Week Two Journal Entry

OK, so I am going to purchase the book Crowdsourcing. The introduction that I read this week was fascinating and I feel extremely excited to read this book given that it seems as if we are right in the middle of this movement that is ever changing. Years ago I struggled to understand the open source movement, particularly in the software development world because I could not understand why individuals would contribute to something like Linux of Mozilla without being compensated. As the movement has progressed I now understand the true sense of community that is created and how such collaboration can be rewarding and inspiring, and in some cases compensated.

Crowdsourcing has already become a very powerful tool in digital marketing. Creating a platform to allow users to submit their own, personal touch on traditional products creates a sense of customization and uniqueness that can truly mobilize the consumer and garner interest in a particular product or service. At my agency, we launched a program for Clorox called “Redesign Clean” (http://www.redesignclean.com/) which solicited consumers to submit designs for a new Clorox wipe. This program engaged the community and also created awareness about the product launch. By creating a contest that allows users the ability to customize the box, what was normally a sterile container for wipes now has a unique design look and feel to it and is something consumers would like to have on their counter.

Similar contests have taken place recently to motivate consumers to demonstrate their design capabilities and show off their talent. Jose Cuervo 1800 tequila (http://www.1800tequila.com/) conducted a bottle design contest where artists could submit their designs online for the wrap on a tequila bottle. The application used is very cool in that when your artwork is submitted, it is rendered on the bottle as it would appear if produced. A $10,000 prize was offered to the winners of the contest and the bottle would appear in a national advertising campaign. This program was a great success because the “crowd” is being utilize to bring design elements to the bottle (not changing the product contained within), information about Jose Cuervo products is being surfaced to the many visitors coming to the site and information about the participants is being captured and helps Jose Cuervo better understand their target demographic.

Utilizing the crowd is a fascinating way to engage the community. As mentioned in the introduction to Crowdsourcing, you do not have to be a an expert in a particular field to contribute to the knowledge base being developed and users feel a sense of empowerment by participating in these communities. Hopefully when I fulfill my obligation to my MBA, I will be able to find some time to become active in the open community!

Week One Journal Entry

The first week of our clinic has exposed the students to one of the most powerful tools available to businesses, digital media. Having a digital marketing and communications presence is key because of the on demand nature of the content and the ability for consumers to experience the content on their own time and in a repeatable fashion. As a Director in the Digital group at Fleishman-Hillard International Communications, my job day in, day out is to continue to push the use of digital communications and strategy for our clients.

In the book “Always On”, the author details the resistance for some CEO’s and CMO’s to fully embrace the digital media space. Often, these individuals see traditional media (TV, print) as the key areas to market and advertise. In communications we often experience some of the same resistance. Often the resistance is the result of the individual operating outside his/her comfort zone. But a key point that we often illustrate to our clients is the ability to attach very powerful metrics to digital communication/marketing that can clearly demonstrate a return on their investment. In addition to usage and conversion metrics, agencies can capture information about these visitors that can help better refine the target demographic that is consuming the media being produced and allows the company and the agency to better tailor their messages to convert these visitors into consumers.

Marketing in the digital space also provides consumers an unprecedented experience. Online marketing and communication can allow visitors to interact with a product or service in a way that print or television advertising cannot. Leveraging online product simulations, videos and augmented reality can bring a product or service to life for the consumer and then immediately take the consumer to a point of purchase. Having this capability is a tool that executives and marketing teams have not had before and with the dynamic nature of the digital space, messaging and product information can be changed with ease. In addition to the experiences, key word advertising in the major search engines can surface content about a product or a service to those that are already online looking for this information.

I am truly looking forward to participating in this course. My experience as digital media professional in the communications industry comes from a college education that included software development and general business acumen in addition to years of experience working as a professional and continuing my education by reading and learning from my peers. I am very interested in being exposed to how academia is studying this space and the trends that are being uncovered and the pedagogy being developed.