In November of 2005, two dudes in white lab coats and protective glasses dropped pieces of Mentos (the fresh maker!) into bottles of Diet Coke. Geysers of soda erupted from the bottles, video cameras recorded the action and the resulting video of "Experiment #10" was just the start of what can only be described as an internet phenomenon.
By the time they had reached Experiment #137 (above), kids were already buying Mentos by the handful and making their own fountains and rockets the world over.
To their credit, Mentos was thrilled. In spite of early indifference, Coke managed to finally come around to appreciating the new life its brand had found on the web as well. This serves as just one example among many of regular folks using the internet to discuss, evangelize or even criticize brands and products, of their own will. Like anything new and exciting (not to mention cheap or free), advertisers were scrambling to find a way to generate viral successes of their own, sometimes with undesired results.
When done right though, advertising that comes directly from fans of brands is the very best kind. It's the new media equivalent of a testimonial, but also proof that the creator was dedicated enough to put a considerable amount of time into creating it. To say that this kind of advertising is more genuine and convincing than the status quo would be something of an understatement.
New business models are even springing up as a result of this exciting trend. Take for example Adhack, a local startup based around "people powered advertising," offering advertisers a chance to access the talents of all manners of small creative agencies and home-based media creators for considerably less expense than a traditional mainstream media model.
To recap some of the more successful examples of User Generated Advertising, we talked to Adhack's Founder, James Sherrett via email, who pointed us to a few successes in this space.
James' picks:
1. Doritos. (Also currently running a UK contest on YouTube)
Their main web presence is now dedicated to "Snack Strong Productions," which is all about user generated ads, and a conest that could see those ads run during the most expensive airtime on North American network TV. As James notes, "They've bought Super Bowl ad space for 3 consecutive years for user-generated ads."
2. Heinz. Their "Top This" TV Challenge is now in Round Two, having already chosen a winner from the first round.
3. Utilikilts. Not the biggest brand in this list, and something of a niche product (kilts for everyday wear!) but they've been accepting and running "Mock-u-mercials" since their beginning. As James notes, "It's not trendy for them, it's just the way they roll." They've got loads of them too; a great exmaple of brand affinity among their customers.
4. Apple. Nick Haley's iPod Touch commercial went from fan-generated "for fun" project to being aired on TV, seemingly overnight. Haley explains it best: "I loved the look of the new iPod Touch, found this music, and thought it was perfect for it. I made a commercial using material from apple.com and editing in Apple's Final Cut Pro."
Watch it in full, complete with YouTubey grey messiness at the front:
Our thanks to James for these suggestions, and a tip to would-be advertisers thinking of using this model: Make sure that the video player you choose to use for your submissions has an option to embed the commercials on sites other than your own! That is, after all, the point of all of this, is it not?
If you have more examples of a great fan-built advertising or media submission contests, or if you just want to share your thoughts on the above, feel free to do so in the comments.
*James Sherrett photo by Kris Krug.
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