User/Consumer Generated Content, CGC is on every marketer’s lips these days. But despite frequent use of this acronym, it seems a large number of marketing and advertising people are afraid, scared even, of this seemingly elusive phenomenon as they struggle to get a grip on its true meaning and implications on their brands in a Web 2.0 World. It’s a response consistent with the arrival of any new technology like that of the website and the blog.
This emotional response and subsequent behaviour reminds me of the 80’s when HIV (then know as HTLV3) made headline news. People were panic-struck. What does this mean in my life? Will we all die? Can I get infected in public toilets? What about kissing? Will I be able to enjoy sex at all in the future? Today, companies are gazing into their magic crystal balls to try to look into an increasingly unpredictable future as they feel they’re slowly losing control…losing it to the consumer.
It’s as if many are afraid that “the truth” will be exposed and that they’ll be forced to play a fair, responsible and honest game with completely open cards. Accepting the new rules of Consumerland is a seismic shift for them. And It’s hard.
I often hear people in meetings who try to casually throw in the phrase ‘CGC’ in uneasy attempts to appear illuminated and modern as marketers. Underneath their contrived smiles I sense fear and can’t help but feel it’s because many of these people are quite detached from the realities of today’s society; what life’s really like for people in the real world.
Now you don’t actually need to be a technophile or a digital ‘connector’ who camps out on blogs, myspace or facebook in order to realize there’s little need to panic about this. What’s needed is a thorough understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of communication as it generates perceptions in our minds about the world and the brands in it. This hasn’t changed. What’s new is the power for people (consumers) to share and publicise their opinions and viewpoints about brands. This is nothing but a democratization process that terrifies those currently in power.
This is what all the fuss is about:
Rob’s recently written a great letter to the Editor of Media Magazine Asia in which he points out, amongst other things, that if CGC is ever going to be able to “compete” against BGC (brand generated content) from agencies it will have to be both entertaining and motivating. AND it must also motivate consumers to act in favour of the brand. This would qualify as consumer-generated advertising, which is a separate thing and a tiny part of CGC. Whilst some sworn brand aficionados in fact produce ad-like stuff, it doesn’t mean the agency world is going to be displaced. But if we’re lucky, it may hopefully serve to naturally clean out some of Adland’s mediocrity, which would be fantastic.
So whilst many marketers continue to lose sleep over this latest format of word-of.mouth and the potential “amateur ad threat”, one group of people, however, are over the moon about all of this. They are the conference organisers of the marketing world. They now believe Christmas is an all year affair as this new CGC catchphrase helps them sell tickets to conferences that cost thousands of dollars each. Déjà vu anyone?
July 10, 2007 at 7:40 AM
Ah, at last a post. And a fucking good one too. Excellent point about the conferences.
You really should write more stuff you know.
July 10, 2007 at 7:51 AM
Welcome back Fredrik – keep up the good work
July 10, 2007 at 10:05 AM
Just a small point because I was lucky enough to be taught well at a great agency many moons ago, that the use of the terms target and consumer are derogatory.
Customers is a much nicer and more respectful word which leads me onto a better term for all this media content generation (CGC ugh!) by our customers is often called participatory media.
There is a Wiki entry on it but the term user generated pretty much smacks of manipulation and a hierarchy that no longer exists or is rapidly diminishing.
July 11, 2007 at 1:41 AM
You can always tell an ex-HHCL’er can’t you Charles, ha!
July 11, 2007 at 1:42 AM
And well done Fred … about time too!
July 11, 2007 at 9:32 PM
Yes. Sorry. Didn’t mean to be preachy.
July 12, 2007 at 8:33 AM
Charles, I’ve heard that viewpoint many times over the years. In principle, I completely agree (it’s a typical ad agency thing to say). But I don’t think there is a single consumer out there who honestly believes that marketer out there would regard them as anything but a consumer; someone who has a wallet and is willing to buy stuff. And I like to keep it real. That being said, I wouldn’t recommend the term ‘consumer’ be used in communication that talks directly to him/her.
And No…don’t worry, you did not come across as preachy. Keep talking!
July 12, 2007 at 12:46 PM
A well-written post, Fredrik. I got quite inspired by it and wrote a reply to this on my blog:
http://theplanninglab.typepad.com/theplanninglab/2007/07/hypes—a-quest.html
July 13, 2007 at 4:11 AM
You make some interesting points in that post, Leon. I think being ultra-informed, as you put it, (whether you’re a planner or have a different role in the creative/communication industry) helps massively in reducing the uncertainty-driven fear that is currently fueling the CGC hype.
July 13, 2007 at 3:19 PM
Planners need to be omni-aware … if they are myopic then they are failing themselves, as well as clients and society.
Any planner that doesn’t look broader than consumption habits is a sham and should be shot on sight.
Sorry, but this thing gets right on my nerves.
July 23, 2007 at 12:35 PM
Please write more Fred. I really agree about this. I was at a comference last month where it took half an hour for 3 so called luminaries to agree what am insight was and how it could be useful. I ask you…….
July 23, 2007 at 11:09 PM
yay! a post again! ok, so it was almost two weeks ago, but hey, i’m slow on the uptake. it’s a great post fredrik and that bit about the term ‘consumer’ (i prefer the term person, or people) is an area which is so interesting to me and could easily warrant a whole post on it. in fact, there probably is, somewhere, but like i said, i’m slow on the uptake.
July 25, 2007 at 12:20 AM
Yeah, I know….I don’t post very often. Right now I simply don’t have time because of work. Will put something new up as soon as time allows. Hope all is well with all of you.