Chipotle, that wonderful purveor of ginormous, super delicious burritos, announced recently that it'll pay one winner $10,000 for their ad submission ... and may put the winner’s favorite food combination on its menu as part of its “My Chipotle” advertising campaign. The Mexican grill chain launched the user-generated campaign in May, without the lure of a ten grand prize.
“When we launched the My Chipotle campaign, our intention was to harness the power of our most loyal fans and to empower them as messengers for Chipotle,” said Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing officer of Chipotle. “While we have received hundreds of submissions and registered thousands of users at the My Chipotle website, we wanted our customers to know how much we appreciate their contributions to the campaign by giving them an opportunity to be rewarded for their best submissions.”
I'm always on the prowl for a better way to explain what ConsumerPassion is all about, and Crumpacker hit my nail on the head when he said their intention was to "harness the power of our most loyal fans and to empower them as messengers for Chipotle". Amen. There's no better way to ignite your marketing than to empower your customers by super serving them and exceeding their expectations.
Winners will be determined by a panel of Chipotle marketing staff and the company’s advertising agency based on how well they discuss Chipotle menu items while remaining consistent with the company’s values and image. Chipotle will announce winners August 26.
The first prize winner will receive $10,000 and may have their burrito added to the Chipotle menu for a limited time. Second prize is $5,000 and a party at a local Chipotle restaurant for 50 people, and third prize will be burritos for a year (amounting to one burrito a week for a year). Additional prizes will also be awarded. To be eligible for the contest, entries must be submitted via mychipotle.com by August 14. Any spots submitted to mychipotle.com could be used in the company’s ongoing advertising.
Recently read a great Inc. article called The Customer Is The Company (June 08 edition, by Max Chafkin). I actually read the magazine version first, as I still have a thing for print. Why do I feel I have to explain myself??? Anyway, before I add my applause for a company called Threadless, I have to say something about 'Welcome Screens'.
If you go to the above article link, you might first hit a landing page ... a big ad that gives you the option to 'Skip this Welcome Screen'. Listen, I don't mind advertising. I used to write and produce radio commercials for a living. I appreciate a good ad, especially if it uses creative storytelling, doesn't INTERRUPT, and offers a useful product or service. But for the love of Mike (whomever he is), never, never, never use the term 'Welcome Screen' on an interruptive landing page. This is very much a Traditional Media technique. Magazines like Forbes and Inc. do it all the time, whacking you with speedbump advertising that quaintly refers to itself as a welcome mat. Well, if that's your way of welcoming consumers, you need to take a deep Web 2.0 breath and bone up on effective, consumer-friendly marketing. Start by reading Seth Godin's blog. And change the text to 'Skip this Advertisement'. It's honest and not nearly as offensive. OK, I feel better.
Back to Threadless. The title of the article is a perfect: The Customer is The Company. Every business should burn those five words somewhere into the mission statement, because even if your business isn't about user-generated content, it should have a singular focus on the customer. Threadless began as a revolutionary t-shirt business built on a devoted, passionate community. It's expanding into products beyond t-shirts, but it doesn't matter. What does matter is the brilliant way the business model was designed. The article tells of Threadless founder Jake Nickell speaking at an MIT classroom in 2005, an event attended by various business big wigs (General Mills, Clorox, Google) and organized by Eric Von Hipple, considered the top dog on user innovation:
Threadless, Nickell's explained, ran design competitions on an online social network. Members of the network submitted their ideas for T-shirts and then voted on which ones they liked best. Hundreds of thousands of people were using the site as a kind of community center, where they blogged, chatted about designs, socialized with their fellow enthusiasts -- and bought a ton of shirts at $15 each. Revenue was growing 500 percent a year, despite the fact that the company had never advertised, employed no professional designers, used no modeling agency or fashion photographers, had no sales force, and enjoyed no retail distribution. As result, costs were low, margins were above 30 percent, and - because community members told them precisely which shirts to make - every product eventually sold out. Nickell's company had never produced a flop.
The audience members listened, rapt. For years they had suspected that this kind of business model was possible - even inevitable. They had seen the beginnings of it in the open-source-software movement, and they had been trying to make it happen in small ways within their own companies. But somehow, this T-shirt guy had built an entire business around the idea that an online community could drive innovation. "We were blown away," says von Hippel.
