5.16.2007

You Could Change Advertising Forever, but You Probably Won't



This is a little video for Change Advertising Forever, a site that is trying to connect advertisers and media generating consumers via their social media type program.

How it works according to the site, is that advertisers will pay to have their "requests for brilliance" posted, people can browse them and create ads for those they want to try their hand at. The advertisers then may choose to actually use your shit and maybe pay you something for it. The site has yet to launch, but I have a feeling it's not going to last very long. Why would advertisers want to do all the work of posting their assignments and then have to wade through all the trash they get back. And on the other end, the 'creatives' throw out their ideas for free, hoping someone might bite and then throw them a bone. Come on.

I guess this is one step towards making the CGM even more main stream. Whether that step is moving forward or backward is for you to decide.

13 comments:

  1. XLNTads.com does the same thing, or is trying to at least.

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  2. If you are into how UGC is shaking up the ad agency world then it's worth checking out openad.net as an alternative to CAF. They only use (I think about 10k) pre-vetted creative talents rather than letting the web's freaks and uniques loose on your precious live brief...

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  3. zooppa.com does the same and it works! real brands, real contest, real money
    changeadforever use a similar concept and communication style (1. I give you a brand, 2. YOU make an AD, 3. YOU rate the best one, 4. I pay you)

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  4. Shewda- As I see it the advertisers are already getting crap back (albeit in smaller quantities...) for much more money. This looks like an opportunity to get back some ads that people may actually like/connect with for less money.

    As far as throwing ideas out for free...most people will never have the option of creating ads for the big guys (just too competitive), so again this seems to give people a shot at it and if the companies are forced to pay someone, then you're chances are probably better this way then they are applying for a job at an advertising company and hoping a big account gets thrown your way. Don't you think?

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  5. I totally agree with the competitive job market in creative advertising, but I don't think that constitutes free work in any way. Anytime anyone creates something that is used far and wide, they should receive retribution for it. Some people may be happy working for nothing, but I don't think there are many.

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  6. That is assuming that there are many great and usable ads created by people who never win...isn't it? My guess is that most of the people that will utilize a site like this are already posting to video sites for free. This seems to give them an opportunity for money. If they are any good at it, my guess is they will pick up some cash along the way...eventually. Something they aren't currently able to do through youtube and myspace. Non-winners still get a space for their creative posts (the same as if it sat on youtube for free! Seems ok

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  7. Seems like working for free implies that the company will gain more from the non-winning entries then the creators will. I can't, at this point see how that would be the case. Like the above poster says, most people are probably doing projects for fun...this may give them a chance at some money. If not they haven't really lost anything, and the advertisers can't use their work for free(I wouldn't think). Being that the people viewing the non-winning ads are other "creatives" it doesn't seem like they are of much promotional value to the company itself but rather to the creator who may just develop some "working relationships"....
    Thoughts?

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  8. I can see this from many angles, because there are many different types of people entering these CGM contests.

    You have the people who are just in it for the fun of it, to create something and share it. These are the YouTube community people. For them, I think it is great that they might be recognized for their work, paid or not.

    You then have the 'creatives' who are trying to get recognized as potential employees, or worthwhile advertising people. For these types, I think it is a good way to get exposure, but they are probably looking for some type of compensation, whether it be direct payment, business contacts or jobs.

    You also have other types entering, such as people who really love that particular brand and want to share it; people who just love entering contests and many many others. Overall, I do think this is a good platform in theory, but it won't last because the amount of usable, quality content will be far outweighed by the mass of mediocre and unusable entries.

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  9. I read an article in the NY Times with a similar hypothesis...but, I'm signed up to receive updates on this site in hopes that, for the amount of money "advertised", they'll have something figured out to assist the advertisers with the volumes of entries.
    My additional curiosity is whether the sheer cost advantage to the company in prize vs. ad-house expenses would make it worthwhile to them to hire some "screeners"? Seems like for a big advertiser there has to be a business model that could successfully take advantage of user generated content like this...
    Maybe these "changeadvertisingforever.com" guys have something in the works??

    I'll let you know if they send out anything to registered users...if you aren't signed up yourself.

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  10. Valid points, that sparked my brain to think that perhaps soon there will sprout up agencies that are solely devoted to CGM pieces. They could have screeners, site development, rules generators, etc.

    Those updates would be great, thanks.

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  11. I'm very interested in this subject, as I am a young indie filmmaker/videographer looking for some paying work.

    However, I'm new to this very interesting, but potentially flawed, concept and I'm wondering how secure they are?

    Is there a chance the advertisers could steal the ads for free? Because the website states that "YOU can earn as much as $50,000."

    Technically, that's anywhere from $0 - $50,000 right?

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  12. I've been following this company..."changeadvertisingforever.com" as best I can...they are still pre-launch, but it appears as though they are targeting higher pay-outs then much of the competition. The payouts will apparently be firm and announced from the beginning of each campaign (so you know what you are getting into)...we'll have to wait and see I suppose.

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  13. www.changeadvertisingforever.com now GeniusRocket.com is live now, and seems to be gaining traction. May be too soon to tell, but seems to be doing a nice job of providing legit work to creators, they have a couple new companies outside of their own "jobs" up already and are promising more soon. They also allow international participation which the other sites don't seem to allow.

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