I saw this the other day and it struck me that this really could be the future of advertising?
Create a product that is so desireable that it has already been discussed online in such depth that there is no need to do anything other than simply announce it's arrived.
Then again, it could just be a lazy, uncreative poster.
According to some research done by the American Marketing Association it's adults over the age of 25 who love companies that ask for consumer generated content, while those under 25 are less than happy.
...compared to a company that uses only professional advertising, most adults feel that a company that uses customer-created advertising is more customer-friendly (68%), creative (56%), and innovative (55%).
Survey respondants between the ages of 18 and 24 are more likely than those between the ages of 25 and 64 to say a company that uses customer-created advertising is less trustworthy (21% versus 10%, respectively), less socially-responsible (20% versus 10%, respectively) and less customer-friendly (13% versus 5%, respectively).
Seems to me to be going in the opposite direction to what we're currently being lead to believe.
So, are the yoof of today really that cynical about advertising, any advertising, even the stuff their peers have created? While those over 25 are suffering from trendy-dad syndrome and liking what they think kids like it?
I don't think so. I think those pesky youngsters just crave authenticity and freedom of expression for their work and yet constantly see brands pretending to offer this while in reality still trying to control the how, what, where and why. Reminds me of a certain brown, fizzy drink manufacturer's handling of the the whole Coke/Mentos phenomenon.
Got my new Howie's brochure this weekend. And when I saw it I felt excitement. I'm not saying I was singing from the roof tops, but I did genuinely smile. It dawned on me that I was looking forward to opening the brochure, not to see the clothes really but to read the other stuff. I wanted to know how things are with them, I wanted to see what random lists they've put together, I wanted to know if they've still keep their book lending going. I realised I actually cared about how they were doing. And that is some achievement.
Also, in an age when everyone is looking digital-based and away from paper-based, it dawned on me that there is real added value in being surprised by something in the post, to the extent that it can feel like a genuine gift.
Originally this was called, A snapshot on Camera Usage, but I found myself starting with an apology for the pun, as I really should know better. There is no place in modern society for puns - good, bad or otherwise.
Anyway I found this on flickr. The screen grab doesn't do it justice, as it's just the tip of an iceberg loaded with information on what cameras are being used in their community. I'd be mighty happy if I were Canon.
Personally, I find the whole thing massively impressive for lots of reasons, not least because it's authentic. Consumer-generated (albeit not consumer-authored, but then curating is going to be massively important for brands in the future). And pretty comprehensive - I can visit manufacture's sites and see shots taken with the cameras by flickrites. It also works for Flickr, I love that they've put this together, it makes me feel warmer to them, makes me feel they're passionate about cameras and photography etc.
Next time I'm in the market for a camera, this is going to be part of my purchasing decision. I wonder how long it is before they add a purchase facility?
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