Who Would Want to Do an Ad for Heinz Anyway?

Posted by: Heather Green on May 26

Sometimes the NYTimes see so off track in its very earnest voice. Case in point today was their story on online videos that brands ask people to make and send in. There is this thread about how, shock, it’s not cheaper to do this than to do a standard ad. Well, it’s an entirely different process and it takes different costs, so no, that’s not so shocking to me. And making ads on the cheap isn’t the point. The point is interacting with people.

But asking folks to participate doesn’t always work. And that’s the real problem. All these companies jumped in thinking that no matter what they are, or make or do, people will be inspired to make videos that fit what the company thinks it represents.

First, you don’t get to control what people say, beyond whether it’s libelous or pornographic or whatever. Second, this won’t work for everyone because you dont have a feeling about every thing or company out there. For example, I doubt that people have a real feeling for Heinz, the example in the story. Little wonder they got stuff that’s all over the map. Apple or Converse, though, people have real affinities to those brands and can express what they feel.

TrackBack URL for this entry: http://blogs.businessweek.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/