POYNTER -- The Hot or Not concept is surprisingly appealing. It's hard to make the idea work with everything but it's a champ when looking at ways to make user contributions create a buzz (or a dead panning of whatever is in the crosshairs).
HotOrNot claims incredible success with the concept. They point to "9 billion votes counted and 13,300,000 photos submitted." Steve Yelvington points to "the Gap ... turning it directly into a commercial" at How Do You Do. Here's how it works: Dress up in Gap clothes showing your "personal style," get a friend to shoot your picture, and upload it to the "post & vote" contest. Then ask your friends to come vote for you. Winners get a trip to New York to appear on a TV show and the Gap gets a ton of viral marketing.
Steve Yelvington -- "Cashing In on 'Hot or Not'"
The Gap How Do You Contest
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