Based on a
report in today’s New York Times, Chevy is learning the hard way what it means
to engage in consumer generated media. Last month the company started a campaign to promote the Chevy Tahoe, by
asking viewers of “The Apprentice” to create their own ads. The company received some criticism by
members of the Marketing 2.0 community for not really engaging in consumer
generated marketing. One critique
suggested that the idea was “strategically flawed at birth” since the promotion
led viewers down the path of building an ad with Chevy video assets, versus
targeting loyal Tahoe evangelists to create their own ads.
“The lesson here is: If you're going
to give up control, don't do it halfway, trying to game the system. The congregation is smarter than the carny.
Appeal to the evangelists.”
And sure
enough, Chevy was blasted with ads critical of the Tahoe (and SUV’s in
general). A spokeswoman for the company,
Melisa Tezanos, acknowledged the possibility of this type of reaction.
"We anticipated that there
would be critical submissions," Ms. Tezanos said. "You do turn over
your brand to the public, and we knew that we were going to get some bad with
the good. But it's part of playing in this space."
Dawn
Hudson, president of chief executive of Pepsi-Cola North America expanded on
this thought.
"One of the reasons we're being
cautious is there's a blurring between advertising and content."
While one
could argue the point about whether Chevy’s program was strategically sound, the
reality is that big brands across the country are starting to dip their toes in
the choppy waters of consumer generated media and viral marketing. And just as with the introduction of the
Internet as a marketing tool, it will take some time for them to learn where
and how to engage in this new form of customer interaction. Some advertisers like Chevy and Mastercard
are experimenting with consumer created advertising. Others are using contests and promotions to
engage valued consumers in the process of developing PR programs for new
products.
It’s no
surprise they want to get on the CGM bandwagon though. According to a report in today’s Washington
Post, while overall Internet audience growth was a mere 4%, MySpace experienced
318% growth over the last year. In “old
media” terms, the eyeballs are moving … from traditional media outlets to
places where self expression and common interests are dominant themes. And while the economic models remain largely
unproven for sites like YouTube, there’s no question that marketers (and
investors) see their potential. Last
week’s rumored valuations of Facebook are just the latest round in the Web 2.0
venture sweepstakes.
The next
new thing will be for marketers to understand how to actually engage in
conversations and cultivate customer loyalty, versus stimulating trial and
awareness.
Stay tuned
to YouTube.com and all the other forms of CGM. I’m willing to bet that the best new
ideas will come from brand enthusiasts instead of corporate marketing departments.
Technorati Tags:
Advertising,
CGM,
Citizen Marketing,
Marketing,
MySpace,
Social Networking,
Web2.0,
YouTube.com
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