NO 2 ISSUE 8
BRINGING YOU ENLIGHTENING, EDUCATIONAL, EMPOWERING, INSPIRING, THOUGHT-PROVOKING INFORMATION
NOVEMBER 2, 2012
AMERICA'S NEXT NATURAL MODEL Chassity Bynum, America's Next Natural Model 2012/ photo by Dajuan Jones
-America's Next Natural Model is celebrating its 5th anniversary by taking the online competition to a social community level where everybody can win. To offer contestants more prizes, sponsors more exposure and voting members and Facebook fans enticing perks, America's Next Natural Model goes Indiegogo. The online pageant can best be described as America's Next Top Model meets American Idol, but it takes place online, in the social network of GoingNatural.com - a leading natural hair care website with nearly 27,000 members. America's Next Natural Model is the brainchild of Mireille Liong-A-Kong, a
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black woman with a Masters Degree in IT. The social entrepreneur who personally suffered from relaxer induced alopecia, a hair loss disorder that affects 73% of African American women, started the pageant to promote the beauty of natural hair with the goal to help change the perception of natural hair. The beauty contest may be Liong's most successful project yet. It is the perfect match between upcoming models who need more experience and small businesses looking for social media exposure. While the beauty contestants get free products, endorsement opportunities and a chance to win $1,000, sponsoring companies can be liked interactively by the thousands of potential buyers who make up the growing social network. Like all projects that want to succeed at crowd source funding, the Indiegogo page of America's Next Natural Model has an
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introduction video that explains why the competition needs funding and what the donations will be used for. The footage makes clear that the successful pageant has outgrown its founder. Liong who also already puts up the $1,000 cash prize can't expand the competition on her own so she offers gifts that are both original and unique in exchange for one's contribution. The funds will be used to implement new technology, expand the prize package, compensate the judges and for Public Relations. For more information about America's Next Natural Model and how to support the project, visit the page at www.indiegogo.com/annm. Models who are interested in joining the contest can submit their application online at www.goingnatural.com
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