I love that Nickell was clueless about the term user innovation at that meeting three years ago. He hadn't heard of Von Hipple either. He had no idea back in 2000, when Threadless began as a hobby, that he was blazing a trail that books like Wikinomics would spotlight years later. Nickell simply had a brilliantly simple idea: let a community of passionate consumers come up with product ideas, make those products, and sell them to the community.
Nickell is expanding into other products that work well with the user-designed model. He has to be careful, as the article notes, not to offend his loyal community by coming across too 'commercial'. He's turned down deals with major retailers (Target is one) because he didn't want the story behind Threadless lost in some display space on a large selling floor. But there's no reason he can't take Threadless beyond t-shirts, the same way Zappos is moving beyond selling just shoes. The comparison is not perfect, but go with me on this. Zappos calls itself a 'service company that happens to sell shoes'. Its main thing is not the product it sells. Its main thing is the outlandishly fantastic customer service it provides. So of course it can expand beyond shoes. And of course Threadless can expand beyond t-shirts, because it's main thing is not t-shirts ... it's the singular devotion to a community of passionate consumers that provide all the creative juice, marketing and selling it will ever need.
It doesn't matter that your business isn't built on user-innovation, the way Threadless is. What does matter is that your business has ample opportunity to integrate any one of a number of Web platforms and channels that enable an honest, open dialogue with consumers. They're out there, right now, ready, willing and able to tell you exactly what's right and wrong about your business. Why not ask them what they'd do differently? Seems kind of silly, when we have affordable, simple tools to collect and manage feedback and innovation, not to put them in play. Your business may not have been built this way, but it can undergo a digital transformation that will enable you to tap the power of Consumer Passion.
USA Today has the story (from Monday's edition). The launch part was last Thursday, in New York, spotlighting a new collaboration between moviemaker Spike Lee and Nokia, fueled by the creative passion of consumers. In an effort to "connect with consumers" according to Craig Coffey, Nokia VP Marketing, N. America, would-be collaborators can upload original text, images, music or video at Nokiaproductions.com.
I went to the site, and here are the basics:
Spike Lee has been given the greenlight on his latest project, a collaborative film where the content you create with your mobile phone determines his final cut. He needs your work to make it happen. Here’s the assignment:
Humanity is our central theme. Think about its meaning and how music tells our story. Over the course of production, there will be three Acts for you to interpret.
Shoot a photo or video that reflects the Act.
Produce a soundtrack to enhance someone’s Act.
Text in ideas for others to go out and film.
Upload your work and if you want, edit in other people’s submissions to create a full Act.
Vote for your favorite Acts. The winners will appear in the next Spike Lee Joint.
The whole thing is centered around the mobile phone. Lee in his blog at NokiaProductions.com talks about how he thinks within five years, we'll be buying a ticket to see a feature length film that was created on a mobile device. Probably something like my Nokia N95, which can stream live video to the web (via Qik.com, Kyte.tv and other platforms). This first effort will accept consumer generated content through August 21st. Lee will then produce a 9-12 minute film from the CGC (consumer generated content), to be shown this fall at the yet-to-open Club Nokia Auditorium in Los Angeles. It's a cutting edge and creative idea and endeavor. Only 200 people have signed up on the site so far, and the content I've checked out is minimally impressive so far. I'll be checking back to see how this progresses.
I had no idea there's a National Potato Chip Day, but there is ... on March 14th to be exact. And on that celebratory day, chip fans will be able to purchase (online first, then in stores by summer) the new 'Death Valley Chipotle' flavor by Kettle Foods. Death Valley Chipotle has been selected by you, the consumer, in Kettle's annual People's Choice campaign. This one skipped by me, or I would've been happy to dive into some bags of limited edition Kettle offerings to give my two cents. I've always loved Kettle chips. They're crunchy, explosive with taste, and don't have a lot of ingredients I can't pronounce that sound scientific-ky.
For the past four years, Kettle has turned over product development to fans, inviting chip lovers to help select new flavors to join the existing line. Inspired by "passionate requests" for the ultimate hot chip, People’s Choice IV took a spicy turn with a 'Fire and Spice' theme and five fiery nominees: Wicked Hot Sauce, Mango Chili, Jalapeño Salsa Fresca, Orange Ginger Wasabi and Death Valley Chipotle. With polls now closed at KettleFoods.com, Death Valley, with its blend of red chili, cayenne, chipotle and habanero, finishes as the top pick.
