Consumer Generated Content for Websites
One of the more interesting movements in alternative
market is the advent of consumer generated content. In order to hold
cost down, engage consumers in the advertising process, and get ads
that speak to a myriad of different demographics, companies are
increasingly asking the consumers of a product to create ad creative
for them.
This consumer generated content also provides a platform for the
“little guy” to get his voice heard, and (perhaps?) hit the big
time. These are not big name ad firms with teams of college
graduates working in them, these are ordinary everyday people that
now have a springboard into the wider world. It’s an opportunity
that few can pass up, especially if they are passionate to any
degree about the product they are being asked to advertise for.
User-generated content means that content is created from a myriad
of different perspectives, both personal and cultural. People from a
variety of viewpoints, with a variety of life experience may,
perhaps, use or be interested in the same product. This means that
advertising for this product can now speak to all of those diverse
and disparate groups, in their voice and in a language they
understand and appreciate.
Fresh ideas are easier to attain, and cheaper to produce in this
user-generated content model. Because the majority of the content of
advertising is created free of charge by the consumers of said
product, and the company doesn't have to make expensive ad buys on
television, the cost of advertising is reduced dramatically. The
only major outlay that the company makes is the web space and
hosting to get the consumer-generated content out there. Some
companies (such as Converse) also offer a cash prize to the “best”
ad created by consumers as an incentive to lure them into
involvement. Money is a great human motivator.
Still, this is a much cheaper alternative to the traditional
television marketing campaign, involving paying for creative,
actors, directors, design, and the air time to get the ad out to
people. In traditional advertising, all of these costs are borne by
the company. In alternative marketing schemes, the majority of these
costs are outlaid to the consumers of the product. It’s a clever
switch.
Success
Take Converse, maker of the ubiquitous “Chuck Taylor” high tops, as
well as athletic shoes of all stripes, which used online video
promotion to collect 24 seconds films for use in a future TV
campaign. Converse asked fans and filmmakers to create short works
that embodied "the values and spirit of Converse." The grand prize
was $10,000 and the opportunity to have one’s video used in a
national, traditional television advertising campaign. The exposure
for aspiring filmmakers was the main draw. Even if one’s video did
not win the grand prize, all submissions were posted online at the
Converse Gallery, viewable to anyone with internet access.
According to an article in the Boston Herald, Converse received 250
submissions within the first three weeks. The gallery, where the
submissions are still viewable, drew 3 million visits within the
first three months. The campaign's objective, according to Converse
executives, was to facilitate "a conversation among those in our
community." Given the age and mobile lifestyle of the brand's target
market, placing the films online first made perfect sense.
Submissions could be “road-tested” to see which ones had the
greatest impact simply be keeping track of how often each one was
viewed, and how great the penetration for each video was by keeping
track of how often they popped up on other websites. All of this
could be accomplished for a price still far below the cost of a
television ad buy in primetime.
Web Advertising
Another way for the little guy to get involved in alternative
marketing, especially as a business rather than a consumer, is
through web advertising in general. There are hundreds of millions
of websites on the World Wide Web, and the possibility of
advertising on any one of them exists for the computer-savvy
entrepreneur. Some basic html coding skills and a few images put
together, and you have an internet advertisement ready to go.
These ads are often a combination of traditional television and
print ad techniques: they are more similar to a magazine ad in that
they are part of something larger, a piece on a webpage, but
incorporate elements of the commercial in that web advertisements
are not limited to the two-dimensional, static format that print ads
are. Further, many web advertisers are turning their advertisements
into entertainment as well: simple flash games the prize for winning
which is a discount at the advertisers page.
Web advertising space is still significantly cheaper than television
ad spots, as one would expect. However, it is also still cheaper
than print advertisements in magazines and newspapers in many
instances, despite the greater range for creativity and the wider
audience reached.
Further making it easier for the little guy to get in on web
advertising are services like Google ads, which put ads based on
keywords in searches on search results page. Google ads will also
customize syndicated ads for the audience of specific website: goth
websites, for example, can get Google ads specifically geared toward
the audience likely to visit that site, as can websites about fly
fishing, philosophy, or any other topic you can possible imagine.
Trade
Google ads is a paid service, and so it may still be out of reach
for the smallest of the little guys. There are still options
available to them in the internet advertising market, have no fear!
The explosion in internet entrepreneurs has created a unique trade
market in web advertising. It is not unique because it has never
been done before, but rather unique because of it’s size and scope
on the world wide web.
With some basic networking, an entrepreneur can put himself in
contact with thousands of other entrepreneurs just like himself.
They will have the same basic goals, and the same basic obstacles to
surmount. They can then offer each traded advertising: put a banner
for my site/service/product on your site, and you can do the same.
Everyone wins; both entrepreneurs still have the same motivation to
make their particular venture work, but both now are able to reach a
slightly broader audience. Multiply this process, and networks equal
to the range and reach of the major companies can be obtained, and
all for no cash cost.
|
