A UCF student recently qualified in the top 10 for a national model search by Playboy's new mobile phone initiative, Playboy Mobile.
Kristen Wilson, a junior at UCF, was named a finalist in the Miss Playboy Mobile 2008 competition, the kickoff of a new marketing strategy that aims to broaden Playboy's reach to the expansive mobile phone network.
The competition was based completely online, and contestants had to submit non-nude photographs to the Playboy Mobile Web site to enter the contest. Each woman had her respective submissions posted on the Web site. To slim the field down to 10 finalists, participants had to pass through an online round of voting in which the public sent text message votes for their favorite contestant. The same format will be used for the final round of voting, as well.
It was no easy feat getting to the finals, Wilson said. She had to advertise and rally support for herself to beat out more than 1,000 submissions from across the U.S. Interestingly enough, she is one of three finalists from the state of Florida, said Playboy Director of Public Relations for Digital Media Lisa Hagendorf.
"The sunshine state is producing some beauties," Hagendorf said.
Just for being a finalist, Wilson will get an all-expense-paid trip to Las Vegas for the finals, which will be held at the Hugh Hefner Sky Villa at the Palms Casino Resort on April 2.
The winner of this event will be well-rewarded, Hagendorf said.
"She gets the bragging rights, a crown and a $5,000 cash prize. Plus, she gets an all-expense-paid trip to the Playboy Mansion for a professional photo shoot," Hagendorf said.
Though Wilson said she wants all the support she can get, the text votes will account for only 50 percent of the final decision. A panel of judges will have their say on who wins the crown to make up the other 50 percent.
Hagendorf said the judges will be evaluating the women based on categories such as beauty, poise and question response. This response will come from a question concerning Playboy's heritage and the contest itself, Hagendorf said.
Though the cash prize is appealing, just being a part of Playboy has always been a goal, Wilson said. She said her family is supportive of her aspirations.
"My mom is so excited," Wilson said. "She used to go to the Playboy clubs in New York, so she is very supportive."
Wilson said she found out about the competition through e-mails from Playboy concerning upcoming events.
"They sent me a link to the Web site through an e-mail," Wilson said. "I received an e-mail from them because I went to a few casting calls."
Wilson said she has not really given much thought to what she will do with the prize money if she wins.
"I'd probably go crazy with it," Wilson said.
But she said she might save it for her future plans, which include opening a spa after getting her business degree from UCF.
At the finals, Wilson will have the opportunity to meet various past playmates, including Shallan Meiers, Stacy Fuson and Patrice Hollis.
Sacramento Kings and Monarchs owner George Maloof will also add to the invite-only guest list that Hagendorf said was strictly limited to 250 people. Meiers and Maloof will also serve as two of the judges for the event. Hugh Hefner will not be present in Vegas but will meet the winner at the mansion.
Playboy is using this competition as a step to keep up with modern technology and tap into the expansive mobile community of this country. A press release for the event explained the new initiative in detail.
"We are very excited about the inaugural Miss Playboy Mobile search, one of many new mobile initiatives we are launching this year," said Edward Lang, senior vice president and general manager of Mobile and International Online, Playboy Enterprises Inc. "This campaign is entirely consumer-driven - from submissions to voting. … We look forward to crowning our first winner on April 2 in Las Vegas."
As Hagendorf explained, this is just the beginning for Playboy Mobile. Though she could not reveal all of the plans for Playboy Mobile, she said the upcoming events will be exciting.
"We are focusing more on lifestyle-based programs, and we are interacting in nontraditional ways," she said. "It's really out of the box for Playboy. We absolutely hope it will become a yearly event."
The deadline for voting is today. Supporters can text PBF672 to 67000 to vote for Wilson.?
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