Comments on Pigs Don't Fly: + UGC. What Is It Good For?

I really think the key point here is whether or no...

2008-09-04T13:13:00.000+10:00

I really think the key point here is whether or not there are people who love/hate your brand. If people hate it, it's going to end badly. If people love it, and no one hates it, it's going to do well. If people couldn't give a stuff either way it's really just a waste of time...

I think you're definitely right - UGC is more ...

2008-08-27T22:11:00.000+10:00

I think you're definitely right - UGC is more about the journey than the destination, so to speak. However I think they were talking about the problem that occurs when your stakeholders decide to change the destination.

You can see this with the campaign launched for GM's Chevy SUV a while back, where users could go on the website, put together some pre-recorded clips and their own text to create their own ad. The problem? Someone decided to create a whole series of ads talking about how bad for the environment SUVs are, which were published directly to the official website!

Of course it all depends on the product, and the execution :) Arguably, Chevy's problems came from poor market insight. But if it's handled correctly UGC can definitely be a good way to engage with the target market and get some great insights!

Great post, enjoy B&T :)
Katherine

Great challenge to some common misconceptions - wi...

2008-08-26T20:13:00.000+10:00

Great challenge to some common misconceptions - will be sharing this with the team.

I think the more we challenge what's been done and what we're doing the better it'll be.

Let's start these conversations.

@ David

You are spot on. That is the key ch...

2008-08-26T17:15:00.000+10:00

@ David

You are spot on. That is the key challenge, to establish an authentic social object. Julian's necklace has done it well, but I imagine that was helped by the fact it wasn't a corporation behind it.

So is the path forward looking to find ways to become a part of the social object's story?

This becomes even harder when we talk about UGC.

Who ever said marketing was easy!?

Good to see you are getting into the old school me...

2008-08-26T17:09:00.000+10:00

Good to see you are getting into the old school media outlets now too! ;)

Nice job joining the dots Zac. One point I'd clari...

2008-08-26T09:04:00.000+10:00

Nice job joining the dots Zac. One point I'd clarify though, I wear the hat because I like the hat, it just happens to have an interesting story to go with it =] Similarly, Scott can't do anything about his hair.

Because of that, there's an authenticity that goes with the objects and that is incredibly hard to fake. I think for brands the path forward is one of candour, and being honest about your intentions.

To liken it to something completely separate, Billy Connolly says he doesn't understand why comedians tell other people's jokes and don't attribute them. It doesn't make the joke less funny knowing it came from someone else.