In the wake of predictions that online video is set to take off in the coming year, online video community WeWin.com aims to take a unique approach to viral video with a weekly sweepstakes program.
The Web site, that began accepting members and video uploads at the end of September, announced the launch of its “Watch and Win” program in beta on Nov. 29. Members are entered in a sweepstakes to win prizes each time they watch or upload a video.
“We’re starting to see that user loyalty is at an all-time low,” said Brian Carrozzi, founder of WeWin.com, Pleasanton, CA.
He said that the company’s new approach to the online video marketplace was an effort to combine loyalty rewards features with user-generated community properties.
WeWin.com is partnering with Yahoo to enhance its video search capabilities. The Yahoo video search launch date is set for Dec 1.
WeWin.com currently features a few banner ads and contains no pre- or post-roll advertising with its videos. It is attracting a younger demographic, ages 14 to 24, according to Mr. Carrozzi, but has seen members as old as 70.
Members also increase their chances of winning prizes such as gift certificates and iPods by referring their friends to the community. Once a friend joins, he or she is added to the original member’s “Winner’s Circle.” When a referred friend wins a prize, the original member also wins the same prize. The number of prizes awarded daily varies based on traffic to the site.
“The initial feedback we’ve received from our members has been tremendously positive,” Mr. Carrozzi said.
