aNewDomain.net — Leave it to Google to come with a Google Glass contest that makes would-be customers of its upcoming augmented reality product Google Glass feel lucky to write essays, tweet and follow the project, promote it and, even, pay $1,500 just to get in on the beta test.
It’s marketing genius and just a little bit scary. We bet there will be plenty of takers on the just-announced Google essay contest –you write 50 words to convince Google to let you be in its consumer testing group, post it all over the place and you pay $1,500 if you win. Then you’re in a testing group. Scroll below the fold for a video on the effort and a look at the rules.
To enter, you have to write your little plea, post it with the required hashtag — scroll below the fold to find out more– and follow the project on both networks. Oh, and be willing to pay up.
From the Google post announcing this so-called contest:
What happens next? The deadline for applications is February 27. If you are chosen, we will reach out to you with an invitation to become a Glass Explorer — please remember to follow us so that we can contact you directly — Explorers will each need to pre-order a Glass Explorer Edition for $1500 plus tax and attend a special pick-up experience, in person, in New York, San Francisco or Los Angeles.
To back up and re-orient you, Google execs say the firm is now accepting applications from US residents to become early adapters of Google Glass,the wearable head-mounted display tech that incorporates Bluetooth, an eyeglass mounted camera, mic plus smartphone technology. With visual search and voice-recognition technology, this tech has eyes on it big time.
Here’s a Google-created video of what the Google Glass (or Google Glasses) experience “feels like.” It looks cool. An essay contest for a Google Glass promotion is clever. Getting people to tweet and share on Google + is beyond clever. And getting people to feel lucky about winning a chance to pay $1,500 for an unfinished product is positively … well, we’ll leave it to Google to come up with a word for this. Anyway, here’s the video.
Just note again that this is not a giveaway. It’s a sale — you apply to be in it, but it gives you the opportunity to be an early adapter of the $1,500 glasses.
To repeat, I was not kidding, Google is holding a digital albeit elementary school style essay contest to “choose” people who “get” to buy early versions of Google Glass. You have until February 27, 2012 to get your submission into review. It’s got to have the right hashtag. You have to follow the project on Twitter and Google+ .. you need to live near one of the major cities it names to pick up the glasses you pay for.
Those that want to increase their chances of getting noticed by the computing giant are allowed to spam Google with as many as three submissions. I suggest a haiku. I heard the folks at Google like haikus. But that could be Oracle. I forget.
Also from Google’s blogpost on the promotion and essay contest, here are the rules for how to submit your essay and win the right to buy your way into the Google Beta test.
We’re looking for bold, creative individuals who want to join us and be a part of shaping the future of Glass. We’d love to make everyone an Explorer, but we’re starting off a bit smaller. We’re still in the early stages, and while we can’t promise everything will be perfect, we can promise it will be exciting … using Google+ or Twitter, tell us what you would do if you had Glass, starting with the hashtag #ifihadglass … your application must be 50 words or (fewer) … you must include #ifihadglass in your application. You can include up to 5 photos with your application … You can include a short video … 15 secs max … Be sure to follow us on Google+ (+ProjectGlass) or Twitter (@projectglass) so that we can contact you directly. You must be at least 18 years old and live in the US to apply …
Maybe we’re jaded. Let us know if you do it. We’d love to collect the best submissions here on the site and send them to Google for you — we have an inside. If Google won’t send you one, we’ll send you one of the review units and have you do a guest commentary. And we’re only half kidding.
The deadline for applications is February 27. You might win. Save your pennies.
Here’s Gina Smith’s submission.
I’ve never seen a Google Glass
I never thought I’d see one
But I can tell you anyhow
I’d rather buy one than write a free essay and spend money on a beta test, especially when I can borrow Dino’s!
by Gina Smith
Ah well, that’s a sure loser, sorry, Gina. And you forgot the hashtag.
For aNewDomain.net, I’m Dino Londis.
Gina Smith contributed to this piece.
-30-
not happening. pay me to test it, not the other way around.
-RAP, II
I was going to apply, but I live in Canada