| ForRent.com® Partners with Vitrue to Leverage Social Media |
|
Vitrue Delivers Viral Video Promotion: ForRent.com’s “If Only Your Apartment Furniture Could Talk” Video Contest
Atlanta (June 11, 2008) ForRent.com, a leader in multi-family housing solutions for apartment seekers, is launching its first user-generated video contest with Vitrue, the leader in branded social media communities and promotions. The promotion, which is housed on http://www.WinApartmentFurniture.com, asks consumers to tell their story through the eyes of their furniture of why they deserve a $10,000 furniture makeover. Consumers can submit their videos between May 1 and June 15.
“We’re looking to expand our presence, build stronger brand differentiation and gain more qualified leads by harnessing the power of social media. Social media is a proven promotional tool for us and enables us to build Brand Advocates who are able to influence their vast online social circle,” said Terry Slattery, vice president and general manager of For Rent Media Solutions. “With Vitrue’s proven track record and its state-of-the-art technology, we are confident we can expand our brand presence and continue to stand out as the innovative leader in the industry.” By engaging consumers and giving them a voice through social media, ForRent.com knows matching the right apartment with the right customer is easier based on the dialogue social media enables. By providing an outlet, ForRent.com will receive leads that are more personal, more vested and more powerful. “Our skill at building online communities matches their proven success with connecting consumers with real world apartment communities and becomes a natural extension of their expertise,” said Reggie Bradford, CEO of Vitrue. Utilizing Vitrue’s advanced technology, consumers can use a syndication widget to easily distribute their favorite video to more than 20 popular social networking Web sites, including MySpace™ and Facebook™. This powerful distribution is coupled with Vitrue’s unique Branded Watermarking™ technology that ties each individual video back to the brand’s site. The video, wherever it ends up in its viral distribution lifecycle, is immediately recognized as a brand-endorsed asset because of its branded watermark. Clicking on the watermark brings the viewer back to ForRent.com so they can fully engage and participate. Through a powerful tool like Branded Watermarking, ForRent.com can move from one social network to another, live on third-party video sharing sites, be e-mailed through anyone’s list of contacts and still retain the stamp of approval and an active link back to the ForRent.com community. With advanced screening tools such as the Review and Approve Module, Vitrue’s Administrative Dashboard enables ForRent.com to tap into the creative and entertaining power of video while protecting their brand against improper content. ForRent.com is able to manage its own brand protection standards prior to pushing live. The company expects the contest to help entrants build a sense of community through the exchange of personal stories and ultimately better match the right customer with the right apartment. The furniture promotion is supported by online and offline advertising including billboard advertising in select markets, national print advertising targeting college students and a public relations campaign that incorporates social media placement. Participants can log onto http://www.winapartmentfurniture.com between May 1 and June 15 to submit their videos. Voting opens on June 15 and closes July 6, 2008, and the winning video and the top ten finalists will be announced on or around July 22, 2008. About For Rent Media Solutions™ About Dominion Enterprises About Vitrue, Inc. Kathryn Sneed |