Calling all college students with a funny bone. Mars Snackfood U.S. is searching for the funniest college student in an online contest tied to its Twix brand.
Students who attend any U.S. college, university, trade school, or junior college can upload videos up to three minutes long through April 1 for a chance at a one-of-a-kind prize: a behind-the-scenes taste at the TBS Presents A “Very Funny” Festival: Just for Laughs event in June.
One grand-prize winner will receive $3,000 and a one-week internship to meet with a senior manager of the TBS festival and have the chance to shadow a member of the festival staff. In addition, the winner can watch a festival rehearsal and will receive tickets to six different festival shows. Semifinalists will each earn a year’s supply of Twix.
A panel of judges will choose four semifinalists. People can then choose their favorite college student in an online vote April 13 to April 27.
The promotion is part of a sponsorship deal Mars Snackfood forged with TBS. The company last year sponsored the festival on a smaller scale with sampling and on-site branding, Mars Snackfood spokesperson Ryan Bowling said. Terms of the sponsorship were not disclosed.
“This year, we upped the ante,” Bowling said. “It’s a great awareness builder.”
To spread the word, Mars Snackfood is distributing full-size samples of Twix to college students at 40 campuses through March. Street teams will hand out about 200,000 pieces wrapped with information about the contest, Bowling said. Posters and table tents will also support the contest.
PR and online marketing support the campaign. Agency.com built the Web site for Mars Snackfood and Catapult Marketing handles the sampling and street team activation.
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