LG Crowns Texting Champ

LG this year dialed up its search for the nation’s fastest texter with fun and exciting texting challenges from pre-qualifying challenges this May to the final competition rounds this week. Now in its third year, the LG U.S. National Texting Championship was expanded into a two-day marathon held June 15-16 and was recorded in a sound stage at NEP Studios in New York City as 22 finalists (LG calls them “Text Titans”) using LG handsets competed for a $50,000 grand prize.

More than 200,000 people competed in live qualifying heats on MTV and via online Facebook competitions and digital out-of-home challenges, including Mets games at the new Citi Field in a national selection process to find 22 finalists. More than 100,000 people played during live qualifying events that aired on MTV during “The Hills” in which the first people who texted back a phrase that appeared during two-minute segments that aired at 10 p.m. from May 11-14, exactly as it appeared, without abbreviations and typos, won a coveted slot to the finals. People also qualified during Wild Card Play from May 18 to 29 in which they texted back phrases that could appear on their phones at any time. A sweepstakes in which people told the company what they think about mobile phones gave them a chance to earn the last spot in the finals. Texters also could practice in a mobile game on Facebook.

In New York, a Text Attack speed game, in which 22 finalists texted long, complex phrases, eliminated all but six contenders. Additional challenges included a race to translate long text abbreviations into long hand using their phones; blindfolded texting competitions and a text-and-dodge event on a conveyor belt with obstacles. The final round pitted two competitors in a speed and accuracy tournament for the championship crown.

“The objective is making the phone the centerpiece for the actual event, and as it has evolved over the past three years, creating not just branded entertainment but contextual entertainment,” says Jason Swinford, entertainment marketing manager at LG. “It’s not just enough to put your logo on things, you have to get people involved with your products. It’s exciting for consumers to be able to sit at home and have the opportunity to play right away through our partnership with MTV. Being able to go from your couch to New York and the chance to win $50,000 is a pretty big leap.”