poptent will select three editors’ choice awards who will receive awards totaling $2000.

One of Unilever’s top hair care brands has partnered with celebrity hair stylist and expert Teddy Charles to create a line of hair care products that gives women better access to beautiful hair and the chance to extend the brand even farther. Sunsilk is the number one styling product in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. With sales of more than 1 billion Euros a year across 80 countries, the brand is sold in several different geographies under different names such as Elido, Hazeline, Seda and Sedal. Through MOFILM London 2010, Sunsilk is looking for a dynamic, upbeat and genuine short commercial between 30 and 90 seconds under the brands name to show customers how the product has improved under the guidance of experts. While Sunsilk is only one of several Unilever brands within the overall competition, fans will have the opportunity to download the brief, music and several assets to make their entry more irresistible to the judges. Once videos are uploaded to the competition site five winners will be selected from each of the brands, including that of Sunsilk. Video submissions will be judged based on originality, creativity, and adherence to the creative assignment, and are due by September 15, 2010. The Sunsilk competition is offering several prizes beyond the overall grand prize among all Unilever brands. Fourth and fifth place will earn winners digital camera equipment, third place will receive 500 pounds, second place takes home 700 pounds and first place will win a BFI London Film Festival VIP prize package of a trip for two, red carpet treatment and 1500 pounds in prize money.

There are many issues surrounding the discussion of pharmaceutical companies making use of social media. Many marketers in the field are cautious of participating due to the possibility of adverse events such as off-label uses of drugs or incorrect information on third-party sites. While pharmaceutical companies are certainly beginning to tip-toe into the pool of social media, they are doing it in small and slow ways. Although they have good reason for concern with the prospect of undue regulation and scrutiny from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there are plenty of good reasons to dive in. 1. Consumer Engagement In some cases companies are making use of user-generated content (UGC) to monitor and analyze a brands social programs. Patient Networks such as PatientsLikeMe.com are being used to recruit people for clinical trials. 2. Brand Perception Pharmaceutical companies don’t generally have the best reputation. Big money and little talking makes a brand somewhat untrustworthy to the public. Social media is known as a very transparent platform and thus proves a willingness to show responsibility and accountability. 3. Sharing Whether it’s informational or educational consumers want to be involved with their brands. Pharmaceutical companies can easily take advantage of sharing with the public in many ways including recalls, research and reports or simply did-you-know type content. For pharmaceutical marketers that are still wavering on whether social media is the right platform for them - let us know know why.

One of the great things about social media is its ability to make us all a bit more self-aware and responsible or at least accountable if we truly want to succeed. Co-founder of VaynerMedia, Gary Vaynerchuk spoke at the RailsConf 2010 about how social media is ultimately leading us to a better place. Social media - while still in its adolescence - has done a lot of growing up in the past several years. And along with it some of us are embracing it, adapting to it, and now even planning for it. Its transparency and ability to command attention make social a great way to learn about your brand and build relationships. While many marketers may choose to ignore negative commenting or responses, it is important, just as it is in face-to-face conversations to respect each others thoughts. It isn’t simply a disagreement or even an argument, however marketers need to be more self-aware and in turn brand-aware. Products and services have holes in them. Which is why consumers pay hundreds of dollars a day to get the latest version of something or an upgrade to something else. Even your developers will agree that we can always improve things. Unfortunately for many marketers the Internet now provides a platform for those improvements to be documented a little earlier than you wanted. Burying your face in your hands won’t get you far. The Web, as we know, has a long memory and once something is online - well, it’s there for good. So, listen to your nay-sayers, respond to them, respect what they have to say and create a dialogue that is useful. “You can’t hide anymore. The world is changing, and I think we have to really adjust to the real reality of our world,” said Vaynerchuk. “And I for one am thrilled with that.”

As social media has evolved so has marketing. Only a few short years ago marketers were using email to target their ideal demographics and spread brand messaging. Today many professionals are finding that both social and email are useful, however for different reasons. Based on research from ExactTarget, the primary benefit behind email marketing - as far as consumers are concerned - is to receive discounts and promotions, as well as get a “freebie” in exchange for email addresses. This can be explained through the speed in which today’s consumer takes in email versus social media. Today’s consumer spends hours a day consuming content on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. In fact, according to a report by nielsenwire, time spent on Facebook went up 700 per cent. In terms of social media, forty-one per cent of U.S. Facebook users join Facebook fan pages to let their friends and family know what products they support. Coupons and discount offers ranked second on the 2010 survey, however other reasons included to stay current on available new products, to learn more about the company or organization, or to meet with people who have interests similar to theirs. The research shows that email may be a more passive channel, while more active brand advocates can be found to follow brands on social sites. However, neither necessarily should be overlooked.

Most people may think of HALLS as a soothing hard candy that cools their dry cough and burning throat. What they might not see is how it gives you the extra lift you sometimes need during the day to get through the everyday thinks like running errands, a big presentation or just juggling your life. HALLS is sponsoring a user-generated content (UGC) contest called HALLS Personal Power Up which showcases the many uses for the brands products such as keeping your voice strong for the big game with HALLS Breezers, supporting your immune system with HALLS Defense or keeping your mouth moist during an important meeting with HALLS Refresh. Participants are invited to create a photo, video or blog post that explains what keeps you Powered Up when you need an extra boost. Entrants can use the Brickfish contest website to submit their entry by following the sites rules. Entrants can then tell their friends or family to join the campaign and vote or share their entry. The initial round of judging will be done by Brickfish to determine the top eligible entries. The second round will be performed by the sponsor and entries will be judged based on creativity, relevance, audience support and viral influence. Prizes will be awarded in four different categories. The first is a sign-up sweepstakes, then 25 winners will be awarded the most viral. Three runners-up will also be chosen and finally one grand prize winner. The grand prize winner, who will be selected by HALLS from the top 50 highest scoring entries, will be featured on the HALLS Facebook page, receive a branded T-shirt and towel, HALLS product and a $100 gift card.