The Container Store gives (social) power to the people

A new YouTube contest from The Container Store engages consumers at a high level while promoting new offerings.



The crowdsourced contest asked filmmakers to create videos focusing on The Container Store’s shopping experience, including its new PoP customer engagement program, Contained Home in-home organization service, and TCS Closets line of custom closets.



Initially, The Container Store selected its 10 favorite film shorts, with each of the 10 winning filmmakers receiving a cash prize. In conjunction with the debut of the videos, The Container Store is now calling for a vote by customers to name a “People’s Choice Award” winner.



The winner will be chosen from the contest’s top four film shorts. Customers can vote as many times as they like for their favorite videos online between now and Friday, Feb. 19. The winner will be announced via the retailer’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram social pages on Monday, Feb. 22.



“We are always looking for new ways to communicate to our customers about our differentiators – quality, selection, service, great prices – and what makes The Container Store a special place to shop,” said Melissa Reiff, president & COO, The Container Store. “We are extremely pleased with the ten winning film shorts and we think our customers will agree that they evoke the spirit of our brand and the feeling they get when they interact with us and when they have more organization in their life.”



This type of social contest provides several varieties of “soft” ROI for The Container Store. The contest gets customers engaged on The Container Store’s social pages while also exposing them to free advertising. And the awarding of prizes creates a generally positive brand image that should likely justify the monetary expense involved with the contest.



The contest was held in partnership with Zooppa, a global social network for creative talent that specializes in crowdsourced content. Each of the 10 videos will be highlighted on The Container Store’s social pages with the top four being featured in a targeted YouTube ad campaign through February.