Gone Fishing

No, I don't mean the AMAZING movie from the 1990's featuring Danny Glover and Joe Peschi, I'm talking about companies fishing for ideas outside of an agency. It's time to discuss the crowdsourcing debate.

I just read another interesting article on crowdsourcing on AdWeek. Check it out.

It's now a classic argument. How dare companies go to the public to do our jobs? They don't have a clue what's going on right? They need to come to the professionals, after all, that's what we're paid to do! Come on guys, really? Now I don't mean to stir anything up, I can understand completely where you're coming from. But, at the same time, times are tough, and companies are looking for new ways to get the job done cheaper and more efficiently. I can't blame them. Well, I'm going to throw it out there, so here are my thoughts on crowdsourcing:

I completely agree that crowdsourcing is quickly being overdone, but I do however believe it can be an effect part of a campaign. A lot of companies incorporate it in their marketing, but don’t use it as a core piece of their campaign.

Take Mountain Dew for example. They still have their flagship brand, but they also have created a movement that many look forward to each year. “Dewmocracy” keeps growing and people love the idea of being able to taste the next newest flavors. It also creates a sense that they’ve had a part in it’s creation, which is a powerful asset.

I feel that when companies do projects like these it works best. To go through an advertising agency and tackle it together. It remains on target, and can many times be quite effective. OMD’s Doritos Superbowl contest was what allowed two Ball State alums to create one of last year’s most popular ads of the entire game. It stood out from all of the others, and didn’t cost them anything to make.

So I while I do believe that crowdsourcing is becoming, well, crowded, I do believe it can be effective if done correctly. But yes, don’t lose the ad agencies and fly solo, come to us and let us do what we do best.

I now ask you, what are your thoughts on this heated debate?