Saturday, January 07, 2006

MTV got into the user generated trend in 2005

http://www.psfk.com/2005/10/mtv_creates_use.html

MTV is rolling out MTVU Uber - a user generated content broadband channel. Until recently, the channel was only available on 730 US campuses but now executives have decided to distribute the channel in its entirety over broadband.

The programming focus is on original content, including "the best student-produced" short films, music videos, animation, etc. In a press release, MTVU GM Stephen Friedman says,
"We are handing over an entire channel online to college students and everyone who wants new music. mtvU Uber gives them the power to create and program their own channel, and will remain in perpetual beta mode as they experiment and pioneer the digital future."

Check it out here...
http://www.mtvu.com/

The first... sort of...

BMW Films was close to the first, though not truly user generated.

Converse Gallery












One of the first, and still one of the best...

http://www.conversegallery.com/

Teens are creating ads for Ban Deodorant... who knew?

Summary: Who better to design ads than the targeted demographic itself? Kao Corp. embraced this philosophy in its "Feel Ban Fresh" campaign, a contest in which teens 12-20 designed and submitted ads for Ban Deodorant. The winning ads - chosen from a pool of 4,000 submissions - will be displayed in US Weekly this spring. The campaign drove traffic to the site and created a buzz for the product, but more importantly, it actually helped increase sales: by November 27, sales had risen 13.6%, after an abysmal three-year decline. P.J. Katien, Ban's assistant marketing director, recognized that the success of this initiative relied on "getting [a consumer] to feel like she is involved. No more one-way messaging."

Analysis: Ban's not the only brand getting a whiff of success. For its Converse label, Nike also eschewed traditional one-way advertising and instead engaged customers by encouraging them to create content. The company received 1,800 24-second videos for its Converse Gallery. Although Nike won't release its sales figures, marketing managers indicates that they're pleased with the results: after a 14-month series of user-generated ads, the company has decided to bring back another run of user-generated ads. How's that for a fresh-smelling campaign?

Resources: Wall Street Journal, FeelBanFresh
Simon Beins Writer/ResearcherHeartbeat Digital

http://www.heartbeatdigital.com/intellibeat/displayAlert.asp?page=241

Extreme Skipping is sweeping the nation

If you don't laugh, you're dead...

http://www.sharkle.com/?a=video&id=2598

Organized: One of the Best

This is one of the best videos i've seen from a random user in awhile. Not an ad, but it shows some dedication...

http://www.sharkle.com/?a=video&id=3386

The iPod Flea...

This was too damn funny...

http://gprime.net/video.php/ipodflea

The Volkswagen Terrorist Ad

This was over the top, but people watched it...

http://www.adrants.com/2005/01/vw-promotes-car-with-terrorist-bombing.php

Trendwatching...

These guys recently did a great article on the trend towards user generated content...

http://www.trendwatching.com/

Consumers Create Burger King Video iPod Ads

Consumers Create Burger King Video iPod Ads November 04, 2005 By Brian Morrissey

NEW YORK Although less than a month old, the video iPod is fast becoming a new advertising vehicle. Burger King is dipping its toes in the water by partnering with Heavy.com to offer consumer-generated videos extolling its brand icon, "The King."Burger King interactive shop WPP Group's VML in New York created the campaign in concert with Heavy.com, a youth-focused broadband video site that features a heavy dose of user-created content. Heavy.com sent out about 25 Burger King masks, created for Halloween by Crispin Porter + Bogusky of Miami, to the site's frequent contributors. It got back a dozen videos of The King in action, including one featuring him driving through a McDonald's drive-through wearing the mask and asking for Burger King menu items.

http://www.adweek.com/aw/iq_interactive/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001434353

Dunkin Donuts

I saw some Dunkin Donuts ads today on TV and they are asking people for their favorite stories. Looks like they're jumping into the game now.

The Purpose of User Generated.

The world is changing. It is becoming a Consumer-Centric World. Consumers are in control of when they engage with media, where and in what format they engage, and more importantly they're starting to create more of the media themselves.

The Internet was created as the first self-publishing format, allowing anyone and everyone the ability to create content for the world to see. Personal websites emerged and morphed into blogs, which launched community sites, and now we're seeing video as the new wave, the next generation. As analog media slides into the past, digital media is enabling the users to generate the media.

And by the way, they're pretty damn interesting.

As brands are launched into the world, we see the concept of Brand Democratization emerge. This is the concept of the users being in control of the brands. The simple fact is that once your brand is in the public eye, brand perception becomes brand reality. The way a brand becomes succesful is by ensuring that there is a positive experience with the brand, and that the message of the brand matches the experience of the brand. If it doesn't, then the users expose the brand for what it truly is and it flops. If it does match, then we see the power of the consumer as they evangelize the brand. This is where word-of-mouth marketing becomes so important, and in a world where the mouth of the consumer is so easily broadcast for the world to hear it, the brands MUST be listening!

This blog is going to expose and highlight some of the best, and the worst, in the trend towards a consumer-centric, user-generated world. If you want to know whats going on in this space, come here, 'cause I like to think I am paying the MOST attention to this category.

Its my personal epiphany to share with the world.

So thanks for reading and best of luck!

CTreff