South Africa’s first dedicated online photo uploading competition site, Teedu.co.za, has gone live.

The site is based on a system of challenges known as “missions”. For each challenge completed, users are given a certain amount of points, which enters them into a draw for a prize. The more points users accumulate, the better their chance of winning.

Since its launch, Twitter and Facebook users have grown tremendously. As for gaining exposure, once a mission has been completed, there is an option for users to challenge friends which adds to the viral component.

“We want the South African market to understand that bridging the gap between on- and offline customer interaction does not have to be a complicated or costly affair,” explains Teedu director Tyrone Middleton. “Companies can have a campaign up and running in under 24 hours, at minimal cost. This not only gives customers the opportunity to engage and have fun with the brand, but also affords the brands in question the chance to conduct market research and gain free publicity.”

The goal of the platform is to drive interaction with products, brands and services through various incentives. “Many brands have followers on various social media sites, but aren’t getting optimal value from them,” Middleton explains. “Teedu allows users to showcase the different ways they interact with a brand – a hamburger chain, for example, might ask customers to upload photos of themselves enjoying their favourite burger in order to accumulate points. The incentive not only draws people to the restaurant, but promotes it and gives the owner insight into customer preferences.”

The format is up to the brand and the campaign can be as big or small as they chose. The Klipdrift challenge asks users to upload photos of themselves enjoying their favourite brandy at a nightclub or bar, whereas the Argus Cycle tour will want pictures on race day.

Middleton says that Teedu is unique in that customers can enter a number of competitions from a single platform, free of charge. “And there is no need to follow dozens of Facebook pages which ultimately leads to hundreds of notifications in your inbox,” Middleton goes on to say. “It’s obligation-free.”