Seattle, Dec. 13, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zooppa, the leading source of user-generated advertising, and Zappos.com, a leader in online apparel and footwear sales, have named the winners of their "Celebrate the Art of Gifting" video contest. The winning entrants will receive tens-of-thousands of dollars in prizes, including $25,000 for the overall winner and national exposure through television advertisements.
The contest asked participants to create a 30-second video that celebrates the art of gifting during the holiday season. In a period of just three-and-a-half weeks, nearly 200 entries were received and eight videos were selected for awards. Zappos is currently using one of the winning videos in its national campaign, including cable television spots and on its blog and Facebook fan page.
First place was awarded to Tim Merlau of Los Angeles for his Something for Everyone video. As the grand prize winner, Merlau collects $25,000. Second ($8,000) and third ($6,000) place honors went to Drew Elan of Nashville for The Gift Wrapper and Joseph Binetti of Los Angeles for 365 Days Later, respectively.
Additional winners include:
4th ($4,000) - My Brother's Sweater by Drew Elan of Nashville
5th ($2,000) - Zappos Holiday Gift Giving by Media House LLC in Highland Park, Illinois
6th ($1,000) - A Little Something by Allucinari Production House in Los Angeles
7th ($1,000)- The Art of Gift Giving by Kerry Furrh of Compton, California
8th ($1,000) - Disgruntled Elf by Kevin Langelier of Eastham, Massachusetts
"Zappos.com is a phenomenal brand that is known for delivering great service with a lot of fun and good humor, so this contest was a perfect fit and, as evidenced by the submissions and the winners, our community of film makers immediately 'got it'," said Wil Merritt, CEO, Zooppa. "It was a fun holiday-themed contest and the winning videos will spread the holiday cheer though broad exposure and acclaim as part of Zappos's national holiday ad campaign."
"This was an exciting project because we were able to work with the filmmakers and let them create an ad that is really for the people by the people," said Michelle Thomas, senior brand marketing manager at Zappos.com. "We are always looking for innovative ways to reach our customers and think out of the box to engage them."
About Zooppa
Zooppa is the world’s leading source of user-generated advertising. With a creative community of more than 128,000 members, Zooppa has worked with global brands like Google, Siemens, Samsung, AT&T, and Nike and agencies like BBDO, MindShare and Razorfish to produce fresh and fun creative ads. Beyond content, Zooppa’s innovative model of social crowdsourcing offers brands and agencies a cost-effective, strategic approach to engage consumers, build online word-of-mouth and gain customer insights.
About Zappos.com
Established in 1999, Zappos.com, operated by Zappos Development, has quickly become the leading destination in online apparel and footwear sales by striving to provide shoppers with the best possible service and selection. The Zappos Family generates gross merchandise sales exceeding $1 billion annually. Zappos.com currently showcases millions of products from more than 1,000 clothing and shoe brands. Zappos.com, Inc. was recognized in 2009, 2010 and 2011 by Fortune magazine as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For". Zappos.com is also proud to be rated Elite by STELLAService and was named a J.D. Power 2011 Customer Service Champion, one of only 40 companies so named in the U.S. More information about the customer service philosophy, unique culture, and job openings can be found at http://about.zappos.com. More information about Zappos Insights, and its business membership program can be found at www.zapposinsights.com.
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