Crowdsourcing has been a hot topic recently. Whether you are for or against crowdsourcing, you can’t deny the impact it is having on the advertising world. That impact has led to the first crowdsource driven agency, Victors & Spoils.
At the core of this agency is the “goal to provide businesses with a better way to solve their marketing, advertising and product-design problems by engaging the world’s most talented creatives.” The agency will consist of in house talent (the overseers) as well as the collaborative talent that will be providing the crowdsourced ideas. You can check out the details on their website and follow them on twitter @victorsnspoils.
Personally, I like the idea of crowdsourcing. I think there are limitations built into it, but at the same time the benefits could outweigh those limitations. I especially like this group’s (Evan Fry, John Winsor and Claudia Batten) adventurous attitude in taking a controversial idea and building an agency around it.
Advertising is an organic being of sorts. It is always changing, learning and growing. Crowdsourcing is a direction that advertising is, if not moving toward, at least showing some interest in. Taking the chance and exploring this direction will undoubtedly lead to some great work. Whether or not it is sustainable is still to be determined. Ultimately only time will tell how this experiment pans out. But I for one can’t wait to see the work that develops and where this idea goes.
What do you think about crowdsourcing? Is this the future of advertising or just a passing fad?
-Dennis
P.S. Where is the account guy crowdsourcing? How come we don’t get any love?
To me, crowdsourcing is a sticky situation. On the one hand, I want to be stuck up and proclaim that mere mortals can't do my job. And on the other hand I gently admit that I've only been doing this a few years. I know that I could not stand before a judge and convince him/her whether or not to convict someone. But many people think they can make a commercial. I mean, it's just writing. And it's just an idea, right?
ReplyDeleteMaybe. At the heart of it, yes. But, personally, I like to think there is more. There is strategy. There is ensuring that you are communicating with your audience in a manner they deem acceptable. There is a concept. There is the ability to take a great idea and make it work across different media. Because those of us in the business know that what works on TV wont work in print, nor on the radio.
And that is something the average person may not grasp immediately. (nor may they ever)
I know better than to cross my arms and declare that I hate crowdsourcing. It may have a place within a creative campaign. But, I think it is an idea that is growing and evolving.
While companies listen to their audiences and adjust products based on feedback, I think the idea of crowdsourcing could follow that as well. People have ideas about how they want to be talked/sold to. We would be remiss to not listen. And just as the music industry has opened up and embraced American Idol, I think the same is happening in advertising. I mean, to be honest, it's a really cool industry and I think people just want to play along.
(Sorry for the insane long comment, your post sparked something with me.)
Great point. I think their goal is to get currently employed, freelance or even unemployed creatives to be the bulk of their "crowd", but you make a great point about most people not understanding what goes into creating effective advertising.
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