Unilever Launches Groundbreaking CGC Contest

UNILEVER LAUNCHES LARGEST-EVER EFFORT TO
INVOLVE CONSUMERS IN CONTENT CREATION

Partnership with MOFILM invites budding and established film-makers
to produce short films for top brands - from Axe to Vaseline

Unilever today announced a worldwide competition that gives creative people the chance to develop innovative film content for as many as 13 of its top brands - marking its largest-scale effort to involve consumers in content creation for its brands. The Unilever's Consumer Creative Challenge is a collaboration with MOFILM, the leading video and film contest community for aspiring filmmakers worldwide.

Launching at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, the Unilever's Consumer Creative Challenge is open to anyone over 16 years old —from first-time filmmakers to seasoned professionals, from around the world. People are invited to create short films (up to 90 seconds) for iconic Unilever brands such as Axe, Ben & Jerry’s, Snuggle, and Vaseline.

Keith Weed, Unilever’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, explains: “Great marketing depends on innovation and creativity. At Unilever, we are seeking new ways to deliver both for our brands. Digital and social media offer exciting opportunities to foster dialogue and engagement with our brands. They are also sources of creativity.

“We have all seen great films on the internet, made by all sorts of people. We want to encourage and capture the creative energy behind them and put it behind our brands by inviting consumers to be part of the brand creative process. By partnering with MOFILM and its global network of industry professionals and content enthusiasts, we know we’ll attract top talent from around the world and are excited at the prospect of seeing how they will help tell our brands’ stories.”

Following the kick-off at the Tribeca Film Festival in April, the contest will continue throughout the summer and culminate with the announcement of the winners at the London Film Festival in October 2010. Five winners will be selected for each brand, and one overall winner will win 7,000 GBP. The winning creative will be used in upcoming brand marketing campaigns.

At www.MOFILM.com, contestants can choose one of 13 Unilever brands for which to develop creative content. Detailed product briefs will instruct contestants on the key brand attributes and elements that should be included in the content. The contestants will upload their entries to www.MOFILM.com. Winners will be judged by a panel of peers, film experts and industry leaders.

Jeffrey Merrihue, Chairman of MOFILM said “Great brand building has always been a Unilever trademark and with 13 iconic brands participating in this competition, filmmakers will be excited to take part. We are delighted that Unilever has taken such a big step in engaging the global creative community in its marketing initiatives and we look forward to a long partnership.”

The 13 Unilever brands included in the contest are: Axe/Lynx, Ben & Jerry’s, Close Up, Dove deodorant, Heart brand [e.g. Wall’s ice cream], Knorr, Lifebuoy, Lipton, Rexona/Sure, Snuggle/Comfort, Sunsilk, Surf and Vaseline.

The program will be available in multiple languages, including English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Chinese. All skill levels are welcome; past winners have included first-time filmmakers working with their own equipment, as well as professional agencies. MOFILM encourages creative community support through a number of social media sites (Facebook, Twitter) and through previews of past winning films posted on www.MOFILM.com.

http://www.mofilm.com/competitions/lff2010/
http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/strategy/e3i9d00b780a7553c21ba2aac27bc58aaed
http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/news/998122/Unilever-crowdsource-content-13-global-brands/