When Silverscape was hired to design and develop Tedeschi Food Shop's new website, we knew that local community involvement would bring immense value to the project. The new website was designed with a strong focus on social media content in an effort to engage customers, specifically the younger generation. Enlisting the 20-something demographic to stop and think about why they might purchase a product at Tedeschi’s over another convenience store or even larger grocery chain helped to show the 90-year-old food shop in a new and compelling light.

We asked 50 students attending the Massachusetts College of Art & Design, The New England Institue of Art, and The Art Institute of Boston to explore the Tedeschi brand by creating an original YouTube short. The criteria for the video was purposely left open, encouraging students to speak genuinely and with their own unique voices. Most of the contestants stepped outside of their traditional graphic design comfort zone, working with video for the first time. We were excited to challenge these young creatives, with primarily print backgrounds, to work within new mediums in our technology-driven industry. Caitlin Jewell, Principal and Creative Director at Silverscape had this to say about the experience: "The contest benefits were twofold. Not only did we spend wonderful time with the Tedeschi target audience, while creating a valuable paid internship at a top Boston Digital Agency to the winning entrant. Hardly our usual hiring process, but we’re really excited about our winner!"

Some video entries answered the question - "What kind of meal can I make at Tedeschi for $5?" while others told playful stories about just how convenient Tedeschi 24 hour locations can be for late-night shopping problem solving. Some of the best videos highlighted the money-saving Tedeschi Select Product line (the trailmix is addictive) and the time-saving made to order TD's Deli meals. We even saw a Cloverfield parody! Students were judged on categories including "Viral Factor" and "Storytelling" and received extra points for providing their brainstorming sketches.

When we reviewed the final submissions, we were pleased to see that this contest had generated some genuine, engaging content not only for the Silverscape team to judge, but for future website viewers to watch and enjoy. It is exciting to see what can happen when brand and consumer collaborate on such a creative and engaging project.

Without further ado, here is the winning video submission by Jerry Gao of MassArt! Jerry’s video will be showcased on the new Tedeschi website and he is also the recipient of a design internship here at Silverscape. Check out the rest of the amazing entries to pick which one is your favorite. I bet you can't watch just one.