Seattle, WA (June 25, 2010) – As the 2010 FIFA World Cup casts the spotlight on South Africa this month, the winners for Zooppa's "Get Wildly Creative About South Africa" advertising contest have been announced. The CMO Council and the International Marketing Council of South Africa orchestrated the competition to establish South Africa as a "competitive and relevant nation brand."

Over an eight-week-period, participants from around the world were invited to submit innovative and inspiring work in response to the creative brief posted on Zooppa’s website. More than 10,000 Internet users viewed the contest while over 400 Zooppa members submitted their creative work as video, print, or online banners.

"Tapping into the 'wisdom of the crowd' is an increasingly effective way of working in many disciplines." says Zooppa’s CEO Wil Merritt, "It is especially powerful for producing advertising, where the happy convergence of inexpensive high-definition video technology, social media sharing and consumer engagement make this the model for the future."

The Grand Prize, $4,000 cash and a $5,000 travel package to South Africa, was awarded to Maurizio Losi for producing the video "One and Eleven." Losi, a filmmaker from Italy, used his own journey to South Africa as inspiration. "When I saw the contest about South Africa on Zooppa I knew I had to do it," Losi said, adding, "It was about a country that I was thinking of a lot and a miraculous opportunity."

First place in print was bestowed on Nicola Romano from Italy for creating "United Colors." Romano’s ad depicts South Africa only accepting color difference based on the color of a soccer jersey a person wears. "The reason I submitted my work for South Africa is because the brief was really interesting," said Romano. "[It was] one of the most beautiful briefs I've seen because it was necessary to explain the new image of South Africa while showing how beautiful the country is and underline the soccer event."

Ina Mar walked away with first place for her online banner entitled "Vision, Growth, Success." Mar, a graphic designer from Germany, stated that she submitted her work to Zooppa because she enjoys the creative projects and "love(s) meeting other creatives and sharing inspiration and experiences."

"This collective of creativity has produced a level of inspiration and diversity in the message, all centered on core values that embody the brand of South Africa," stated Donovan Neale-May, executive director of the CMO Council. "It was truly amazing to see the variety of content, difference in view, yet singularity of idea that brand of South Africa is one of diversity, inspiration, hope and aspiration." The top winners are currently featured on the CMO’s GeoBranding Center web portal and will be recognized at a special IMC-hosted reception in New York City.

View all the winning entries at http://zooppa.com/contests/south-africa#contest-info-2

About Zooppa:
Zooppa is the world's largest source of user-generated advertising. With a community of more than 65,000 people, Zooppa offers brands an innovative model for developing creative advertising, building word-of-mouth and gaining consumer insights. For more information about Zooppa, contact Wil Merritt, CEO, at wmerritt@zooppa.com or (206) 623-1587.

About the CMO Council:
The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council is dedicated to high-level knowledge exchange, thought leadership and personal relationship building among senior corporate marketing leaders and brand decision-makers across a wide-range of global industries. The CMO Council's 5,000 members control more than $150 billion in aggregated annual marketing expenditures and run complex, distributed marketing and sales operations worldwide. In total, the CMO Council and its strategic interest communities include over 12,000 global executives across 100 countries in multiple industries, segments and markets. Regional chapters and advisory boards are active in the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa.

The Council's strategic interest groups include the Coalition to Leverage and Optimize Sales Effectiveness (CLOSE), Marketing Supply Chain Institute, Customer Experience Board, LoyaltyLeaders.org, Online Marketing Performance Institute, and the Forum to Advance the Mobile Experience (FAME). www.cmocouncil.org

Media and Industry Analyst Contact:
Matt Farrell
GlobalFluency
(646) 652-5204

mfarrell@globalfluency.com