From a CNET News weblog to an article in Softpedia I see that Sony Ericsson in the U.K. is sponsoring a camera phone content for "funny, stupid or cringingly embarrassing pics of yourself or your mates," according to the Shame Academy Web site where the photos should be sent (see below).
Contest participants will win Sony K300i camera phones. Two winners will be selected every week until early June. The rules state, "one to the sender of the week's most popular photo as decided by the public, and one to a voter, picked at random, who rates the week’s most popular photo.
"Each picture shown on the site can be rated on a scale of 1 to 10. The site then averages out the overall rating for each picture and the highest scoring shot at the end of each week will win."
Participants need to use an SMS to send their entries to 07731-966-111 or submit them online at the Shame Academy Web site.
Negative marketing
I typically applaud efforts to market camera phones. Sony Ericsson has spent a lot of money marketing camera phones.
I realize kids (and many adults) like to view these types of embarrassing photos. I don't want to make a big deal out of the promotion (I'm a pretty liberal guy), but the contest does nothing to improve the "image" of camera phones.
There are all too many people already who think of camera phones as harmful. Perhaps the next camera phone campaign will ask for photos of kids smoking cigarettes!
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