BrandSpace, MySpace, or Both?

This from Ad Age re:Wal-Mart launching a "a quasi-social-networking site for teens designed to allow them to 'express their individuality."  This comes on the heels of Coke just launching a very ambitious CGM-meets-brand creative room on the new www.mycoke.com that allows registered users to create blogs, mix songs, submit "expression" videos for prizes, and much more.  (More on the Coke initiative in a forthcoming post.)  While both have taken a few licks for not allowing "pure" expression, what we're basically seeing here are safer versions of what I call "blended CGM" or "iCGM" (Incented CGM). Brands are inviting consumers to participate in both the creative copy process as well as key dimensions of the brand experience.  But they are also doing so within set parameters and "controls" that provide some level of insurance against brand erosion or uncertainty. The most important issue, I believe, is ensuring high levels of transparency throughout the process of encouraging or incenting CGM.  Viewers of these ads should never be confused about whether the add is 100% organic or the product of co-creation with the brand. That these programs live within the respective brand websites makes much of that apparent, but everything starts to get a bit confusing when the creative elements (some of the user-created Coke videos are very good) find "viral life" in other venues like YouTube.  Again, more commentary forthcoming --  very important topic.

Comments

[Meikah Delid]

I'd say companies setting up blogs like Coke, Dell, and now Walmart is a good thing. As you said, it renders much transparency to what the company is doing and it somehow brings them closer to their customers.

[Stefan Engeseth]

Good and interesting. Consumer power is so strong that companies don’t have a choice. But I hope they are going to go much deeper in the relationship with the consumers (create product, buzz etc).