Contiki, a tour company for Millennials since 1962, has a social media contest going on right now that has already created buzz among 18-to-35-year-olds.
The social media contest, called #EmptyTheBucket, asks travelers to create a six-second Vine explaining their bucket list, complete with the hashtags #EmptyTheBucket and #Contiki. If you win, you receive a trip of a lifetime. There have been four winners so far, with two slots still open before the contest ends on May 22.
As you can imagine, having to rattle off your bucket list in six seconds or less can be rather challenging. It also prompts a lot of creativity.
"We really have this belief that you have this one life, one shot," said Melissa da Silva, president of Contiki. "And what better way to show this than with a social media contest?"
Postano, a social media aggregation and display platform under the company Tigerlogic, is responsible for the visual aspect of the social media contest on Contiki's website.
Justin Garrity, senior vice president of Postano, sees the brilliance in the contest.
"What we love is that it allows (participants) to create content that they're passionate about," Garrity said. "They're incredibly entertaining and creative."
Winning Vines included:
-opening up a blank passport using a collage of countries as the backdrop
-emptying a bucket of paper, which (with the help of animation) turns into countries before morphing into "Travel the World" (one of Da Silva's favorites)
-one guy saying "white water rafting" before dousing himself with water, among other things (one of Garrity's favorites)
-one girl somehow fitting about 10 bucket list items in a six-second Vine (she talked really fast)
Awarded prizes included: a 13-day trip to Europe (including eight World Heritage Sites), an 11-day trip to South America that trails the ancient Inca civilization (including Machu Picchu), an eight-day Greek sailing trip and a 14-day trip to Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.
Popular Vine users such as Brittany Furlan, Jessica Cook and Thomas Carpino have also added to the buzz around the contest.
But why Vines?
Well, for one, Contiki wanted to try something different (this is the first time the company has used Vines in a social media contest).
Also, the vast majority of "Viners" tend to be Millennials, Da Silva said.
The contest has certainly created a lot of energy around Contiki. According to Da Silva, there have already been about 750,000 impressions-or ad views-on social media channels surrounding the contest.
"What's important to us is getting customers to come back to the site," Da Silva said.
Garrity added: "Not only are (participants) being featured on the website, but also with their friends. These Vines create so much interest."
On top of that, the energy surrounding the Vines is a great way to inspire travel, something Contiki feels passionate about.
"We just believe that travel is so important in a young person's life, especially in their formative years," Da Silva said.
So far, there have been two winners from Los Angeles, one winner from Detroit and one winner from Columbia, Missouri.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
