Surprisingly, there seems to be no such thing as a free ad. As this NYT article points out, running a user generated ad project is just as expensive as an ordinary one. If one expects the same output, that is. Obviously it is very difficult to create user generated anything campaigns that really take off. However, if one expects the outcome to be a good ad in the classical sense, I suppose the expectations are the real problem.
Last week I went to a great presentation by the guy behind the 55DSL Junior Lucky Bastard campaign. The JLB campaign proves rather nicely that user generated campaigns can indeed work quite well. Obviously the goal in this case was not to create classical ads - it was to hire someone for one of the better jobs imaginable. Cleverly crafted as it was, the campaign has by all means been a huge success and is now starting in its second season. And, it did not cost a lot. Actually in a very, very cheap way it generated quite a bit of quite interesting content for the brand.
There are obvious arguments about how fashion / youth / small brands are different. But then again, in this brave new age, there are great ways of picking just one part of engaging just one limited segment in a conversation. All the other segments need not know, and mostly aren't too bothered even if they do. The crux? Ask people to do what they like to, like showing off, having fun, getting together etc. Asking them to make ads might not be on that list of likable activities.
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