Singapore Airlines is engaging consumers and driving loyalty with its Asia Destination Video Project, a six-month-long video contest.

The airline partnered with SendUs and worked with creative agency Managed Digital to create the video platform, which is accessible via a mobile microsite and desktop. Consumers are asked to submit videos of their favorite things to see and do in Asia for a chance to win exclusive prizes.

?We wanted to highlight destinations and increase the reach with the leisure market and get people in the U.S. aware of all of the destinations that Singapore Airlines reaches,? said Chandos Erwin, managing partner at Managed Digital, Venice, CA.

?We were looking at building a site with photos and videos, but one of the problems is budget in terms of sending crews to film videos,? he said. ?Then we started looking at the crowdsourcing option, and that?s when we came into the SendUs platform as an opportunity to use their tools to create a custom experience and crowdsource.?

?The idea is to take the best videos, the best content, and put together a highlight video that showcases all of the destinations.?

The campaign will begin on August 1 and will last six months.

Best of Asia
On the contest?s mobile page, consumers can view a video explaining the contest.

The video explains that Singapore Airlines is trying to crowdsource and ask their fans what their favorite places are in Southeast Asia in order to make a ?Best of the Best? video that highlights the best travel spots.

The question that contestants are meant to answer is, ?If a friend asked for travel tips, what would be on your list of suggestions?? Examples include coolest cities, favorite beaches, the tastiest food and the best shopping.

Fans can create a slideshow of photos or submit a video.

Anyone who submits a video is entered into a contest to win exclusive prizes. The grand prize is a business class flight on Singapore Airlines  for two and a stay at the Four Seasons Resort in Bali, Shangri-la in Kota Kinabalu and the Shangri-la in Singapore.

Each month, Singapore Airlines will give away frequent flier miles as well.

Contestants can up their chances of winning the People?s Choice Award by asking friends to vote for their entry.

If consumers are not interested in submitting a video themselves, they can enter a contest by voting for other submissions.

Mobile flying
According to Mr. Erwin, this is the first time that Singapore Airlines is creating a microsite that is specific to mobile.

The airline already has a desktop site and a mobile application for iPhone and Android devices.

After this video contest, Singapore Airlines will be able to analyze the entries to see what percentage came from mobile. This will allow the airline to decide how it expands into mobile in the future when it comes to promotions and contests.

George Crowley, executive chairman of SendUs, Los Angeles, believes that this video contest is a great way for Singapore Airlines to promote its brand.

?Generally what happens is that audience members who contributed this content also share their videos on their social media networks, which causes a viral level of activity and consequently gives sometimes an exponential increase in reach,? Mr. Crowley said.

?Singapore Air?s decision to have a focus on mobile in terms of the spreading of the word with regards to this contest makes absolute sense,? he said.

?As people travel around the world, the first thing they do is pull out their smartphone and create images, so mobile is an absolutely critical part of having as expansive a level of coverage as possible.?

Final Take
Rebecca Borison is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York