Well, Super Bowl XLVI is over and the winner is….Video Contest Nerds everywhere! On sunday night, four of the commercials that aired during the big game were originally shot for video contests or online spec assignments. Doritos aired (only) two Crash the Super Bowl ads, Chevy aired the commercial that won Mofilm’s “Route 66″ video contest and Dannon yogurt ran a commercial that was created for a Poptent assignment.  I’ll post all the winning ads below.  Let’s start with the Crash the Super Bowl winners:
 
CRASH THE SUPER BOWL WINNERS:
 
- Man’s Best Friend by Jon Friedman.  AD METER RANK:  #1
 

 
- Sling Baby by Kevin Willson.  AD METER RANK:  #4
 

 
Normally, USA Today would release the results of their annual “Super Bowl ad meter” poll a few hours after the game. But this year, the Crash the Super Bowl winners will have to wait until Wednesday to find out if they won any of Doritos’ bonus prize money. The reason for the delay is that this year, USA Today is running TWO ad meter polls. The first got its results from focus group polling. The people in those groups watched the Super Bowl commercials live and turned up little knobs to indicate when they saw something the liked. The second Ad Meter poll is open to the public and it’s still going on. From now until Tuesday, February 7 at 6:00 pm EST, Facebook users can visit http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/superbowl-admeter and vote for their favorite ad. If a Crash the Super Bowl commercial ranks in the top three on EITHER ad meter, Friotlay will pay out the traditional bonus prizes. First place is worth One Million Dollars, Second is worth $600,000 and Third place is worth $400,000. We will post the results of the “Facebook Ad Meter” as soon as they are announced on Wednesday morning.
 
And now, the other winning video contest entries of Super Bowl 46:
 
-Happy Grad for Chevy by Zach Borst:
 

 
Chevy aired a few commercials during the big game but I think Happy Grad was the best Chevy ad of the night. In my opinion it blew away the other Chevy commercials even though the other spots were big budget extravaganzas about skydiving cars and the Mayan apocalypse.
 
-The Tease for Oikos Yogurt by Remy Neymarc:
 

 
How the “The Tease” came to be is kind of an interesting story. Dannon ran a very special, private assignment on Poptent and asked members to create video “pitches” for a Oikos Greek Yogurt commercial that could feature John Stamos. 24 filmmakers shot their commercials using stand-ins for Stamos. The folks at Dannon picked their favorite and the chosen director got to re-shoot his idea. You can read the full story here.

Based on the quality of the ads we saw tonight, I think we’ll be seeing A LOT of “Crowdsourced” commercials during next year’s Superbowl. I watched the game in a crowded bar and all of the video contest entries went over pretty well. To my surprise, the Dannon yogurt ad made a lot of people laugh out loud. Chevy’s “Happy Grad” got a mild but positive reaction. “Sling baby” got some chuckles from one group of older women. One of them screamed with laughter but the men in the bar didn’t really react to that spot. The champ of the night though had to be “Man’s Best Friend.” People went bonkers for that one and most of my friends seemed to think it was the best commercial of the game. But like I said, all these ads did pretty well so all the winning filmmakers deserve a hearty “congratulations.” There’s still time for you to help make this year’s crop of Super Bowl video contest entries look good so head here to vote for them in USA Today’s Facebook ad meter poll.
 

The phrase "Most Notable" wouldn't fit on the banner so I went with "Best"

Back in December I was planning on doing an article about the “Best Video Contest Entries of 2011.”  I did one in both 2010 and 2009 but I never got around to doing the 2011 list.  The thing is, 2011 wasn’t really a kick ass year for “consumer generated content.” There just weren’t many big stand outs.  So I figured that before we get any deeper into 2012 I’d just do a quick run down of the best video contest entries of the past year.  But here’s the thing; these entries aren’t really “the best.”  Anyone who has entered even a single video contest knows that the “best” entries don’t always win.  So let’s say that these are the most notable contest entries of 2011.  Basically this will be a list of the biggest winners of the past year.

In February, the Crash the Super Bowl finalist Pug Attack aired during the Super Bowl and scored the Million Dollar ad meter bonus.  But you know, I never really liked Pug Attack since it was just kind of a re-do of the CTSB winning ad, Underdog. One CTSB spot I did like though was the Pepsi Max commercial, Love Hurts.  That ad also aired during the game and won a $400,000 ad meter bonus.

The spring of 2011 was a very good time for a Lexington, KY man named Walt Arnett.  In March his “Cash America rap” won first place and $10,000 on Cash America’s Cash Rap video contest.  In May this video won him 1 of the 6 Mini Coopers that Dairy Queen gave away in their Mini Blizzard Treatment video contest.  And then just a week or so later his entry won the $150,000 grand prize in Excedrin’s What’s Your Headache video contest.  Interesting note: All three of these contests used facebook votes to determine the winners.

During the summer, Gain detergent awarded a million dollars to this video in their Smell Like a Million Bucks video contest.  The winner of that contest was determined by a public vote so of course the winning entry wasn’t that great.

