In a brave move that could prove to be a major turning point in big brand marketing, Pepsi has decided against doing a Super Bowl ad in 2010, and investing their $20M or so in social media instead.

Meanwhile, at Strutta HQ, we collectively raise an eyebrow. We used to point to Doritos' crowd-sourcing efforts to produce their Super Bowl spot as the ultimate use of user generated content in advertising. After all, that (now 3 year) campaign was birthed in part by our CEO, Ben Pickering. Now, a huge brand has publicly opted out of the bloated Super Bowl advertising one-uppance pissing contest, and is diverting all (not just some) of the funds they would have spent into connecting with Pepsi drinkers online. It makes you wonder whether the next step will involved abondoning tv ads altogether. Time will tell.

This news came to us in the form of a presser released this morning by our neighbors at Adhack. We also found this interview with a spokesperson for PepsiCo.

“Pepsi’s $20-million commitment to social media instead of its Super Bowl commercial is a substantial shift in where they put their marketing efforts, and a groundbreaking shift in how they can measure their return on investment," said Adhack Founder James Sherrett. "It’s a smart move.”

PepsiCo Spokesperson Nicole Bradley confirms that the soda pop company has given this some thought, and they expect it to be a better investment, long term. "...our beverage brands' marketing strategy in 2010 [is] less about a singular event and more about a movement, said Bradley. "We are always looking to further develop our two-way conversation with consumers."

So what comes next? How should Pepsi divert those funds to get the most out of the web, and best connect with fans of the syrupy, bubbly stuff? If you're asking us, we'd like to see some of that invested in online contests and with the talented creatives that make-up the Adhack community, for starters. Seems to us to be a great way to reflect Pepsi's fanbase, and help to distance them from the Britney Spears/Michael Jackson high budget spectacles of old.

If you want to know more about how to invest in marketing on the web and put online photo and video contests to work for you, contact us. We'd be happy to answer your questions. During office hours (Pacific time) we can be reached at 1-877-477-5717.

So you've come up with a fantastic contest idea with an interesting premise and an awesome prize.

You want your contest to:

1. raise awareness of your brand.
2. introduce a new product or feature.
3. engage your existing customers.
4. increase site traffic and attract new customers.
5. encourage the creation of great new user generated content
6. any combination or all of the above.

You've gone through Strutta's promotion builder.  You've chosen a domain name and designed a slick style to match your brand. Your contest is set up for greatness, so don't stop now...You've got to spread the word!

An online contest, no matter how great the premise or prize, could always use a some "word of mouth" help, using social media, in order to be even more successful.  There are many resources available, so here are some tips to help get you started.

1. Website and Blog

The first place you'll want to promote your contest is on your website and blog.  Feature it prominently on your homepage.  Highlight the contest premise and prize, and invite users to participate by demonstrating how easy it is to enter.  Let any subscribers you may already have know about your new and exciting contest!  Users should be just one click away from accessing the contest on your website or blog homepage.

2. Twitter

Tweeting about your contest to your existing followers is a great way to get the word out.  Always include a link to the contest site.  "Retweets" of your contest will reach the eyes of more potential contest participants and promoters.  If you don't know Twitter, acquaint yourself with Common Craft's Twitter in Plain English video.

3. Facebook

It has grown to become the largest social network worldwide with over 300 million active users.  Create a "Page" on Facebook for your campaign.  Update your friends and fans with featured entries, the contest's progress, and encourage participation!

4. Other social networks and websites

Get the word out in other relevant major and/or niche social networks.  Consider promoting your contest on YouTube with a "how to enter" video, or break the news of your promotion to relevant online communities you are a contributor to.

5. Link

Blog, tweet and post quality content that will spark interest, initiate conversation and provoke action.  Generate legitimate buzz that will encourage friends, bloggers, news sources and other website owners to link to you. Turning the spotlight on existing entries is a great way to keep the buzz going. Don't forget to give some love in your messages too.  Include links and thanks to your supporters and sponsors as well.  What goes around usually comes back around again.

6. Connect

Get in touch with friends, family, clients, colleagues, neighbors...tell everybody you know about it!  You can also reach out to the masses at affiliated schools, campuses, sports organizations, clubs, community centers, and cafes.  Don't underestimate the power of your voice and other offline options. 

The key is to find your niche, and to keep promoting the contest and new entries.  Be mindful of your actions, and be careful not to engage in any activity that could be viewed as spam.  Nobody likes a spammer!

