Background
In September of 2009 the Tourism Authority of Thailand announced an innovative way to promote the Country of Thailand as a vacation destination. They put out a call to web-savvy travelers to submit a 1-minute YouTube video explaining how they would use social media to promote their chosen Thai City. Called the Ultimate Thailand Explorers Competition, my partner Brian and I entered in the City of Pattaya, with the simple goal of learning more about social media – never expecting to actually win the all-expenses paid trip.
On November 16, 2009 the Tourism Authority of Thailand announced that we had been selected as finalists for our chosen city. Beginning December 6th we left for Thailand and explored Pattaya for six days. Our official blog, has all the photos, videos and memories from our trip.
We competed against 4 other teams in the cities of: Bangkok, Phuket, Koh Samui and Chiang Mai. And while we didn’t win the grand prize, I was able to achieve my goal of increasing my social media knowledge, and we won additional recognition from the tourism authority for “Best Sponsor Promotion”. It was a fantastic way to end 2009.
This blog page was updated throughout our journey as we progressed in the competition.
8 January 2010 – Thank You
Well Explorers,
It’s that time.
Today is the last official day of the competition, and the last opportunity we have to blog. For nearly 5 months we’ve worked to bring you along with us on our quest to travel to Pattaya, Thailand. We hope you enjoyed the ride as much as we’ve enjoyed sharing it with you. Today’s our longest post yet. Given that today is the final day, we’ve got a lot to say. We hope you stick with us.
Thank You
We could never have done this without your enduring support. Your votes, promotional efforts and comments on our blog and facebook have meant the world to us. We’d especially like to acknowledge all of these individuals who made our trip possible.
First and foremost, our friends and family: Ben’s mom, dad, brother and his girlfriend Samantha and Brian’s mom, dad, sister and nieces, our friends here in Orlando: Eddie, Erin, Daniel, Wes, Maggi, Rebecca, Melissa, Rosa, Amanda, Steve, Candy and everyone else on Facebook. There are so many of you who have helped spread the word we’ve lost track.
Throughout the semi-finals and finals we had an enormous amount of support from twitter followers, many who started as strangers and became friends: @feelgoodz @goodtugo @bulkmail4u @jeffnoelmidlife @robotspaceship @smithbrad @Valapakip @kriengkrai @RSJustice @traveldudes @thegaytraveler @Pattaya_mail @alangkarnTHAI @brianknits @douglaskarr @BobThailand @meilooTest @Crash905 @hotelprguy@VisitThailand1 @kevinrbutters@shanannon @Pattaya_News@HappyHomeStager@TaaiPhanit @planeurope2
We also need to thank everyone who worked behind the scenes to make this competition (and our trip) possible. The Tourism Authority of Thailand and it’s partner Born Distinction. Chang Beer, Mekhong Whiskey, Bangkok Airways, Thai Airways, HotelThailand.com, Met 107 FM, Mix 88.5 FM, asiawebdirect.com, Weekend Magazine, the President Palace Hotel Bangkok, the Ocean Marina Yacht Club, Dusit D2, PTT Plc, Bupa Health Insurance, Pattaya Memorial Hospital, Grand Pearl Cruise, Easy Corner Pub & Restaurant, Kum Punn Pub, Rimpa Lapin, The Avenue, Advanced Info Service Plc., Royal Cliff Beach Resort, Tiffany’s Show and the Thai Alangkarn Theater
Congratulations
To Aubrey and Parker, we’d like to extend our congratulations on amassing the most votes and becoming true, Ultimate Thailand Explorers. We had so much fun with you in Thailand and look forward to our next adventure together. And to Michael and Jenny, Curtis and Mark and Mathieu and Emilia, congratulations on a job well done. Each of you have brought your unique style and brand that has taught us so much about travel and blogging. We’ve enjoyed learning from you and more importantly, are fortunate that our paths have crossed. Let’s hope they do again.
Press Coverage
We’d also like to thank everyone in the new and traditional media worlds for sharing the news about Pattaya and our adventure. Our biggest mentions are listed below, but we know there were countless other bloggers out there who helped publish our releases and promote our efforts:
Sawadee Pattaya TV
Numbers
We calculated all our data and wanted to share it with you since it was more than we could have possibly imagined!
4,107 – Number of photos we took while in Thailand
708 – Number of Twitter Followers
591 – Number of Facebook Friends
253 – Number of Facebook Fans
104 – Number of Facebook Groups or Pages that we’ve uploaded at least 1 Blog Post or Promotional Message to
56 – Number of YouTube Videos Uploaded
55 - Number of Posts on this blog Written
42 – Number of Gigabytes of Raw Video downloaded
1.28 – Number of Gigabytes of Final, Edited, Published Videos
9 – Number of Promotional T-shirts we each came home with
4,878 – Total Number of votes we received during the entire competition; All submitted by YOU!