Death Valley Chipotle will be available online starting March 14th (Nat'l Chip Day) at Buykettlechips.com before joining past People’s Choice winners Spicy Thai, Cheddar Beer, Tuscan Three Cheese, Buffalo Bleu and Island Jerk on store shelves in early summer. But if you go online before Feb. 1st, you can still order a 'Mix n Match' five-pack of any of the limited edition flavor candidates, for $11.95. They 'vanish' (except for the winner) after that date.
Dr Pepper's Sabrosura Art Contest entries have been narrowed down to the top 23 semi-finalists. Starting today, online voting at Drpeppersabrosura.com will determine five finalists and the grand prize winner. That one "spicy" artist will receive almost $10,000 in cash and have the opportunity to display his or her artwork on Dr Pepper packaging and promotional materials.
Dr Pepper launched the Sabrosura Art Contest last October to encourage Latinos to express their "individuality and their zest for life - characteristics that have been a cornerstone of the Dr Pepper brand for more than 30 years" according to the press release. The company says that asking consumers to vote online for their favorite artwork is "another way to give Latinos a voice and the possibility to 'own' a piece of the new Dr Pepper campaign".
In December, judges selected the 23 entries they felt best represented "the Sabrosura feel, creativity, and originality", as well as Dr Pepper branding, awarding each artist $2,300. Now, each of the semi-finalists' artwork can be viewed and voted for online through Feb. 1 at 5 p.m. PST. The top five finalists and the grand prize winner will be determined by a vote tally.
The five finalists in the online voting will receive an additional $2,500. The grand prize winner will receive an additional $5,000, for a total grand prize award of $9,800, in addition to having his/her work featured on Dr Pepper packaging and promo materials. For complete contest rules and information, and to vote, go to Drpeppersabrosura.com.
Hallmark Cards is calling all pet lovers, specifically those with some user generated creative juice. Today markes the kickoff of Hallmark's "YourPets" competition in which consumers enter pet photo birthday card designs, Hallmark prints and sells the finalists, and America votes on the best. The winner with the most online votes will receive a $1,000 grand prize and a trip to Hallmark in Kansas City.
"YourPets" is the second in a series of ongoing card competitions Hallmark introduced in November. The first encouraged consumers to design a card corresponding with Hallmark's partnership with (PRODUCT) RED. The second is all about four-legged friend(s). To enter, choose your funniest, most endearing or most creative pet photo, combine with a corresponding "birthday" sentiment, and submit them at Hallmark.com/you from now until Feb. 3, 2008. Sixty-seven finalists will each win $250, and their cards will be printed by Hallmark and sold both online and in more than 10,000 stores. Finalists will be posted online starting March 3, 2008
"Hallmark consumers have never been shy about sharing their ideas for new greeting cards with us -- including sending us their funny pet photos -- and we love to hear from them," said Lindsey Roy, senior product manager at Hallmark. "In fact, we want to encourage it. With these competitions, we're giving our fans an opportunity to turn those great ideas into real Hallmark cards. Even better, we want them to select the winner. We can't wait to see which one of their touching pet photos will win America's heart."
The Grand Prize winner's card will be sold at Hallmark.com/you and may become part of another card collection. The Grand Prize also includes $1,000 cash and a trip to Hallmark with his/her pet for a photo shoot and workshop with Hallmark's creative team. Complete contest rules and info on the website.
This is the blog equivalent of standing outside the Coca Cola headquarters, megaphone in hand, hoping some mildly curious or even slightly annoyed executive will give ear to this passionate consumer pitch. Think of this as a reverse consumer generated idea campaign, initiated by the consumer to get the attention of the company, instead of the other way around. Now, I could use some assistance, so anyone willing to help amplify this campaign (please feel free to submit your own ideas and feeback as well), your participation is encouraged and appreciated.