7. Repeat

Using the "Custom Survey" tool in Strutta, you can ask up to three survey questions of participants. We encourage you to use one of these to ask permission to contact people after the contest is finished. Sign the "yesses" up to your email newsletter, and share more valuable info about your company. And of course, tell them about your next contest, too. Each subsequent promotion will be more successful than the last!

Contact us to learn more about Strutta, how to create your own online video, photo, audio or text contests, and how to get the most of your online promotion.

These 7 tips should get you on the right track.  If you've got some favorite promotional tactics using social media of your own, feel free to share them in a comment to this post!

We're on the hunt for the perfect intern. Someone who's prepared to put their time in creating exciting promotions on the web in exchange for the experience of working at the coolest startup in Vancouver.

Here's the full posting:

Are you a marketer or blogger who wants to learn more about social media, internet startups and marketing?

We have an opportunity for one motivated individual looking for some real-world experience and training. We are a small team of individuals working in a relaxed office environment, but we make big things happen.

Our product make it possible to create online contests and promotions. The successful applicant will experience all facets of life at an internet startup, take direct control over campaigns if they wish and potentially amass an impressive portfolio of client work.

What we offer: All of the above mentioned experience, plus: all the coffee/beverages you can drink, a comfortable work environment with a flexible schedule and yes, we have video games too if you like that
sort of thing.

No pay to start, but could lead to paid opportunities. We will mutually agree on a pre-determined term for the internship based on your needs and ours.

To apply, send everything that you think is applicable to jordan[at]strutta.com. Hint: Your social media profile are applicable.

Do you remember checking under the cap of your pop bottle to see if you'd won?

Those contests and promotions did exactly what they were meant to do; they motivated you to open the bottle. But like mass media advertising, the system was flawed, in that it couldn't be accurately measured. Sody pop companies could tell you exactly how many lid liners were returned for prizes, but not how many were checked overall. I know this, because as a young convenience store employee, I would fill the slow time checking under the caps of the returned empties in hopes of winning a cash prize or a Dr. Pepper sweatband. Worse yet, they didn't know how many went unchecked; junked or recycled without a last minute intervention by a greedy gas jockey with dirty fingers.

Big soda pop has adapted though, and now has the wisdom to use the bottle caps to drive traffic to the web, where every unique contest enterer can be counted and graphed, thereby giving the advertiser a better idea of the reach and success of a promotion. Now, with this new "social web," technology has lowered the barriers to making user-generated content (can we rename that term, please? Srsly) a part of the DNA of contests. Photo contests, video submissions and countless other media-related entries (design your own pop bottle, anyone?) have taken the place of the "25 words or less on a plain sheet of paper" of old.

With this new territory comes new challenges as well. Not everyone has the know-how to submit a video to an online contest, but opting into a web form and casting a vote is easy enough, if the motivation is there. Ensuring that only humans have the ability to submit to these promotions presents another problem- if the system is gamed by bots, then the integrity of the promotion is comprimised. 

Building a platform for these kinds of promotions that satisfies all those needs is the hard part. How does an advertiser best open themselves up to user-submitted media, online voting and marketing of its contests? What technologies should they use, and what kinds of steps are necessary for the legal and fraud prevention side? How will hosting be handled? Voting, judges or random draws? And how can you "get it on Facebook and the blogs?" 

Strutta's upcoming feature-set release aims to answer all of those questions right out of the gate, and here's why we're confident that advertisers and marketers will embrace it:

(Because) There is a lot more value in having some level of lasting engagement with the people opting into your promotions, especially when they are willing to create media on your behalf in order to participate.

The finalists in a photo competition, for example, would make for a more interesting and deeper site visit experience for an entrant than having no reason to check back with a contest site at all. It's with this in mind I'm sure that companies started asking us about when Strutta would be made available for them to structure promotions on their own terms. We listened, and now that technology is just a few short weeks away from launching.

If you're curious about what's "under the hood" of this latest release, I'll explore that (and touch upon a few feature details) in an upcoming post. If you have questions you'd like to ask now, feel free to hit up the commnent form below or email me directly: jordan[at]strutta.com.

Image source: Pop bottles by Dawn-ny.

Quick, go tell your mom! Lee and Sachi Lefever of the Common Craft show have just released "Social Media in Plain English," a video that explains this whole web-two-point-whatever thing, with an ice cream metaphor!

Have a taste: