Amateur advertising at the Superbowl
CGC (Consumer-Generated Content), or CGC for short, is all the rage in the U.S. advertising scene. The 2007 Super Bowl, America's most popular sporting event, is all about this latest advertising trend.
CGC Consumer Generated Content, or CGC for short, is all the rage in the US advertising scene. The 2007 Superbowl, America's most popular sporting event, is dominated by the latest advertising trend, which means that the average consumer, equipped with a digital video camera and a good idea, can reach the upper echelons of media and advertising companies, provided he or she delivers a professionally realizable proposal for a piece of content. Consequently, this means that following the video mania on YouTube and MySpace, advertising is now also being made by the consumers themselves. The big question here is how to involve the customer in the creation process in such a way that both the company and the consumer can benefit.one of the first companies to successfully implement this strategy is Nike with its Converse shoe model. Two years ago, American Apparel also used photographs taken by some of its artistically talented fans for advertising purposes. And the youth channel Current TV, which was set up by former Vice President Al Gore, announced a competition among viewers to submit commercials for companies such as Sony, L'Oréal and Toyota. "The consumer has to become part of the creative process," says Paul Bennett, Chief Creative Officer of the design agency Ideo in Palo Alto. "They do a better job than we do."
So it's no wonder that the 2007 Superbowl, the annual final of the National Football League (NFL) and America's most popular sporting event, is also dominated by the latest advertising trend. In the run-up to the Superbowl, three companies announced competitions in which participants could make suggestions for the creation of an advertising clip: Frito Lay's Doritos chip brand, General Motors' Chevrolet and the NFL organizers themselves. Each of the companies had created certain guidelines to ensure that, despite a potentially amateurish presentation, the clips still looked professional without appearing vulgar or obscene.
Control with advertisersChevrolet and the NFL only wanted suggestions, which were then produced by their agency professionals. Only Doritos allowed consumers to submit a finished movie. No wonder, since the placement of a single 30-second spot this year cost an unprecedented 2.6 million dollars. "The advertisers did end up having control over everything, so it's not very risky," says Chris Allen, vice president for national broadcasting at agency GSD&M. "And CBS is very careful about what goes over the airwaves anyway." CBS, which is broadcasting this year's Super Bowl, hit the headlines three years ago when Janet Jackson exposed a breast during the intermission show, making media history with the title Nipplegate.
The main prize for the winners of the competition is that their work will be shown during the Superbowl. However, Doritos added another 10,000 dollars on top. The Superbowl is by no means an ordinary advertising event. After all, 80 to 90 million viewers usually tune in, a record number in the age of audience fragmentation. "Viewers watch the commercials just as closely as the game," says John Condon, Chief Creative Officer at Leo Burnett. "It's an unprecedented opportunity for any advertiser." For the agencies, the creation is a particular challenge, as they want to create a memorable spot for their product that will get the audience talking.
This is becoming increasingly successful, especially in the Internet age, as the commercials are widely discussed for weeks before and after broadcast in blogs, trade journals and online communities. The beer company Anheuser-Bush in particular, which is advertising together with PepsiCo for the 21st time this year as part of the Superbowl, is looking to attract the predominantly young, male audience to the screen with funny stories. "Humor is a trend that comes back every year, as is the immense production effort that goes into it," says Condon. "You want to make sure that the clips stick in the customer's mind." This remains true in the age of consumer-generated content.
Breakthrough into big businessHowever, the final selection shows that the CGC can certainly be professionally organized. It is evident time and again that many of the participants are filmmakers or marketing professionals who want to break into big business. Nevertheless, the films are produced with far less effort than conventional advertising clips. A Dorito commercial entitled "Live the Flavor", in which a driver eating potato chips while driving almost flattens a passer-by and sex bomb who is also munching on potato chips, cost 15 dollars. In view of the 380,000 dollars it costs to produce an average TV commercial - not to mention the extras that Hollywood stars usually demand for their involvement in Super Bowl clips - that's a tidy sum.
