Oliver resident Daisy Hopkins spent a day with the Face of My WU team for a photo shoot in Vancouver.
Photo contributed
A local woman says she’s “ecstatic” to have been shortlisted in a competition to represent an international company.
Daisy Hopkins, 54, made it into the list of top 10 contenders, out of hundreds battling to be the face of money transfer giant Western Union.
Hopkins says she never would have entered a competition of any kind, but her 13-year-old son, Glynne, convinced her to enter after seeing an advertisement on Facebook. The contest was targeted at Canada, Russia and Nigeria, where Western Union has a substantial share of the money transfer market.
The entry instructions were simple: She was asked to select her country, upload a photo of herself along with her basic details (name and email) and share her profile with family and friends in order to get votes.
“I thought, why not! What have I got to lose? I won’t get chosen,” she recalls.
Convinced her chances would be slim, Hopkins says she almost hung up the phone when a Western Union official contacted her in February to tell her she had been selected to be a finalist.
“I just thought it was a scam. I was so surprised!” she laughed.
The contest ran from December 9, 2013 to January 19, 2014, and offered Hopkins and other finalists the opportunity to take part in a professional photo shoot, take home $500 and keep the clothes they appeared in the photo.
She says the photos may be used as part of the company’s international marketing material.
Though Hopkins did not take home the top prize, she said the experience was one she will never forget.
“The photo shoot was a great day. I felt so glamorous – it was like being on ET Canada or something. There were cameras everywhere,” she added.
“They filmed the whole thing! I got to have my hair and make-up done professionally and they flew me and my son to Vancouver all expenses paid. I saw it as a chance to have a good time, meet some new people and represent Oliver. I’d do it again if I could.”
Erin Christie
Oliver Chronicle
