1. What are the prizes and what happens if I win?
The three (3) finalists will be flown to Los Angeles, CA for a final tryout. (Unless you live in the area, in which case you'll receive free transportation.) One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive the chance to appear in a Progressive advertisement.
2. How do I promote my video?
Peer voting will play an important role in the overall selection process and is responsible for up to 40 percent of the score that determines which semi-finalists move on in the competition. Here are a few suggestions to help you promote your video:
- Tell everyone you know about your video — word of mouth is a great way to encourage your friends, family members, even perfect strangers to vote for you.
- Send a text message with a link to your video and encourage people to vote for you.
- If you have a Facebook page, post the link to your video and encourage your friends to vote.
- If you're on Twitter, post the link to your video to your Twitter feed and encourage friends to vote; use the #HelpFlo hashtag so people following the contest will see your tweets. And remember: Use www.tinyurl.com or www.bit.ly to shorten the URL.
- Post the link to your video on CraigsList.org. It's easy. Simply select the city nearest you, click on the "Community" page, and post.
- Send an email to your friends and family — ask them to vote for you, and ask them to post your video on their Facebook and Twitter pages so their friends can vote for you.
- Create custom business cards to pass out to friends and family. Online services like VistaPrint.com make it easy to create free custom business cards. You can include the link to your video on your card and hand them out wherever you go.
- Host a screening. Invite everyone you know and let them invite their friends. Show your video and tell everyone why they should vote for you. Make sure to set up your home computer so that they can vote for you while they are there.
3. When will the finalists be announced?
The three (3) finalists will be announced on or about May 4, 2010. The Grand Prize winner will be announced on or about June 15, 2010.
4. What dates should I be aware of?
Videos will be culled down to the top 10 so America can vote for the top three. Voting begins April 5, 2010, at 12:00:01 a.m. Eastern Time ("ET") and will end on May 3, 2010, at 11:59:59 p.m. ET. The three finalists will then be notified, and you'll receive an email announcing the winner and a link to view the ad in the summer of 2010.
5. How do I find out the results?
Once the results are live on the site you'll receive an email with an update.