iCGM - Incented Consumer Generated Media

We're starting to see more and more advertisers solicit creative ideas and CGM from consumers, including full-blown advertisements.  General Motors, the same folks who brought us the FastLane blog, for example, just announced a 2007 Chevy Tahoe promotion in conjuction with the Apprentice television series that allows consumer to produce and submit their own commercials.   "Now, you’re the director and it’s your job to communicate this message by creating the best Tahoe online commercial for your chance to win," the ad copy reads on the home page.  The exercise here is pretty add-water-and-stir, and here's my attempt at ad copy (which took me all of five minutes). I call this iCGM, or Incented Consumer Generated Media.  It's not the same (and perhaps not as credible) as a consumer posting an unaided car review on Edmunds, or on her personal blog, and in this particular case there isn't too much lee way to go over-the-top with visuals or audio (although it does appear as though you can enter whatever text you choose.)  Expect to see much more of this, and don't be surprised if many of the breakthrough new ads we see on television are inspired or catalyzed by real consumers. Ironically, I'm writing next ClickZ article on this very same subject, so if you have thougths send my way.  Also encourage you to visit Owen Mack's CoBrandIt site,which was one of the first online intiatives around consumer generated TV-style copy.   (Disclosure: GM is a client of the company I work for, Nielsen BuzzMetrics, although I have no idea who within the massive company known as GM produced or initiated this program. I probably should.)

Comments

[Dave Coustan]

It's an interesting trend. Spec ads have always had a better chance at creativity. It's kind of a helpful cheat when you get to execute before having to pitch the concept.

I bet more clients would like ad agency concepts if they saw them *after* execution for the first time. And then there's the tendency for agencies to breed stale creative. Maybe this will breathe some life into the agency world. In the end if ad agencies can't beat consumers at making popular ads that build brands in their own way, well, what can you say.

Err, shouldn't that be 'incentivized'? Or better yet, "motivated" or "impelled" or something? I don't mean to get all "whoppers junior" on you, but incented makes my back teeth hurt.

[owen mack]

here's a really sweet version of this from the (gasp) off-line world of outdoor billboards:
http://www.beinghunted.com/
features/2006/04_adicolor_berlin/
01/01.html (sorry, this needs tiny url)
take a minute and scroll thru, it's really multi-layered (literally) and cool. in brief: adidas germany placed white billboards around town at street level. they got hit up by grafitti artists. then adidas tagged the boards w/ a web adress. then adidas put up a mask of the new shoe that allowed the CGM grafitti to show thru. the catch? it's all about customizable sneakers. sweet.

[paul]

I thought that this was a fun promotion and a great way to generate interest in the Tahoe.