Doritos or Pepsi may be the first brands that come to mind as ones that did it well. IceHouse Beer is a brand that came off as desparate. At their core, these are sweepstakes executions that leverage video as the end delivery product (vs trivia, simple sign up, etc).
When inviting your customers (or people you believe to be your customer) to drive your creative strategy, consider these four things...
1. Are you sure this is a good idea?
Research. I'm sure there are several companies that thought this was a great idea, but when digging deeper they realized that their expecations would not resonate with their customer base. Having a target demo of 18-49 does not always automatically equal prime audience for user generated ads. Demo is one thing, your brand is another. Does your brand fabric align with existing social ecosystem?
If you are setting up your facebook page the same time you're planning to execute a UGC campaign...you may want to hold off. Do not force the execution, rather, invest in research time and effort to ensure traction among your target.
2. Beware of the Vacuum.
Your brand may be ripe for a UGC campaign...but how does that overlap with other brand messages/campaigns that are in the market? Setting up a landing page, minisite, facebook tab dedicated to your 'submit your video' idea -- independent from other strategies, tactics and executions -- may confuse and eventually detract customers from staying engaged and caring. Some of the most successful UGC campaigns are well planned and executed across all consumer touch points (often inclusive of product packaging).
However, some UGC campaigns have gained traction virally; almost void of any promotion other than leveraging a few influencers/evangelists.
Don't get sucked into the 'this idea is good enough on its own' mentality. This is when your brand becomes unmistakably desparate in the eyes of the public...primarily your (former) customers.
3. Commit To Measurement.
Successful UGC campaigns are often the ones that get the most press/coverage/buzz..but I wonder if any of these ever moved the revenue needle. When you clarify your success metrics during the planning process, all 3rd parties/vendors/stakeholders involved are on the same page...there is less finger-pointing or spotlight-hogging when the press picks up on your initiative.
4. Share the losers.
Sure, you want to reward and promote the smartest, most clever brand enthusiast you have...but the majority of those that participated or simply watched from the sidelines want to see the train-wrecks. This is human nature and customers will love you for it. Let everyone vote for the 'worst of the worst' if the campaign is worth extending. Ever hear of William J. Hung?
Some other recommended tools/tactics that can help with your UGC campaign..
* Enlist a social monitoring tool (socialradar.com, scoutlabs.com, peoplebrowsr.com): keep tabs on impact, sentiment and buzz around your initiative
* Vanity URLs : capture your catch phrase (yourtagline.com) or extension from your brand (brand.com/submityourad) to determine demand spikes during and after your promotion
* QR codes : expand your touchpoints and empower the smartphone generation to engage and share.
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