For the initiators of the competitions, the idea has already paid off, as there were already countless newspaper and magazine articles to read in the run-up to the event, providing General Motors with the perfect opportunity to address the hard-to-reach young people. The decision was made not to open the competition to the general public, but exclusively to college students. "Chevrolet has always been interested in connecting with the education sector," says Kelly O'Neill, advertising manager at Chevrolet. "So it was both a communications strategy and a business strategy for us."
However, the idea has not met with unqualified support from the advertising industry. "The fact that agencies and large corporations are turning to customers is the death of traditional sales and marketing strategies," sighs Mark Stevens, CEO of the marketing company MSCO. "Next thing you know, GM will be asking customers to weld their own cars."
Gerti Schön
So it's no wonder that the 2007 Superbowl, the annual final of the National Football League (NFL) and America's most popular sporting event, is also dominated by the latest advertising trend. In the run-up to the Superbowl, three companies announced competitions in which participants could make suggestions for the creation of an advertising clip: Frito Lay's Doritos chip brand, General Motors' Chevrolet and the NFL organizers themselves. Each of the companies had created certain guidelines to ensure that, despite a potentially amateurish presentation, the clips still looked professional without appearing vulgar or obscene.
Control with advertisersChevrolet and the NFL only wanted suggestions, which were then produced by their agency professionals. Only Doritos allowed consumers to submit a finished movie. No wonder, since the placement of a single 30-second spot this year cost an unprecedented 2.6 million dollars. "The advertisers did end up having control over everything, so it's not very risky," says Chris Allen, vice president for national broadcasting at agency GSD&M. "And CBS is very careful about what goes over the airwaves anyway." CBS, which is broadcasting this year's Super Bowl, hit the headlines three years ago when Janet Jackson exposed a breast during the intermission show, making media history with the title Nipplegate.
The main prize for the winners of the competition is that their work will be shown during the Superbowl. However, Doritos added another 10,000 dollars on top. The Superbowl is by no means an ordinary advertising event. After all, 80 to 90 million viewers usually tune in, a record number in the age of audience fragmentation. "Viewers watch the commercials just as closely as the game," says John Condon, Chief Creative Officer at Leo Burnett. "It's an unprecedented opportunity for any advertiser." For the agencies, the creation is a particular challenge, as they want to create a memorable spot for their product that will get the audience talking.
This is becoming increasingly successful, especially in the Internet age, as the commercials are widely discussed for weeks before and after broadcast in blogs, trade journals and online communities. The beer company Anheuser-Bush in particular, which is advertising together with PepsiCo for the 21st time this year as part of the Superbowl, is looking to attract the predominantly young, male audience to the screen with funny stories. "Humor is a trend that comes back every year, as is the immense production effort that goes into it," says Condon. "You want to make sure that the clips stick in the customer's mind." This remains true in the age of consumer-generated content.
Breakthrough into big businessHowever, the final selection shows that the CGC can certainly be professionally organized. It is evident time and again that many of the participants are filmmakers or marketing professionals who want to break into big business. Nevertheless, the films are produced with far less effort than conventional advertising clips. A Dorito commercial entitled "Live the Flavor", in which a driver eating potato chips while driving almost flattens a passer-by and sex bomb who is also munching on potato chips, cost 15 dollars. In view of the 380,000 dollars it costs to produce an average TV commercial - not to mention the extras that Hollywood stars usually demand for their involvement in Super Bowl clips - that's a tidy sum.
For the initiators of the competitions, the idea has already paid off, as there were already countless newspaper and magazine articles to read in the run-up to the event, providing General Motors with the perfect opportunity to address the hard-to-reach young people. The decision was made not to open the competition to the general public, but exclusively to college students. "Chevrolet has always been interested in connecting with the education sector," says Kelly O'Neill, advertising manager at Chevrolet. "So it was both a communications strategy and a business strategy for us."
However, the idea has not met with unqualified support from the advertising industry. "The fact that agencies and large corporations are turning to customers is the death of traditional sales and marketing strategies," sighs Mark Stevens, CEO of the marketing company MSCO. "Next thing you know, GM will be asking customers to weld their own cars."
Gerti Schön