Keep in Touch
We can’t say it enough, we’ve enjoyed meeting you. We’ll keep all our competition-related social media accounts active. If you plan on traveling to Pattaya, or have just returned, please drop us a line. We’d love to help you plan your trip and would love to hear how it was. While our competition-sponsored trip to Thailand is over, we are avid travelers. Ben writes regularly (at least he’ll return to writing regularly) on his personal blog, adventureswithben.com. If you’ve enjoyed our adventures here, you might enjoy following them there.
One More Question
Now that you’ve seen everything we’ve done. We’d like to ask you one more question. What was your favorite post from Pattaya? Add your comments below. What made you laugh? What made you cringe? What made you want to travel to Thailand?
Thank you for a lifetime of memories.
We’ll see you out there!
17 November 2009 – We Did It! You Did It!
Well everyone, there’s nothing else left to say at this point, but we did it! You made it happen! Can you believe it? We worked our little butts off, but we did it! Thank you to all of you who voted and promoted. Never in my wildest dreams did I think we could end up in Thailand. But then as the videos rolled in at the official Ultimate Thailand Explorers Competition site, I thought, we might have a chance. And then when we were listed as one of the top 25, it became even more possible. Anything can happen if you work hard enough and believe strong enough. You too can live your dreams.
Where do we go from here? Take a look.
I hate to say anything is final, but my work here at adventureswithben.com will be slowing down for a bit and even being placed on hold. I can’t write for Thailand AND for here at the same time. I don’t have that many hands or hours in the day. My efforts going forward will be to create and promote our content for Thailand. What entering this competition has done – and why I entered it in the first place – was to compete with the best to learn the most to become a better travel blogger. We’ve already won as far as I’m concerned (but don’t let that stop you from voting in round 2!) On January 9th you can look forward to an even more enhanced adventureswithben.com website. I have so many ideas running through my head, it’s overwhelming.
Speaking of overwhelming. You’ll want to get ready for the voting period to begin again for a full 39 Days! You can vote everyday, like before from December 1st to January 8th. Cast your daily vote and encourage your friends and family to vote too.
In the meantime, I’d really enjoy it if you joined our facebook fan page here. You’ll stay up to date with the latest news. Our blog at the official Ultimate Thailand Explorers Website isn’t up yet, but you’ll want to check it out too once it is live – sometime within the next few days.
If you haven’t followed us on twitter we’re active and growing. Click here.
Adventures, Everyday is an adventure – if you want it to be. Thank you for coming along with me. From the bottom of our hearts, Brian and I want to say thank you. The best is yet to come.
12 November 2009 – Voting Period Concludes
The voting period for the Ultimate Thailand Explorers Competition officially ended today at 11:59 A.M. E.S.T. Results will be announced on Monday, 16 November 2009.
18 October 2009 – Ben and Brian Selected as Semi-Finalists in Ultimate Thailand Explorers Competition
The unimaginable has happened! Brian and I have advanced to the semi-finals to Pattaya, Thailand in the Ultimate Thailand Explorers Competition!!! We are speechless. Two regular guys from Orlando are on a world-stage in a worldwide competition to hopefully arrive in Thailand to share it all with you! You can visit the official site for more details on how to vote. What seemed nearly impossible, is one step closer. As Semi-Finalists in the Ultimate Thailand Explorers Competition, we need your support to take you with us to Pattaya, Thailand. It’s all about the votes folks. Here’s a YouTube video we made to give you some encouragement.
In our quest to be selected as the Ultimate Thailand Explorers to Pattaya, Thailand we thought it would be prudent to have a page dedicated with every available resource to help promote our application video. Several weeks in the making, we are proud to announce it’s completion and debut as we celebrate our advancement to the semi-finals. You can access it by clicking here, or the “media” tab above.
Our media site has Press Releases, Web Links, and Photos for use in publications worldwide. For additional media needs, including interview requests, please contact us.
Thank you for helping us reach this milestone. We’re not at the end yet. With your help, we’ll be off to Thailand as your Ultimate Thailand Explorers! Don’t forget to vote! After registering, you may vote once every 24 hours and are eligible for $2,000 in prizes.
12 October 2009 – Why We Want To Be Your Ultimate Thailand Explorers
There are only 3 days left until the end of the application period for the Ultimate Thailand Explorers Competition. Before the top 25 winners are announced, Brian and I wanted to share why we want to be your Ultimate Thailand Explorers.
- We want to inspire you to travel – Whether it’s Thailand or your dream destination, our whole purpose in entering the competition was to prove to you that two ordinary guys, who live an ordinary life can do something truly extraordinary if you work hard enough and believe in yourself. That was and still remains the purpose of this site. Our entry into the Ultimate Thailand Explorers Competition furthers enhances this vision.
