• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, December 2, 2013

MetroPCS has teamed up with boutique agency Spike DDB again to promote its annual scholarship program for New York City area high-school students.

Running across social media, video, print and outdoor platforms, the #MakeChange campaign aims to encourage students to submit ideas for improving their communities for a chance to win a $10,000 college scholarship, and another $10,000 to fund their projects.

In addition to the grand prize, up to 20 semifinalists in the contest will be awarded $2,500 for college. Anchoring the initiative is a new MetroPCs-branded site for its Leaders and Scholars program, allowing students for the first time to complete their applications entirely online. Participants can even upload a “selfie.”

“Our goal with the #MakeChange campaign was to reposition Leaders and Scholars as an attractive, yet attainable challenge,” said Dabo Che, Spike DDB’s executive creative director. “We asked the students to simply pitch a great idea that could make a difference in their communities."

Both the desktop site and a companion mobile site feature animated videos about the program, instructing students first to “Get Inspired,” make their pitch (in 140 characters or less), and submit their entry. Both 15- and 30-second versions of the video, framed by a graphic of a Samsung Galaxy S4 phone, will appear on sites reaching youth and parents in the tri-state area.

After submitting an idea, applicants have the option to share its through the #MakeChange feeds on Twitter and Facebook. Once the semifinalists are chosen, the number of Facebook “likes” an idea receives will factor into selection of the grand prize winner.

Also appearing in the #MakeChange streams are posts from local organizations and personalities, including the Brooklyn Nets, the New York City chapter of United Way and Hot 97 radio host Cipha Sounds. Students can also look at a sampling of ideas on the Leaders and Scholars site for further inspiration.

On the traditional media side, MetroPCS is running print ads in the New York Daily News, AM New York and Metro, as well as posters and brochures distributed through select MetroPCS stores in the New York area. The prepaid phone service provider is also using on-air radio promotions on local stations and through locally targeted audiences on Pandora.

The campaign will run for the next couple of months with the deadline for entries set for Jan. 30, 2014. For MetroPCS, the effort also serves as a way to promote its service and handsets to young consumers for whom a prepaid phone is a more appealing option than signing up for a two-year contract. No-contract plans typically have no credit or age requirements.