The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project welcomes the world’s No.1 female artist, Madonna, who joins the brand’s one-of-a-kind program of swapping partying experiences around the globe. In its second year, the international initiative, launched by one of the best vodka brands in the world in 2010, is encouraging people to share their nightlife traditions through Facebook and swap the unique parties on November 12. The pop diva, who has turned 53 this week, has joined the ambitious program to find the most brilliant dancer, who will be invited to join her upcoming series of concerts.
festivals and competitions
Giant companies provide vital support to small enterprises, giving people behind them with an opportunity to expand their business and make it big, doing small things. The team of big corporations, which already includes Cisco, American Express and Facebook to name but a few, is now joined by Dell, which is offering small businesses in the USA a chance to win $25,000 in its products preloaded with Windows 7 Professional & Office Home and Business, a $50,000 prepaid card from MasterCard, and their own online reality show. The submissions to the America’s Favorite Small Business competition are accepted on a dedicated page on YouTube through September 11.
Siemens launched ‘Changing Your City for the Better,’ a video contest on Zooppa, the world’s leading source of user-generated advertising. Filmmakers from around the world are challenged to show how people use technology to overcome humanity’s challenges. Siemens offers 15 cash awards totaling $40,000, with the first place winner receiving $15,000.
MTV Music Group announced yesterday that the O Music Awards (OMAs) will return by the end of the year. The revised award will present nominees that are crowd-sourced and the online audience will also vote for categories the OMAs cover. The date for the next OMAs hasn’t been announced yet but it is known that the event will take place before the end of the year.
Greenpeace is giving green-minded filmmakers, both aspiring and professional ones, an opportunity to contribute to its one of the biggest recent climate campaigns. Earlier this summer, the environmental organization launched an initiative against Volkswagen (which strives to become the most eco-friendly car manufacturer), which is opposing cuts to CO2. Greenpeace is calling attention to the company’s environmental policy and encouraging people to sign a letter to Volkswagen’s officials—the organization released ‘Star Wars’ inspired viral spots, launched a dedicated website, dropped spoof dark banners in big cities across the globe and organized demonstrations by VW stormtroopers in European cities including London, Brussels and Wolfsburg to get more ‘jedi’ to join the Rebellion (so far, there are 312,900 people in). Now, the brand is inviting activists to do something bigger than just signing the Manifesto—on September 17, Greenpeace is kicking off an international film contest, asking entrants “to expose the real VW—the one behind the billboards.”
Kia continues to ‘drive change’ in Canada with the launch of the next round of its campaign, designed to inspire local people to take action and improve their communities by making simple but effective steps. In the line with the ‘Court’ and ‘Garden’ spots, released last year, the car brand has kicked off a new national promotion earlier this summer to highlight Kia’s commitment to social responsibility, find new local heroes and support them. In addition to this, the brand announced August 21 the 1st annual Kia Drive Change Day and has launched a national competition, asking Canadians to submit a project, which can improve their neighborhood area, for a chance to get a $25,000 cash donation to implement the plan.