And that my friends, is it. Really. If you support our efforts in this adventure, you’ll be rewarded with stories, videos, photos and unique perspectives on the Culture of Thailand that has been a hallmark of the adventureswithben.com site.
Just one month ago we started this competition with nothing. And now have become an active member of the Ultimate Thailand Explorers Community. We’ve met and worked alongside some great talent in the social media world and have learned what makes the best YouTube video, how to use twitter effectively and how to integrate it all in Facebook. No matter the outcome, this has been a fun, growth experience for this site and for us as a couple.
You know that Brian and I love to travel. Traveling brings us closer together, as it does for many individuals who venture into the unknown. My parents worked hard to ensure that my brother and I saw something new each year on our family vacation. And now as Brian and I create our new family, I’ve been sharing and continuing these family traditions with him. We’d be honored to have the opportunity to do this with you, in Thailand.
Regardless of the outcome. If travel is your passion what are you going to do to make that dream a reality? Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right. We think we can, and with your help we’ll see you in Thailand!
8 October 2009 – Ben & Brian Say Thank You
There is only one week left in the Ultimate Thailand Explorers Contest. Anything is possible. Over the past few weeks we hope you have enjoyed joining us on this adventure. We’ve done everything we possibly can to demonstrate our abilities to share the Country of Thailand with readers.
Since our official application we have:
- Uploaded videos to YouTube with adventures to local Thai-Related experiences here in Orlando
- Posted photos on our Flickr site which share our passion for travel and complement our YouTube videos
- Connected with you on Facebook
- And established a following of Thailand enthusiasts on Twitter
We couldn’t make it this far alone. It required the help of family, friends and readers like you. To share our appreciation, Brian and I made this YouTube video. Thank you, please wish us good luck and enjoy.
30 September 2009 – Ben’s Parents Endorse Ben & Brian as Ultimate Thailand Explorers to Thailand
I didn’t have any doubts that my parents would endorse Brian and I. But I was appreciative that they agreed to film a video so that I could share it with the world.
This is also a first for the site, you get to meet my parents!
The countdown continues in the Ultimate Thailand Explorers Contest. As of right now, there are 10 applicants to Pattaya and 51 overall. That means that half of the people on the site won’t make it to the top 25. Each day Brian and I are checking the official site, watching the new additions and planning our next Thailand-related event. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been this focused on anything outside of work.
When I’m at work I’m thinking about Thailand non-stop. When an idea to promote the competition pops into my held, I notate it in my phone. It has a great mind mapping application. Then when I arrive home, it’s off to type a post for this blog, cook dinner and then Brian and I promote and strategize how to keep the momentum going.
We do it over again the next day. This is a non-stop operation folks. But remember one of my first posts about our strategy for this competition… Out Work ‘Em!
28 September 2009 – Ultimate Thailand Explores Discover Thai Food
There are only 17 Days left in the Ultimate Thailand Explorers Contest. With only a few weeks lefts until I travel to South Africa for business, Brian and I are doing everything we can in these final days to prepare for our hopeful trip to Thailand. In last week’s blog entry, you read about us searching for books about Thailand. This week we traveled to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival to search for Thai Food.
Each fall, the theme park Epcot hosts a festival with dozens of booths from around the world. Each booth represents a different city and country from across the globe. Festival favorites include: Cheddar Cheese Soup from Montreal, Canada, Beef Tenderloin from Cape Town, South Africa and the International Cheese Selections from the “Mouse Catch”.
This past weekend, Brian and I ventured to the park to sample our regular favorites and to try some new additions to the festival, mainly Bangkok, Thailand. Ride along with us on this YouTube video as we drive to the park and ride one of it’s most popular attractions, Test Track.
The back of the park, known as World Showcase, is where the festival booths are located. If you happen to visit the park on your own, be sure to grab a park guide map, which lists where each country is located. If you have been inspired to sample the food from Thailand, it’s located next to Germany – I know, the geography is a bit off. After walking through the park, Brian and I found the Thailand booth and purchase some food. You can view our experience here.
Brian enjoyed the Papaya Salad with Shrimp. And though I didn’t have any of the shrimp, the salad part was good. Even on a hot day like Saturday was, the Chicken and Coconut Soup was delicious. There were big chunks of chicken in a thick broth. One cup was not enough. We washed down our meal with some Thai beer. I didn’t know Thailand made beers, but the brand we had,Singha, was refreshing on a hot day. You can view the Flickr site of Ben and Brian Thailand to see some fun photos of our day in the park here.
19 September 2009 – Ben and Brian Search For Thai Books
It’s been 2 weeks since Brian and I submitted our Ultimate Thailand Explorers Application Video. Today we surpassed 500 views. Others have over 10,000 views. I’m very curious how something like that can be possible. I have my theory, but not ready to share it just yet. The good news is, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has shared that:
“With audition videos nearing 50,000 views, new applicants are advised to remember that 25 semifinalist teams will be selected by judges based on the quality of their audition videos, not the number of views. Let your creativity, personality, and web-savvy shine through!”
