In its fourth year, Pepsi, Lays and Gatorade have joined forces to once again sponsor the user-generated content (UGC) contest Team up and Bring Home The Cup for amateur Canadian hockey teams to have a taste of the big leagues.

The contest is only open to Canadian residents and asks participants to submit their own story in one of three ways including either, an electronic video of no more than two minutes in length, an electronic photo and an essay of 250 words, or simply an essay of 250 words. (more…)

KiSS 92.5 and Pizza Pizza have come together to present a no holds bar user-generated content (UGC) creativity contest. Show Us Ur KiSS is looking for fans to show off their skills and put together something completely original that shows everyone what you think about KiSS 92.5.

KiSS 92.5 is Toronto’s number one hit music radio station and is making use of Filemobile’s UGC contest application, through which Rogers Digital Media - Radio team launched the Facebook Connect web application. (more…)

Pet lovers across Canada finally have a place to share all of those cute pictures of their pets getting tangled in yarn or snuggling on the couch. Canadian Living, a property of Transcontinental Media G.P., is now hosting its second annual Most Lovable Pet photo and video contest. (more…)

Do you ever find yourself turning down the volume on your TV set so you can call your own plays to your favourite game? Well, sports fans will now have a chance to call their own plays on national television through a new user-generated content (UGC) site recently launched by CTVOlympics.ca. (more…)

Everyone has already started counting down until the holidays and is looking for ways to make this year even better than the last. That’s why Style at Home has recently launched its online user-generated Holiday Countdown Contest, to find out your best holiday tips. (more…)

MSN Canada has launched a website that follows and personalizes the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay through user-generated content (UGC). Partnering with Canada’s Broadcast Media Consortium fans will now be able to take part in the cross country event.

Produced by Infusion, Digiflare and Filemobile the 2010 Olympics Torch Relay website allows participants to upload their very own torch story in three easy steps. Fans can create a torch relay contributor account through the event campaign website or login through Facebook Connect. Participants must chose their home province and city or the community closest to them and upload a comment, photo or video story and then submit it. (more…)

This past week I had the good fortune of seeing Mitch Joel, president of Twist Image, an award winning digital marketing and communications agency speak at The Evolution of Media: Strategies to build brands and drive revenue in a digital world.

While Joel touched on many interesting discussions one of the key points that stuck out in my mind was the idea of group expression. With a background in public relations I often studied the importance of two-way communication. Joel suggests that while new media is still being shaped and therefore harder to fully understand, companies need to step away from the notion of having no control over their brands and embrace the idea of “know control.” (more…)

The Evolution of Media: Strategies to build brands and drive revenue in a digital world is set to kick off this Wednesday, October 28 in New York, New York. A must see for marketers, advertisers, publishers and agencies.

Interactive leaders will be gathering at the Digital Sandbox Network Event Center to meet with some of Canada’s leading new media industry professionals to learn about compelling interactive experiences and best practices. (more…)

Acquisition and Retention via Online Communities EMarketer recently published research into interactive ROI, and concluded that the primary objectives of online marketers are to acquire and retain new customers. Now it’s the fall and little has changed. There are a number of projects, technologies and tactics that can be deployed to drive customer acquisition and retention, and I will be focusing on how publishers and brands can apply their online community platform for this purpose. While the explicit definition of the terms ‘customer’, ‘acquired’ and ‘retained’ vary across organizations, I consider a new registered website user to be acquired, and a returning registered website participant to be retained. (more…)

Along with our partners, ICUC Moderation Services is proud to present The Evolution of Media: Strategies to build brands and drive revenue in a digital world. Marketers, advertisers, publishers and agencies won’t want to miss the opportunity to learn from some of the premiere Canadian companies in the business. (more…)