• by Larry Dobrow , Featured Columnist, October 31, 2005

Hoping to build upon the continued popularity of televised reality competitions, a New Jersey-based firm has introduced a software platform to manage similar content for consumption on the Web. The Dream-Change-Profit Studio product line from Gold Group hopes to lure marketers with the promise of easy-to-configure online reality competitions.

Bob Gold, founder and managing partner of Gold Group, claims that companies hoping to launch a Web-centric competition can be up and running within 60 days, though he adds that marketing and media outreach often adds another month or more to the launch time. The DCP software package includes tools and features to facilitate online polls, audio/video uploads, competitive judging, and the creation of blog-like scrapbooks. Gold also helps link clients with sponsors.

"We've built a platform to take the best of what TV offers and combine it with the reach and cost-effectiveness of the Web," Gold says.

Gold Group has already coordinated an online competition based on a Philadelphia trade show in which contestants competed to craft a new city slogan.