User Generated Content and Consumer Generated Media
– Enabling the Branding Conversation January 15, 2007
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Consumer Generated Media (CGM) and User Generated Content (UGC) seem to be
popular buzzwords for what seems to be new methods of marketing over the
internet, Web 2.0 as others would call it. However, these marketing strategies
are not new, nor are the implications of its implementation.
Marketers have always known about building buzz and guerrilla marketing tactics
to build word-of-mouth brand awareness, what has changed is the volume and speed
of implementation. Marketers have known that branding is something that occurs
with or without the company intervening, whether the company chooses to actively
participate in that branding defines brand management; how it participates is
its brand management strategy.
User Generated Content can be generated with incredible speed at very little
cost to either marketers or consumers and therefore has not created
discontinuous innovation in marketing strategy, but rather forced the next phase
of continuous innovation. The tactics and strategies for UGC are really no
different in basic marketing strategies than implementing a guerilla campaign or
grass roots campaign.
Where the most radical changes in marketing strategy enter into the equation is
the approach to brand management. Creating an interactive relationship with
consumers and finding methods of further engaging the user with the brand has
always been the goal of marketers and user generated content has now become
advanced enough to be the tool in the marketing strategy.
There are several ways to begin to use User Generated Content and several
tactics to begin to generate the buzz in the online world. When composing a
strategy it is always good to begin with a defined goal or at bare minimum an
idea of what the campaign is looking achieve. Consumer Generated Media can be
used as a market intelligence tool, competitive intelligence tool, advertising
the brand, and increasing user-brand engagement. All of these objectives need to
be considered when forming the UGC brand management strategy.
Consumer Generated Media can be used an excellent market intelligence tool.
Marketing departments and advertising agencies go to great expense and time to
determine what the market is looking for in products and for new trends. CGM
allows these corporations to look into a consumer’s conversation with another
consumer where ideas are exchanged for new product ideas. Microsoft’s Flight
Simulator has been designed to allow users to generate content for the program
and Microsoft was taking notes. When the new Flight Simulator X was planned,
blogs in the Flight Simulator blogosphere exploded with ideas and suggestions of
what users wanted to see; Microsoft listened. As a result, Microsoft Flight
Simulator still maintains its position of one of the top selling computer
simulation games on the market.
Competitive intelligence has always been important in determining business
strategies, being able to forecast competitors’ moves and determine new
competitive products/product features is vital to the success of businesses. UGC
is another weapon in the arsenal for competitive intelligence. Since UGC is not
censored, competitors can have tremendous insight into consumer satisfaction
with the competition and maybe even more importantly consumer dissatisfaction.
The opportunities that present themselves by being able to see what the market
truly thinks of the competition and their products or services are innumerable.
Seeing consumer satisfaction can present a never-before seen opportunities to
move quickly to copy competitors’ strengths and capitalize on their weaknesses.
Some of the best online advertising seen today has never seen the inside of an
advertising agency. Consumer’s have always known what they are looking for and
how best to market to each other. CBS has already taken hold of this style
campaign by hosting a YouTube contest to create
15 second
“inspirational
message” spots to be broadcast on the network prior to the Super Bowl.
Additionally Southwest airlines has taken hold of this advertising in it “want
to get away” campaign where users submit 20 second spots on awkward or
humiliating moments. The winning spot will be used in the TV campaign. Chevy,
Doritos, Sony, and Converse are also experimenting with Consumer Generated Media
material. Who else is more informed of how to best market to your target market
than your target market itself? The increased user interaction with the brand
and the online explosion of buzz surrounding this new form of user participation
marketing may very well pay dividends for companies and extend brand reach far
beyond the limitations of a paid push marketing campaign.
Increasing user interaction with brands is the foremost objective of marketing,
getting users to identify, interact and most importantly positively remember
your brand. The more time a user spends creating content about your brand,
provided it is positive, the more users will identify and associate themselves
with the brand. Hasn’t that been marketing’s objective all along?
The risk of user generated content is the potential to have a disgruntled
customer spreading bad publicity regarding your brand. However, the same risk
can also be turned into an opportunity. Some of the best brand advocates a
company can have are persons that have had a bad experience and have had the
company respond by doing what ever it can to fix the mistake. In this respect
consumer generated media can indicate to a company how it is performing with its
market and give it a chance to respond to fix the problems. The key for a
company is to be vigilant and actually respond to customer’s suggestions,
problems, and ideas.
Consumer Generated media provides the opportunity to take branding to a new
level by engaging the user in an interactive conversation. User generated
content is not the radical departure from traditional marketing thought, but
rather the enabling technologies to do it better.
For more information on Consumer Initiated Marketing Strategies or to better
engage your audience in an interactive online relationship contact
Enquiro at
1-800-277-9997.
Kyle
Grant
Sponsored
Search Marketing Strategist Search Engine Positioning by Searchengineposition
Enquiro Full Service Search Engine Marketing
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Kyle
Grant