The UM-Flint YouTube / Superbowl Contest

WEB 2.0 MEETS TRADITIONAL ADVERTSING'S BIGGEST VENUE

The University of Michigan-Flint has launched a unique promotion that allows contest entrants the opportunity to plan and produce their very own Super Bowl commercial. The idea is simple. Contestants create their own 30-second "Experience It Here" – themed television ad about the exciting new happenings at UM-Flint, post their submission on YouTube, and the winning spot will air on FOX 66 (WSMH TV), Flint during this year's Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008.

"This is more than a fun exercise in creativity," said Jennifer Hogan, UM-Flint Director of University Relations. "For those interested in marketing, advertising, art, design, media and more, having a multi-media product that they have planned and executed themselves air during advertising's biggest showcase, the Super Bowl, can have a real impact on their career. Some of the most talented people in all of advertising cannot say they have worked on a spot that ran during the Super Bowl. Talk about a resume builder!"

The "YouTube / Super Bowl Contest" is also aimed at helping to demonstrate that Web 2.0 is about much more than hi-tech socializing. It can facilitate the development of practical, next-generation skills in the areas of information and media technology, problem solving, storytelling, creative arts, planning and execution.

Hogan said, "We want our students, and everybody who enters this contest, to have fun with this opportunity. Yet whether they win or lose, we also want them all to take away from this an appreciation for the real-world benefits of hands-on engagement with the procedures of creating new media. If we are to thrive in the new information economy, we all must better equip ourselves with the skills and know-how to succeed in today's ever-growing, ever-changing world."

The deadline for entries is January 18, 2008. For further detail on how to enter, visit "UM-Flint's YouTube / Super Bowl Contest" official Web site at: http://www.umflint.edu/supertube.htm or www.youtube.com/group/umflint.