I think this is good news for Brian and I. Our video includes all those criteria. Furthermore, at the press conference they had last week, we also learned that:
“popular audition videos including…Benjamin & Brian make a sensation at Ultimate Thailand Explorers Press conference at the Centara Hotel on September 14, 2009.”
It is really incredible to think that Brian and I (and our video), were shown all the way in Thailand to reporters and bloggers from throughout the country. What an amazing, connected, digital world that we live in! And to think just a few months ago I was a relative unknown, and now, through the magic of this blog, we’re being broadcast in Thailand.
- Photo Courtesy of the Ultimate Thailand Explorers Facebook Fan Page
There are still 26 more days left in the application submission period and then the voting begins. We’re thinking that IF we were selected, things will happen very fast. To be in the best position possible to bring the World of Thailand to you, Brian and I thought we should learn as much as we could about Thailand, as early as we could. So recently we went to a local bookstore to search for books about Thailand. Here’s the outcome.
In addition to our video, you can see our Flickr photo set here. Thank you for your continued support and encouragement as we proceed through the Ultimate Thailand Explorer Contest.
13 September 2009 – Learn More About Ben and Brian
Today is a big day in Thailand. The Tourism Authority of Thailand is hosting a Press Conference for the Ultimate Thailand Explorers Contest. I would anticipate a large influx of application videos in the next few weeks as more people are made aware of this exciting opportunity. Our application video for Pattaya, Thailand has been accepted and viewed over 300 times. That’s not bad for only being 1 week into the contest, but there are others who have many more views than we do.
This evening, to celebrate the Press Conference, Brian and I made a video that shares some of our favorite memories and photos from our years together. We hope you enjoy getting to know us a little bit better and will support us if we are selected to be one of the 25 finalists in the Ultimate Thailand Explorer Contest.
11 September 2009 – New Flickr Photos
We would like you to learn more about our passion and expertise for travel. The first adventure we have posted on our Flickr site is from our Backpacking Trip in Europe in 2005. You can view them at our Flickr Europe Photoset.
8 September 2009 – View the Original Post Here
If you haven’t been following my tweets lately, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is holding a contest. From now until October 15th applicants from around the world can submit a 1-minute video to Youtube explaining which of the 5 selected cities in Thailand they would like to visit, and how they would use social media to share their experience in that city. From the submissions, the Tourism Authority of Thailand will select 25 finalists, 5 teams per city, to be voted upon by readers like you. On November 13th the wining team for each city will be announced.
The winning teams will fly to Thailand in December for 6 days. During their trip, they will blog, tweet, etc. their adventures in the city. Readers will vote on the team that does the best job. The winning team will receive $10,000. My heart is racing as I type this.
I found out about this opportunity from USA Today. I always read their travel section on my lunch break. From the moment I read it, I knew that this was a competition that I was suited for. I called up Brian, who was in Milwaukee at the time, to tell him the news. The supportive partner that he is, he agreed to do it with me with little convincing. I come to him with a lot of crazy ideas and thoughts, so I wasn’t sure how he’d respond.
I’ve been working all week getting ready for our filming on Monday. I wrote the script, created all the social media sites necessary to be a strong competitor and found a camera crew. Here’s our 1-minute video.
I’m proud of it. I’m proud of Brian for stepping outside of his comfort zone and doing something like this. I’m grateful for our friends Erin and Eddie for taking 45 minutes of their day to film it for us. I think it’s great. What do you think?
In addition to the Youtube video, Ultimate Thailand Explorers wants to see how savvy applicants are with the internet. I gave them my adventureswithben.com sites, but have also created a series of Thailand specific sites for Brian and I. They are:
- facebook.com/benandbrianthailand
- flickr.com/photos/benandbrianthai
- youtube.com/user/benandbrianthai
- wayn.com/profiles/benandbrianthai
- twitter.com/benandbrianthai
Brian and I have done everything we can up to this point to be the strongest applicants as possible. We’ve got some strategies planned to continue the conversations about Thailand while we wait for the finalists to be announced. Our hope is to show the organizers that we mean serious business. This is about promoting Thailand and less about the cash reward (seriously).
Voting won’t happen until the finalists are announced in October. So for now, there’s nothing that you can do on their website to push us ahead of the pack. In the meantime, you can help us out in three ways:
- follow our new twitter account and become our facebook friends
- comment on our Youtube videos and Flickr Photos
- tell your friends and family about our challenge and share our application video
You can be sure I’ll keep you posted on our progress here at adventureswithben.com!
Thank you for your loyal readership and support.
