D&M Sponsors MakeShifters Contest to Win $17k AV System

D&M Holdings Inc. is launching an innovative web-based contest for Boston Acoustics® and Denon Electronics® in which consumers will be able to share homemade videos and photo essays for a chance to win a "Home Theater Makeover" featuring electronics gear, furniture and installation worth more than $17,000. The "Makeshifters" contest includes the participation of both consumer electronics giant Circuit City and leading furniture company La-Z-Boy.

Tell A "Home Theater Horror Story", Win a Prize Package...

Consumers will be able to enter the contest via a specially created web site, www.makeshifters.com, where they’ll be able to post homemade videos and photo essays that tell personal “home theater horror stories” about their makeshift home entertainment systems. Such makeshift systems might include a mix-and-match of outdated components (for example: a 13” CRT television hooked up to your grandfather’s 1960s-era stereo system, with PA speakers left over from your high-school garage band days).

In addition to being able to share their home videos and photos at the makeshifters.com web site, visitors will also be able to utilize Web 2.0 social networking features to interact by tagging, rating and reviewing entries, as well as virally spreading them, linking them to other sites and embedding them in emails or blogs (can you say "experimental marketing technique?) Entrants with the highest rated videos will be rewarded with a variety of prizes. The Grand Prize Winner will receive a total “Home Theater Makeover” that will include a high-performance flat-screen TV from Circuit City, premium electronic components from Denon and a complete Boston Acoustics surround-sound speaker package. Circuit City will provide the Grand Prize winner with a variety of DVD movies and music CDs, and send its professional Firedog technicians to install the system in the winner’s home. The First Runner Up prize in the video contest will feature a La-Z-Boy recliner and a $500 Circuit City shopping spree; and four third-prize winners will each receive selected home entertainment components from Denon and Boston Acoustics. (The total value of all prizes is over $25,000.)

Noted Mike Angiletta, VP, Strategic Marketing, D&M Holdings, North America. “With the Makeshifters campaign, we’re getting consumers involved in a fun interactive contest that lets them express themselves and share their stories while learning about how Boston Acoustics and Denon products can help enhance their lives. The goal of the campaign is to highlight the visibility of both the Denon and Boston Acoustics brands, reach out to new, particularly younger audiences, and educate consumers about our premium quality home entertainment solutions. By utilizing an exciting and fun new Internet medium, we’re also hoping to help eliminate some of the intimidation people might feel about home theater in general.”

Rewards will also be available through monthly “Quiz Prizes, ” as well as “Everybody is a Winner” Circuit City $10 Gift Cards for all entrants. For more information about contest rules and available prizes, please visit www.makeshifters.com.

To create the Makeshifters viral video and photo sharing contest, D&M Holdings utilized vSocial’s advanced “vConnect Powers” online video-sharing technology, a complete Web-based offering that includes uploading, encoding, hosting, publishing, branding tools, user/usage tracking and even in-video advertising. It includes video channel, micro-site and community building tools, proven scalability for enterprise environments, and can be completely private labeled for large-scale deployments. With vConnect, licensees can set-up, customize and launch their own online video community in as little as an hour.

Update: Congratulations to the winners!

Grand Prize winner
John Herman
Newmarket, NH

Second prize
Jason C Popp
Saint Charles, MO

Third prize
Parijat Naik
King of Prussia, PA