Not Your Father’s Oldsmobile, or Chevrolet for That Matter

AdAge has a story about GM’s new contest to create an online ad for its Chevy Tahoe. The promotion, a link to GM’s sponsorship of “The Apprentice”, offers viewers the opportunity to win cash and prizes for creating a winning 30 second spot. 

As AdRants points out, this isn’t really consumer generated media. Instead of asking people to submit their own videos, Chevy has set up a site where people can click and drag commercial components together to create a canned spot. 

That said, GM is turning consumer generated media on its head, and inspiring brand enthusiasts to create their own ads, which they hope will, in turn, inspire purchase and loyalty to GM.

They’re not alone. According to Steve Rubel, PodGuide.tv shows some major national advertisers that are experimenting with video podcasts, including Nike and American Express.

“This is a start. The next big step for advertisers is to use their video podcasts to encourage the community to co-create and participate. For example, what if Nike urged the YouTube community to remix these podcasts into new creations? It could run the best submitted videos in the feed and encourage viewers to vote on their faves. It could even give the winner a directorial role in Nike's next TV ad. That's what's going to make these campaigns more attractive.”

While it’s exciting to see big brands start to embrace CGM, the possibilities for smaller organizations are even more intriguing. Podcasts, vlogs, and blogs all offer ways for small companies to market and sell directly to their customers. They require little in the way of infrastructure or financial investment, and the potential rewards are enormous.

 

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