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RSSWith this initiative, Dove becomes the latest in a string of companies using consumer-created ad campaigns. For instance, Frito-Lay recently solicited consumers to create an ad to air during the Super Bowl. And NBC invited fans of "The Office" to post promotions for the show on YouTube.
But before ad agencies feel too threatened by this reliance on amateur ads, they should keep in mind that such efforts are hardly free for marketers. Rather, the costs of running these contests, culling winning entries and, in the case of Dove and Doritos, transforming those to TV ads, are likely to be quite hefty.
Also, eventually, the talent is going to want to be paid. Consumers might be willing to create video clips for free for now, but once the novelty wears off, chances are they'll want as high a price as the market will bear.
In the long run, marketers, also, might not going to be willing to sacrifice the control that comes with having paid professionals at their beck and call.
In some ways, the current efforts to solicit user-generated media aren't that different from the jingle contests of years past. And, just as consumers of bygone eras, like Evelyn Ryan--subject of "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio"--didn't displace the professionals, it's hard to imagine that the current crop of consumer-creators will put any agencies out of business.
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The reality is that for smart agencies consumer generated marketing campaigns are another tool in the tool box to be used when the goal of engaging the consumer to take an active role in the brand is desired.
This fortifies the authenticity of the brand and positions them to establish a dialog with the consumer, real conversations that were not possible before the advent of internet powered social networks.
By the same token, the premise of the consumer being at the center of the equation versus the brand is a market disrupter that will adversely impact agencies that fail to embrace this long term trend.
Regards,
Mark Sigal vSocial - Say it with Video! www.vsocial.com