Here's the skinny. I am a huge fan of Coke Zero. Grew up drinking Coke (Classic), but as I aged, found the heavy sugar content helped make me heavier than I prefer. Diet Coke never appealed to me, so when Zero launched, my ship came back in. Tastes like regular Coke, even better I'd argue, with no calories because it uses Splenda. However, sometimes I'd like a little more 'pop' in my pop. Pepsi offers Diet Pepsi Max, with additional caffeine and genseng. But there's not an equivalent for Zero fans. So in the spirit of open innovation, where ideas originate in the village, outside company (castle) walls, I propose that Coke do the following:
Launch a new drink called Coke Zip.
Let me explain, with help from the diagram to the right. Coke Zip would taste like Coke Classic, like Zero does, with no calories, using Splenda. In addition, it will have extra caffeine and one or more natural supplements like genseng, maybe vitamins to differentiate it from Diet Pepsi Max. The added ingredients will give the drink KaPow!, thus the name Zip. And (here's the big branding bonus) Zip also means "nothing", "nada", "zilch", as in zero calories. The name is a short, catchy, Two-For-One: no calories (Zip) so you're light on your feet, and extra energy (Zip) so those feet will take you farther, all with the great taste of Coke Classic.
I've always loved the idea of creating ideas and pitching them to companies - unexpected ideas that just might be worth implementing. We all have them, right? Walking down the street, interacting with various businesses, we think to ourselves "why don't they do such and such", or "why doesn't someone try this instead...". So when I stumbled across an Open Innovation platform called Fellowforce.com (which I am now affiliated with), I got really excited. Here's a cutting edge Web 2.0 business that's all about connecting consumers and their ideas with any company or organization around the globe. It's about the consumer, the little guy with a big idea, storming corporate walls to say "look what I have". Many companies have already figured out that the fast evolving and distruptive digital age we're in requires a new emphasis on innovation. It's in that spirit that I write this post, and plan to write many more.
I really am a huge fan of Coke, but when I tried to find a way to submit my idea to them, I discovered how high the walls to open innovation can be. I finally located a Coke website where you can submit consumer generated ideas. But here's the disclaimer:
Each year The Coca-Cola Company, its divisions and subsidiaries (collectively, the "Company") receive a large volume of unsolicited communications from people outside the Company containing ideas or suggestions that the submitters believe may be of value to the Company. While the Company appreciates these suggestions, we must adhere to a long-standing policy. Our policy prevents us from considering ideas related to advertising, formula modifications to any of our existing products and recurrent concepts we have previously considered. If you believe your idea is not in one of these excluded areas, feel free to proceed to our submission form. Furthermore, this policy requires that submitters agree to our Terms and Conditions before we can give consideration to their ideas.
Talk about throwing water on any fire in your creative belly. In other words, don't waste our time. Sheesh. Who knows how many people might have interesting ideas, for Coke or any other company. The least companies can do, for their own sake and to generate goodwill, is to have a place on their main websites to enable and encourage innovative ideas (the Fellowforce Innovation Box, which is free right now, is great for this). What's the worst that can happen? You get ideas and decide not to implement them? And what if you get a great idea? You use it, it helps the bottom line, and you reward and celeberate the consumer who submitted it, which is great PR, and which helps generate more consumer interest in and enthusiam for your brand. Lots of companies, many spotlighted in this blog, hold user generated video contests (Swiffer, Heinz Ketchup to name two). But how many ask for your ideas ... and not just your love letter videos about products (ideas) the company came up with? Coke, do you really think you have a lock on all the good ideas? If you don't like my Zip idea, I'm sure a reader of this post has an idea you might find interesting.
Footnote: I submitted my Zip idea to the Fellowforce.com Fellow Forum a while back, a place where anyone can submit an idea and get ratings and feedback from other consumers. Currently, the Zip idea ranks number one. Go here to see ideas in the Forum, and to submit your own. And let's storm some castles together.
WHAM-O turns 60 this year, and the maker of Hula Hoop, Slip N Slide, Frisbee, SuperBall and Hacky Sack products is planning a year-long celebration that includes a Kid Inventor Contest, an Original Fun Commercial Contest, and nationwide radio promotions. Some history:
In 1948, childhood friends and USC students Arthur “Spud” Melin and Richard Knerr, founded WHAM-O as a leading designer/distributor of innovative, high-quality recreational activity products. WHAM-O initially set up shop in Knerr’s parents’ garage and introduced the Slingshot, the original product from which the company derived its name, based on the comic book sound of a target being hit. The Hula Hoop was invented in 1958; the SuperBall in 1963; the Hackey Sack in 1972 (sold to WHAM-O in 1983).