And….that’s it.  Those were all the big contests on 2011.  It used to be that there were several big video contests a year where the grand prize would be at least $25,000.  And as far as I can remember, there weren’t any “make our TV commercial” contests last year either.  I guess that sites like Poptent, Tongal and Mofilm have made those kind of big contests unnecessary. But a few contest entries did make it onto TV in 2011.  In November, Triaminc started airing a Poptent-made ad entitled 102.  And this cool Mofilm-made ad, “Chevy Runs Deep” actually aired during the MLB AllStar game.

Now that I mention it, Mofilm ran a ton of huge video contests in 2011.  Each contest was based around a different film festival or arts event and each competition had an over all winner.  You can see all of the top Mofilm winners of 2011 in this convenient youtube playlist:  http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL42175AE837CCDF68

Finally, I think I’ll close out this list by naming VCN’s pick for The Best Video Contest Entry of 2011.  This was an easy call.  Top honors go to “Duct Tron” which won first place and $4,750 (?) in Tongal’s Stuck on Duct Tape competition.  Not only is it an amazing on a technical level, it actually has a hilarious surprise ending.  This ad wound up going viral and recived a crazy amount of love from the Internet.  Watch it and you will understand why.
 

 
If I missed any big 2011 contest entries leave a comment and let me know!

Purchased by Triaminic.  Price: $7,500:
 

Out of all the video contest/spec assignment-type sites on the web, Poptent.net has managed to set themselves apart from the crowd by establishing an elaborate and well designed online community where members can easily interact and communicate with each other.  I always describe Poptent as being the Facebook of video contest sites.  Every member has a profile page where they can post information about themselves and they also have a “wall” where other members can see what they’ve been up to and leave comments.  There’s a messaging system in place so members can talk to each other and there’s a pretty active forum where users can talk about filmmaking or even other contests.  But what really brings people together on Poptent are the site’s “social” functions.  Everyone can see everyone else’s videos and members can “like” or comment on each other’s submissions.  And if you think someone is doing especially good work, you can even “follow” them to keep track of their on-site activities.

All of these opportunities for interaction yield a fun, social experience for the user.  Even if your submission isn’t purchased by the brand, it’s still kind of nice when a bunch of people “like” your work and leave supportive comments.

However….there is simply is no such thing as a “drama free” online community.  That’s just the reality of the Internet.  And Poptent is no exception to that rule.  After all, filmmakers tend to be a pretty passionate bunch.  And when you stir the pot by tossing money and competition into the mix, things can get pretty gruesome.  Most Poptent users are pretty cool people who understand that if they cause trouble they’ll be wrecking their on-site reputation.  But Poptent now boasts more than 36,000 members.  Statistically speaking, there are inevitably going to be some major league jerks in that bunch.  And a few random jerks can have a significant impact on the tranquility of an online community.

The number of random jerks who are gleefully and intentionally trying to wreck the Poptent experience for the rest of the people who use the site is still pretty small.  But a few motivated and angry people can do a lot of damage.  Because Poptent doesn’t have any blocking software, there is no way for one member to block unwanted and harassing messages, comments or wall posts from another.  And because the staff doesn’t really moderate the forum, trolls are free to pick fights and high-jack otherwise bland discussions.

But the number one way members abuse the site is by creating fake accounts.  Some desperate filmmakers create multiple fake accounts to “like” and compliment their own work.  I guess they do it because they think the brand managers will see how “popular” their video is and want to purchase it.  If a video has a ton of “likes” that came from accounts that were all created on the same day and have generic profile photos, you can bet they were all created by one person.  These fake accounts are so easy to spot I’ve always wondered why Poptent allowed people to create and use them.  I’ve even seen cases where Poptent actually awarded “Most Popular” medals to submissions that were clearly only “popular” because the creator “liked” their own video a bunch of times.

While that type of behavior is kind of harmless,  other members create fake accounts for more nefarious reasons.  If someone is too much of a coward to say something under their real name, they create a fake “person” to do their talking for them.  For example, earlier this year Trident ran a commercial assignment on Poptent and one filmmaker who co-produced a submission created a fake account to bash his competition.  Motivated by pure greed, this person posed as an impartial observer and left scathing reviews on all of the best videos in the assignment.  He listed every “flaw” he could find and explained why it would be a bad idea for Trident to purchase those particular spots.  That was pretty low, but he didn’t stop there.  This person just couldn’t resit the urge to use his fake account to lavish praise on his own entry.  The flaw that he found in his own work was that it was too slick and too professional.  And guess what?  That person’s despicable tactics may have actually worked.  His video was purchased for $7,500!  Did the Trident judges see those “impartial” comments?  Probably, yes.  Did he make the sale because of what he did?  There’s no way to know.  Either way, it’s really unfortunate that Poptent allowed a member to pull such an under-handed scam.

