15 seconds of fame

In early 2006, American Express started its own citizen marketing effort. In association with the Tribeca Film Festival, the two have launched a competition in accordance with American Express's ad campaign "My Life. My Card." It was referred to as the 15 second clip competition. The competition consists of submitting a 15 second clip with about one of thirteen topics that have do with the submitters personal life with restricted guidelines of course. Winner received a $15,000 grand prize. The films were personally viewed and judged by acclaimed directors Martin Scorsese and M. Night Shyamalan.

This competition was intense a wonderful opportunity for the vlogger world. Consumers had the opportunity to record and share their lives while having the world watch them. They would tell their friends and family about what they did, thus leading them to the website. This became a continuous cycle. During the three week submission period, the american express website received record breaking hits.

This competition is proof that the large corporations and companies are catching on to citizen marketing and the use of WOM. (This competition was along the same idea of the Chevy Tahoe campaign) These trends are on the way up to becoming some of the most powerful sources of media today. They are powerful tools in aiding in the image, prosperity, and financial success of the company.

Preview some of the submitted 15 second clips