From the press release, here's the skinny on the contests WHAM-O is running:
WHAM-O will celebrate its iconic toy culture with two interactive contests designed to celebrate the colorful past and engage WHAM-O enthusiasts of the future. Because Melin and Knerr frequently experimented with toys in fun, wacky ways and were open to original and sometimes odd ideas, WHAM—O will entice its loyal fan base of creative, innovative boys and girls to tinker, test and create the next great WHAM-O toy through a “60th Anniversary Kid inventor contest.” Kids will be asked to submit their toy inventions for the opportunity to have their invention marketed and sold as the next great toy from WHAM-O. ** (go to WHAM-O.com/contest for info. It's for ages 6-17. Contest began Jan. 7th, goes through March 31st)
In paying tribute to WHAM-O’s history of zany and out-of-this world antics in its early TV commercials, WHAM-O will take a page from its illustrious past to create the ultimate online opportunity for today’s generation to take part in outdoor fun, Web 2.0 style, with the “Wacky Zany Original Fun Commercial Contest.” Today’s generation will have the opportunity to join the “Originator of Fun” to create and upload their best “WHAM-O style” vintage commercial online for a chance to win $5,000. **(check WHAM-O.com. I didn't see anything on this yet ... looks like it'll launch later in the year)
Swiffer fans, here's your big chance. Proctor and Gamble, maker of the best wood floor cleaning product on this or any other planet (anyone with dogs that shed understands this), is announcing the first ever national Swiffer consumer-generated music contest, in partnership with Warner Music.
Here's the skinny: You have until January 30th to submit a video, up to one minute in length, that demonstrates how you 'broke up' with traditional cleaning methods, and have now fallen in love with Swiffer. Laugh, but before the contest even came into being, some 600 user generaed videos featuring Swiffers had already been uploaded on Youtube by passionate consumers.
Warner Music Group will provide 60-second snippets of 15 "break up" songs for use in the homemade videos. Go to Youtube.com/Swifferbreakup for information and to enter. Like other user generated contests (Heinz Ketchup, Pringles to name a couple), this one provides consumers with plenty of tools to make the production process much easier. By downloading an Editor's Toolkit, you'll have access to music, Swiffer video clips, and other goodies.
I like that the contest only lasts a few weeks (voting begins Feb. 4th, winner announced Feb. 20th). Quick and dirty, and I'm confident plenty of folks will try to 'clean up' with their I Love Swiffer creation. Winner gets $15,000. Five runners up get $1,000 each, and everyone who submits a video gets 10 free song downloads, 'break up' songs from Warner.
If you get depressed on Sundays because you can't get a chicken sandwich at Chick-fil-A (they're closed Sundays), or count yourself among the growing number of loyal - some would say obsessed - fans of this extraordinary quick food chain, you've got less than two weeks to shoot some creative video that proves you're Chick-fil-A's Biggest Fan.
Chick-fil-A launched it's Biggest Fan website back in November of last year as a social media site for raving fans, and to host the video contest as part of this year's 40th anniversary celebrations. Chick tapped Vitrue to develope its branded video community. The site features a flexible suite of tools for consumers to create and submit videos and content. Vitrue's AdMixer, from the website, "turns everyone into a producer. It's like giving your users their own mixing room and it's built to integrate seamlessly with your brand. They can use AdMixer to combine branded assets like logos, taglines, video, audio, text and other images. They can upload content, provide creative transitions, trim video and audio to an ideal length and produce unique, high-quality commercials and testimonials".
For the contest, submit a video of up to one minute in length that creatively pleads your case as to why you believe you're Chick-fil-A's most passionate fan. Videos will be accepted through January 15th. At stake is a grand prize featuring 40 months of free Chick-fil-A Combo Meals. You'll be up against some very ... very ... passionate fans, including members of the Chicken Pack, a growing community of consumers who travel around the country to camp out for grand openings of new Chick-fil-A restaurants. The first 100 people in line at these openings typically get a year's worth of free combo meals, and it's not abnormal for hundreds of people to camp out a full day in advance. Check out uploaded contest videos here. The highest rated entry currently is called The Way of Life, Chick-fil-A. It's fabulous. Good luck!
