To support the launch of two new smartphones, LG is hosting an online contest with Telus and promoting it through a national ad buy.

The ads are based mainly online, as banners and site takeovers, and they link directly to the contest’s microsite. A Facebook integration, using the ‘share’ button, is meant to motivate voters to pass along the page to the people in their networks.

The city that gets the most votes wins the LG Rocks Your City Winter Festival, featuring a concert by Hedley and a pro snowboarder showcase.

Along with the online promotion and in-store promotions at Telus, LG is running a 15-second spot on MuchMusic driving viewers to the website, and there are print ads in Telus assets and select publications across the country, as well as experiential executions at consumer shows.

Excelerator handled the media buy and Henderson Bas did the creative and the digital. Both are based in Toronto.

The focus on online is a reflection of the target LG is trying to hit, Colin Bettam, VP, marketing for LG Electronics Canada, tells MiC. With the promotion, the company is aiming to entice socially connected males between 20 and 30 years old, and females slightly younger than that.

‘[Online] is where the target lives,’ Bettam says. ‘It’s an environment they’re comfortable in, and they spend such a disproportionate amount of their free time online, whether it be through their phone or through their laptop. They’re massive consumers of online media, so it makes the most sense to target it.’

The campaign ends Dec. 10, with the winning city announced Dec. 13 and the concert on Jan. 22, 2011.