While I was working in the marketing department I was required to come up with promotional campaigns for various products, store openings and all sorts of events. And don’t imagine I was sitting on my back, with my feet on the desk and a pencil in my mouth (Don Draper style) dreaming about that brilliant idea that will make my net grow.
Don’t imagine I was spending my time on Adverblog, Ads of the World, Mashable or PSFK searching for the next thing. What my boss needed from me was a good, simple, effective idea that won’t require too many resources. Ohh…I should mention we were not working with any kind of PR, ADV agencies. It was just us! The golden rule – “it should not require too many resources” and by resources I mean people, time and money.
And I believe that’s the case with the majority of today’s marketers. When they get tasked with launching/organizing a campaign the following things start running through their head:
- I don’t want to have to work afterhours for this campaign
- I don’t want to be held responsible if this campaign fails
- I don’t want it to interfere with my other projects
- It should not require too many resources
And that’s how campaigns that people from the field talk about, over coffee, are born. The campaigns that fall in the “it could have been done better, but maybe the marketer didn’t want to put too much effort in it” category. And this is where the Selfie campaigns come from.
Because let’s be honest, how hard can it be to organize/launch a selfie campaign? You only need a somewhat valuable prize (the standard being an iPhone 4) and asking your followers to take a selfie with your brand. Ohhh, I almost forgot! You just have to add a hashtag that has to contain the word…that’s right…SELFIE.
And here’s where I encounter the following two questions:
1. How much value can a brand get from a photo (maybe a blurred one) with someone’s face and somewhere, hidden in a corner a few lines from the brand’s identity? Ahh..this those not include „the brand will appear in people’s Facebook albums, Instagram and Twitter and that’s how their friends will see us and we will become viral and conquer the world and save the planet, etc.”
2. What does the consumer get from a photo? And I don’t mean an actual thing. What information does he get? What does he gain by taking a photo? What’s the price he must pay for taking a selfie and showing all of his friends that he wants to win a prize? I believe a campaign should provide an unforgettable experience, an indescribable feeling and moreover… fun. The kind of fun I want to have while sharing it with all my friends (just to spite them).
In my opinion – selfie campaigns are pretty embarrassing for both parties (brand and consumer).
But if you still want to do a selfie campaign, just let me show you a tumblr blog that will disparage all your ideas about “The best SELFIE campaign ever!” -> yourselfieideaisnotoriginal.tumblr.com
Ohhh..I almost forgot! If you do not have a community that will take this type of selfies just get over the idea and start doing something great!
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