But Poptent is finally, thankfully putting their foot down.  Though the website’s Terms of Service have always said they could suspend the account of someone who was causing problems, the site was lacking a hard, enforceable set of rules regarding on-site behavior.  So a few weeks ago, Poptent debuted their new “Creator Code of Conduct.”  The Code outlines what is expected of members and explains what type of behavior is forbidden.  Most importantly, it defines what will happen to a member that breaks the code:

“Anyone who repeatedly ignores the principles of this code will be subject to permanent removal from the Poptent community.”

I think that kind of statement is awesome and long overdue.  Here are a few of the most important points of the new code:

Be Positive:  Positive feedback is highly encouraged.  Please be conscientious in your comments. Don’t spam, troll, taunt, flame, belittle, bully, attack, sabotage, embarrass, threaten, harass, intimidate, demean, or insult other creators or their work.  Not in town halls; not in media comments; not in public or private messages or emails.  Not on Poptent.  Keep outside beefs out of Poptent.  This is a professional community and there is no need for friction or animosity.

Be Honest:  Be yourself. The creation or utilization of false accounts, either to bolster one’s likes, karma, or general community standing or used to negatively affect another creator’s profile or media will not be condoned.

Be Constructive:  Keep all criticism or feedback constructive and respectful.  If you wouldn’t say it at the family dinner table, don’t say it here.  Remember, some people want feedback while others may not.

All I can say to that is “Hell yes, it’s about damn time.”  Being a filmmaker that works on spec is hard enough as it is.  There is simply mo reasons that the people who use Poptent should be forced to put up with liars, bullies and trolls.  The company has a moral obligation to provide an artistically “safe” place where filmmakers can feel free to express themselves and share their work in a “hater-free” environment.  So I’m very happy to see that Poptent finally stepped up and created measures that protect their members from the few bad apples that are our there.  If you want to read the entire Code of Conduct for yourself, follow this link.  You really should take a look at it.  It’s short, well-written and even has some pretty colors in it:  http://www.poptent.net/code-of-conduct

Are you a filmmaker that lives in South America?  Do you speak Portuguese?  Well if you answered ‘no’ to either of those questions, you can just ignore this article because it will be of no interest to you!  Ok, I’m kidding of course.  This story is important to anyone who enters video contests or who shoots ads for sites like Poptent.  It shows you just how huge “crowdsourced media” is getting.  When companies started using goofy web ads created by “users” it was called a fad by some in the ad industry.  But advertisers have really come to take crowdsourced media seriously.  When a company cuts out ad agencies and goes right to their consumers for content, not only do they save a fortune but they get fresh, outside-the-box commercials.

With the demand for User-Generated content on the rise across the globe, Poptent.net has decided to expand to its first international market, South America by opening a new office in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  Why Brazil?  Poptent’s press release about the Brazilian office lays out some amazing stats:

“Brazil is one of the world’s fastest-growing online video markets, with comScore reporting that Internet users in Brazil viewed a total of 26.2 billion online videos in 2010, and YouTube experiencing 33% year-over-year growth in unique viewership.  The country also has high rates of social media participation, as Facebook experienced 258% year-over-year growth in the past year alone and more than 70% of the country’s Internet users visit blogs, all according to comScore.  Overall, Boston Consulting Group projects that the country’s 2010 base of 40 million Internet users will grow 15% annually through 2015.”

Here’s the TL;DR version of the above paragraph; Brazil is huge and full of lots of people who spend a crazy amount of time consuming content on the Internet.  Poptent even calls the country, “one of the world’s fastest-growing and most engaged populations of Internet users.”

So are you going to get a crack at the assignments that come out of that new Brazilian office?  Well yeah….kind of.  The goal of Poptent Brazil will be to reach out to local filmmakers to create content in Portuguese.  But South American assignments are officially open to anyone.  Plus, there is a chance that Poptent might occasionally ask American creators to produce videos that can be dubbed into Spanish or Portuguese.  Poptent’s first South American assignment launched on June 30th and more assignments are coming soon.  So stay tuned to poptent’s blog or twitter feed for more details.

There are a lot of reasons to like Poptent. But probably the best thing about the site is that their clients often wind up buying more videos then they have to after an assignment ends.  Case in point, Dell computers just bought 10 Poptent-made promos for $10,000 a piece.  Originally they were committed to buy only 4 videos.  But the quality of the submissions was so high that Dell decided to spend an extra $60,000 on 6 more videos.  This is the type of thing that just doesn’t happen in standard video contests.  Actually, if this Dell assignment was a standard video contest, it would have turned out to be one of the biggest contests in history.  Seriously, 10 videos being purchased for $10,000 a piece is kind of amazing.

I’m not going to post all 10 videos but here are a few of my favorites.  You can see all the results here.  If you’re not familiar with this assignment, it was supposed to portray IT people as heroes who save the day with Dell technology.  Also, if filmmakers didn’t have access to the right kind of Dell laptop or smart phone they were supposed to use any laptop or phone they could find and then do a re-shoot with the real stuff later. So if you notice some non-Dell products in these videos, that’s why.

Purchased by Dell. Price: $10,000 each: