Channel 4 hunt for ultimate viral ad of 2005.

CHANNEL 4 IN SEARCH OF 2005's ULTIMATE VIRAL AD WITH THE LAUNCH OF 'GERM'.

Brands like PlayStation, Burger King, Mazda, Ford, Miller Lite, Renault, Trojan condoms and Agent Provocateur have entertained and surprised mass audiences with their viral email ads. Brand managers are realising the power and reach of viral email ads as a non-intrusive marketing technique that is cheaper to produce than TV or cinema ads. The unregulated nature of the Net means that brands can get away with more risqué content than they would be allowed to do on TV. Channel 4's IDEASFACTORY has joined forces with the world's largest collection of entertaining viral emails Bore Me, digital agency DS.Emotion and viral promoter Hot Cherry to showcase some of the best viral email ads around - and to find 2005's ultimate viral email ad produced by a UK agency. On Monday 17th October 2005, Channel 4 launches a viral contest 'Germ' that will run on channel4.com/germ.

'Germ' will provide more information on the competition, the categories and how to submit your entry as well as providing advice from industry experts. The competition is free and open to all UK agencies for viral email ads produced in 2005. The winning agency will have their work seen by millions of people around the world, receive significant media exposure and free seeding on Bore Me's home page for 2 weeks, worth £5,000.

Entries can be submitted online at channel4.com/germ from Monday 17th October until Monday 5th December. The judging panel, made up of experts from the online and broadcast industries, will then create a shortlist of finalists. From Monday 5th December until Friday 16th December the general public can view the finalist's work and vote for their favourite. What is 2005's ultimate viral email ad produced by a UK agency? The public will decide!

Adam Gee, Commissioning Editor – Interactive at Channel 4, responsible for IDEASFACTORY, said:
"Channel 4's IDEASFACTORY is committed to identifying and nurturing hot new talent and showcasing some of the best ideas around. The entertainment value, impact and reach of viral emails is phenomenal – a great idea will go global in next to no time but if it's a bad idea, the viral will stop dead in its tracks. With Germ, we're showcasing some of the best digital creativity UK agencies have to offer and we aim to make it an annual fixture in the viral calendar."