CBC gets Hyperlocal with the help of Filemobile’s Social Marketing Suite

April 11th, 2013 - Toronto. Trends and innovations such as globalization, the increasing ubiquity of the Internet and widespread communication using mobile devices may have fundamentally transformed the way we share stories—not to mention which stories get the most attention—but one tenet holds true: the most important news that impacts our daily lives on the most personal levels is often generated just steps from where we live and work.

That news also changes on a daily, sometimes even hourly, basis.

With that in mind, CBC Canada Writes launched its innovative Hyperlocal interactive story map, a contest that began April 3rd, 2013. The goal: collecting true, personal stories of changing neighbourhoods from Canadians across the country in the form of text, photo essays, audio or video. Contributors are asked to share their stories of local change—which could include everything from how gentrification is transforming their neighbourhood, to how an influx of new Canadians is changing culture and cuisine in their area—on the website hyperlocal.cbc.ca.

At the end of the month, a grand prize winner will be selected by a judging panel comprised of a member from the National Film Board, CBC staff and a professional Canadian writer. The winning submission will be turned into an interactive adaptation by the National Film Board of Canada’s Digital Studio. The winner will also be awarded a 13-inch MacBook Pro laptop. Criteria for selecting the best submission includes the author’s use of language, originality of the subject, writing and presentation style, as well as their ability to tell a compelling story through their chosen medium. The deadline for submissions is May 3, 2013.

“Hyperlocal is a great example of a media company leveraging its viewers/readers/listeners in an innovative way to share important local stories that may have otherwise gone untold,” said Filemobile President Marc Milgrom. “Initiatives such as this are important methods for augmenting existing content-gathering resources to give Canadians the information they need and want in a fun and engaging format.”

The program will also include input from a team of bloggers from coast-to-coast, as well as an esteemed panel of featured writers including How to Be a Canadian author Will Ferguson and Governor General Award-winner Miriam Toews.

Hyperlocal is powered by Filemobile’s interactive social marketing suite to Connect Through Content, specifically leveraging the cutting-edge system’s Media Community application. Other Filemobile-powered features include geo-tracking to map neighbourhood stories across the country, as well as full video upload capabilities, commenting, and Facebook login functionalities. In addition, the Hyperlocal initiative uses Filemobile’s adaptive design approach allowing participants to engage and submit content to the contest from virtually any mobile device.

For more information, visit hyperlocal.cbc.ca

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Three Very Different Brands Embrace User-generated Content

Posted on Brightcove's Blog on March 25th, 2013. Written by Brenna Fitzgerald.
Boston, MA. User-generated content is a relatively new phenomenon--originating in the mid-2000s and surging in popularity ever since. Media companies and brands alike have embraced the knowledge, thought leadership and creativity that citizen journalists and consumers bring to their owned online properties. Major household names (i.e. Ford, Doritos) have taken user-generated content one step further by embarking on advertising campaigns driven solely by brand enthusiasts. It's truly fascinating how the medium has evolved in only a short time. And, the increasingly growing prominence of online video--which really took root in the last decade--combined with the proliferation of smartphones has had a direct influence on the prevalence and influence of "citizen content."

Brightcove technology partner Filemobile provides its broad array of customers with the software necessary to help them to publish and manage user-generated content for optimal visitor engagement. Several of our joint customers are using Filemobile and Brightcove Video Cloud together to enhance and deliver their user-generated video materials. The examples below are all different--and also highly effective--implementations of user-generated video content:

Life is Good: This Boston-based apparel maker emphasizes positivity and an optimistic view on life--sentiments it seeks to promote through both its products (which benefit children in need) and marketing initiatives. Through its "Good Vibes" portal, Life is Good encourages its online community to share photos and video that highlight good cheer, humor and inspiration. Because user response to Good Vibes has been so strong, Life is Good is taking advantage of both Filemobile and Video Cloud to host, manage and maintain all of the user-generated content it receives--ensuring long-term organization and thoughtful presentation of its positive messaging.

FOX News: FOX News' uReport is the network's citizen journalism news hub. Through a mobile app and a Web interface, FOX News recruits written and video stories from citizen reporters. The network then moderates and curates the material. The best of the best is then selected for repurposing on FoxNews.com, or for airing on the network. FOX News needed a sophisticated, integrated social platform--including video management capabilities--to ensure its viewer reports were appropriately organized and prominently displayed, leading to its reliance on Video Cloud and Filemobile.

Disney/ABC Unstoppable Moms: LIVE with Kelly and Michael, presented by Disney/ABC, initiated a search for "unstoppable moms" from across North America. The show encouraged viewers to submit written or video descriptions explaining why their mom is "dedicated, caring, confident, loving, determined and ready for anything,"and then selected a series of semi-finalists. On March 14th, finalists were announced and viewers were asked to visit the microsite to vote for what they considered to be the most compelling video or essay. The worst part? How can anyone possibly choose one story amongst all of the wonderful, inspiring ones? The best part? One incredibly deserving mom won the grand prize of $100,000! With a prize of that magnitude at stake, LIVE needed to ensure that the content it showcased was appropriately hosted and easily maintained and organized. We're so excited to be a part of recognizing moms, who everyday embark upon the hardest job around.

These are all creative examples of embracing user-generated content--and it's only the beginning. User-generated content will continue to be the norm, and major brands and media companies will increasingly require sophisticated social media and online video platforms to ensure heightened engagement and content optimization.

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Filemobile helps Canadians band together for new WagJag contest

February 8th, 2013 - Toronto. So, what would you do with 1,000 wristbands? That’s the question Toronto-based daily deal website WagJag is asking Canadians in its quirky new WagJag Wristband Challenge Contest.

The premise is simple: WagJag is inviting participants to submit a video or photo and a short 50-word caption explaining what they would do with 1,000 wristbands. That means using 1,000 hair elastics rubber bands or anything else remotely resembling a wristband, in a creative way.

A total of seven finalists will be selected from the entries and three winners will be chosen by a panel of WagJag judges. An additional three People’s Choice finalists will be chosen by the public, while a sponsor finalist will be chosen in a random draw from participants who cast votes during the voting period, which closes at 11:59pm on February 10, 2013.

What determines a winner? Top prize in the Judges’ Selection category goes to the most scalable, creative and original entry, while the People’s Choice winner will be determined by overall vote count.

The Judges’ Selection first-place winner will enjoy a seven-night all-inclusive package for two adults and two children to the Grand Palladium Bavaro Resort and Spa in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Second and third-place runners-up will also be rewarded for their submissions with promotional codes for Jaunt.ca and WagJag.com. The winner of the People’s Choice grand prize will walk away with a $500 Jaunt.ca promotional code, as well as $250 promotional code for WagJag.com, while the Random Voter winner can also look forward to Jaunt and WagJag spending sprees. Prize winners will be announced throughout March and April, 2013.

The WagJag Wristband Challenge Contest is powered by the UGC Contest Application of Filemobile’s Media Factory social media platform, and boasts key features including advanced video galleries, geo-tracking functionality and Facebook log-in.

“WagJag is a fast-growing brand with some cutting-edge marketing ideas, and we’re excited about being part of this fun and innovative contest,” said Filemobile chief financial officer Ron Watson. “It’s not every day that people are asked to come up with new ways to use 1,000 wristbands.”

For more information, visit http://wristbandchallenge.wagjag.com

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