The $9,000 YouTube Video Contest

Viral video or not, the grand prize-winning YouTube video will earn its maker a check for $9,000 or roughly three months of mortgage payments. Building product manufacturer James Hardie Building Products [stock JHX][/stock] unveiled a new contest for consumers of its exterior home siding. James Hardie asks contestants to submit a YouTube video no more than three minutes long, showing the front-facing exterior of their home and completing the statement, “I love my Hardie home because….” The contest runs through October 26 and will grant the winner “three months of mortgage payments,” according to a press release, to be awarded as a check for $9,000. “The idea grew from the company’s participation in social media,” said Prashant Panchal, James Hardie’s head of marketing. “Fans of our product often send us unsolicited photos — as a show of pride — so we thought a contest combining our customers’ love of their Hardie Homes with our foray into social media would be a great way to reward that kind of product loyalty.” Indeed, consumers may be hard pressed to shop around for exterior siding if their current provider took on three months of mortgage payments. With all that extra cash, the winner may even spring for other home improvements, or a humongous flat-screen television to watch that winning video in high-definition.