MoFilm: Is the advertising industry,
as we know it destined for the same history pages as the Encyclopedia?
Giving an audience a voice in
consumerism is essential. If a brand wants to be successful, they must listen
to the consumers’ perspectives and feedback. This is a basic idea compared to
giving away some power to the audience. “You have to let go a little bit to be
successful,” Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia said.
Now, the latest trend in building a
brand is crowdsourcing. It is allowing the audience to participate not only as
a spectator and consumer, but also as a participant/creator. Wikipedia allows
smart and knowledgeable people to edit topics on the Wikipedia page. A smart
individual could be a 10-year-old boy, obsessed with Pokemon to a college
professor with a doctorate in marine biology. The website is in all languages
and is customized locally. The power of the Internet page is put into the hands
of the people. This gives them the feeling of being needed and important by
being able to contribute.
Similarly, Paul T. Edwards, executive
director and global manger of General Motors, wanted “to wake up the film
community around the world,” which is why they launched a competition to create
a Chevy Superbowl commercial. The winner, Happy Grad, was created by a film student. GM really understands the consumers
they target and really digs into finding out other valuable research data. GM
learned that the most watched awards show is the Academy Awards, so they are
creating a contest for international filmmakers to create a Chevrolet film to
connect viewers.
Time Warner
Inc. Presents: What connects in Comedy
In a seminar with Anderson Cooper and
Conan O’Brien, everyone was expecting humor and sarcasm. The jokes were
hilarious and the sarcastic tone accentuated the witty jokes. What was probably
the more surprising element was that the seminar was not only hilarious, but
also very informative.
Conan who came from old traditional
media was quick to point out that making jokes is not enough in this business.
The jokes have to genuinely funny because no amount of media team members can
make un-funny material funny.
Conan then presented his strategic uses of social media: Occupy Conan
and Ron Burgandy. In Occupy Conan, fans sent content to Conan and
recreated a show. The fans got creative making Conan out of clay, drawings, and
dressing up like him. The show was a success and received positive feedback
from his audience. This interaction with his fans really gets them involved.
This authenticity allows fans to believe that Conan is coming from a good
place, which is essential to authenticity. He recommends this sort of
interaction for all brands, not just for comedy talk shows.
For the promotion of Anchor Man 2, Conan
tweeted out Ron’s appearance on his show just a few hours before the show to
gain some impressions on social media and get more people to tune in.
Additionally, TBS really advertised the event, and Conan’s show gained a lot of
viewers that night.
Conan cracked a lot of jokes, but
when it came time to be professional, he was in depth with his experiences with
social media. Conan knows that not everything is meant to go on air, and it is
perfectly fine to turn down advertising gigs if they feel force, unnatural
and/or boring. He thinks like a businessman and is very strategic when it comes
to social media and other means of communication.
It is always important to remember
where your heart lies and what the power of passion, humor and advertising can
create.
Translation:
Culture as a Creative Catalyst
I was excited to hear P. Diddy speak,
but I was a little surprised when his talk became just a plug for more things
he is doing with his life. It was more of an advertisement for himself than
discussing the future of creativity in fashion, music and television.
Though he talked a lot about the
importance of authenticity, I felt that P. Diddy was probably one of the least
authentic people at the conference. His arrogant air bothered me. I
understand that he is a huge celebrity who owns a label, promotes alcohol, has
a fashion line, and raps. However, modesty NEVER goes out of style. Diddy spoke
directly to the audience, as if he was putting on a show instead of
communicating with the moderator and glancing out at the audience.
I think for someone who really prides
himself on being authentic, honest and nice, he really seemed ‘fake.’ His
intention seemed to be on entertaining and bragging rather than educating and
informing. I do not believe he really knows about the creative industry,
regardless with his success in so many various areas. For this reason, I think
he was left to talk about himself, which lost my attention when he included
‘Asia” in a list of countries.
Networking:
I met a lot of interesting people today
at the Ipso Woman’s Lounge in the penthouse suite of the Martinez Hotel. Not
only did the hair stylist give me waves in my hair, she hooked me up with
contacts and business cards. It was a beautiful, relaxed environment in which I
really enjoyed myself.
Not only is it important to attend
seminars here, but also it is really important to talk to people and get to
know them. Everyone is interested in helping each other and making another
contact, regardless of whether they are the CEO of a company or an associate
for a firm. Everyone is in the same boat: ready to learn and ready to connect.
Follow the hashtag #NewhouseIDSM for more on the #CannesLions Festival!
Follow me on Twitter: @mona_lisap
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