Vodafone seeks compelling ‘First’ ideas

Vodafone is offering people across 10 countries, including Qatar, the opportunity to “Pitch Your First” – a new Vodafone Firsts initiative to encourage everyone to do something remarkable for the first time, with mobile technology playing a role in bringing the experience to life.

People who have a compelling “First” idea will be able to share their ambitions at www.firsts.com.

Vodafone judges will select the best proposals from 10 shortlisted finalists in each country; the shortlist will then be put to an online public vote, with one winner in each market seeing his/her dream become a reality.

Vodafone has also commissioned research across 10 countries asking more than 10,000 people what would be their dream first experience.

The answers range from the emotionally moving to the downright bizarre, including possessing magical powers and riding an ostrich.

In Qatar, answers included a trip to Makkah, travelling the world, piloting a jet, skydiving, starting one’s own business and owning a home.

Vodafone Group brand director Barbara Haase said: “Our new Pitch Your First initiative will expand Firsts even further, and we look forward to helping people turn great ideas into great experiences.”

As part of the Pitch Your First launch, Vodafone has announced a series of new Firsts, including an audience in Berlin playing with German band Booka Shade as the audience’s smartphones became part of a unique performance in Booka Shade’s First Orchestra of Phones.

A group of people in the Netherlands will take their first hot-air balloon ride, sharing the experience with family and friends over mobile with the encouragement of Dutch grandmothers An and Ria– the stars of a Vodafone First in April 2014 when they took their first flight.

An emerging artist or band will win the opportunity to play their first-ever stadium show in front of 80,000 people at Wembley Stadium. Footage of their performance will be crowdsourced from audience smartphones to create a unique music video.

Vodafone is also encouraging people to make a video of their own reactions using a smartphone or tablet front-facing camera as they achieve something amazing for the first time. These short videos – capturing the joy, surprise and excitement at the exact moment in someone’s life when they achieve something amazing for the first time – are what Vodafone calls Lifies.

Lifies capturing the expressions of 53 people as they experience their First, including a young boy riding a horse, a couple seeing the first scan of their unborn child and a man conducting an orchestra, will be projected onto iconic buildings around the world.