Comments on: More thoughts on how planners and creatives create value (and how consumers cut themselves in on the action) http://cultureby.com/2009/08/more-thoughts-on-cocreation-how-consumers-cut-themselves-in-on-the-action.html This Blog Sits At the Intersection of Anthropology and Economics Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:43:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Grant McCracken http://cultureby.com/2009/08/more-thoughts-on-cocreation-how-consumers-cut-themselves-in-on-the-action.html/comment-page-1#comment-574 Grant McCracken Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:41:20 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=60#comment-574 Patrick, I like this idea a lot. The notion of cocreation kind of democratized what was once a special domain for the likes of us. Only we could venture out into the world and divine what the consumer was "really" thinking. Disintermediation. I hate it when that happens. Thanks again, Grant Patrick, I like this idea a lot. The notion of cocreation kind of democratized what was once a special domain for the likes of us. Only we could venture out into the world and divine what the consumer was “really” thinking. Disintermediation. I hate it when that happens. Thanks again, Grant

]]> By: Patrick Pearce http://cultureby.com/2009/08/more-thoughts-on-cocreation-how-consumers-cut-themselves-in-on-the-action.html/comment-page-1#comment-573 Patrick Pearce Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:10:12 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=60#comment-573 Co-creation in the well-created advertising sense would seem to involve a process of cognitive completion, wouldn't it? That is, the viewer/participant "gets" the ad, by filling in the blank, be it with "insider-like" or "selected group in the know-like" knowledge, humor, vocabulary, or way of looking at the world. "2nd degree" type ads which have been popular in many European countries for a long time now are a perfect example of this. Co-creation in the sense of passing on or talking about an online version of an ad or a viral video seems to me to be a very different beast. A more precise term for this might be "media co-creation" or that buzzword from the 90s "media synergy". Co-creation in the product or service experience sense is of course the ultimate kind, where the user personalizes the offering to his or her needs, tops their Cornflakes with yogurt-covered raisins, hangs their Air Jordans (or What the Dunks now) on the wall as a trophy, lists favourite bands and books on their myspace or Facebook pages. People used to call this "consumer-brand involvement". But you gotta admit, co-creation is a sexy word, one that works as a good handle for this sudden rush of consumer insights that used to be the realm of us strategic planner/brand consultant/creative types, but now is much more available for all those who are curious enough to dig, tap, twitter and blog. Co-creation in the well-created advertising sense would seem to involve a process of cognitive completion, wouldn’t it? That is, the viewer/participant “gets” the ad, by filling in the blank, be it with “insider-like” or “selected group in the know-like” knowledge, humor, vocabulary, or way of looking at the world. “2nd degree” type ads which have been popular in many European countries for a long time now are a perfect example of this.

Co-creation in the sense of passing on or talking about an online version of an ad or a viral video seems to me to be a very different beast. A more precise term for this might be “media co-creation” or that buzzword from the 90s “media synergy”.

Co-creation in the product or service experience sense is of course the ultimate kind, where the user personalizes the offering to his or her needs, tops their Cornflakes with yogurt-covered raisins, hangs their Air Jordans (or What the Dunks now) on the wall as a trophy, lists favourite bands and books on their myspace or Facebook pages. People used to call this “consumer-brand involvement”.

But you gotta admit, co-creation is a sexy word, one that works as a good handle for this sudden rush of consumer insights that used to be the realm of us strategic planner/brand consultant/creative types, but now is much more available for all those who are curious enough to dig, tap, twitter and blog.

]]> By: peter spear http://cultureby.com/2009/08/more-thoughts-on-cocreation-how-consumers-cut-themselves-in-on-the-action.html/comment-page-1#comment-572 peter spear Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:33:00 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=60#comment-572 what I love about the way that you describe co-creation is that it breaks it out from the designer box – which, many of your readers (or at least one) has indicated has come to represent the industry definition of the term. co-creation, so far as I understand it, is not a design function, that is – the empowering of the brand customer to create, with the brand in mind, a new product or service. This has always struck me as terrifically lazy way of thinking about the brand users role in the relationship (and most likely very profitable for those who engage in it). Brands, we can agree (according to the mandate that brands create meaning), are the property of the consumer, and, as such, co-creation is not limited to product experiences or innovations. This, for me, is what gets beautiful about your definition. A co-creative advertising moment is cooperative by having already acknowledged some insider truth, some relevant wink, some acute know-how – in order to even raise the eyebrows of the intended audience. Which leads me to think that maybe co-creation is both old and new. Old in that brands have always been the property of the consumer and new in the sense that only recently has it become so competitive that brands have been required to sport some cultural insidership that inspires the affection of a particular culture. what I love about the way that you describe co-creation is that it breaks it out from the designer box – which, many of your readers (or at least one) has indicated has come to represent the industry definition of the term. co-creation, so far as I understand it, is not a design function, that is – the empowering of the brand customer to create, with the brand in mind, a new product or service.

This has always struck me as terrifically lazy way of thinking about the brand users role in the relationship (and most likely very profitable for those who engage in it).

Brands, we can agree (according to the mandate that brands create meaning), are the property of the consumer, and, as such, co-creation is not limited to product experiences or innovations. This, for me, is what gets beautiful about your definition.

A co-creative advertising moment is cooperative by having already acknowledged some insider truth, some relevant wink, some acute know-how – in order to even raise the eyebrows of the intended audience.

Which leads me to think that maybe co-creation is both old and new. Old in that brands have always been the property of the consumer and new in the sense that only recently has it become so competitive that brands have been required to sport some cultural insidership that inspires the affection of a particular culture.

]]> By: Taylor Davidson http://cultureby.com/2009/08/more-thoughts-on-cocreation-how-consumers-cut-themselves-in-on-the-action.html/comment-page-1#comment-571 Taylor Davidson Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:02:15 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=60#comment-571 I struggle with the notion of consumers "co-creating" adverts through passing them on; perhaps the context where the idea applies are "adverts as experiences" or "adverts as value exchanges", where creatives can embed interactions into the advert, where interactions between people are the experiences, where people take their "fee" (compensation) as the respect / notoriety / etc. through the exchange. Is it possible to "co-create" an advert for a product/service without building co-creation into the product/service itself? I struggle with the notion of consumers “co-creating” adverts through passing them on; perhaps the context where the idea applies are “adverts as experiences” or “adverts as value exchanges”, where creatives can embed interactions into the advert, where interactions between people are the experiences, where people take their “fee” (compensation) as the respect / notoriety / etc. through the exchange.

Is it possible to “co-create” an advert for a product/service without building co-creation into the product/service itself?

]]> By: Andres B http://cultureby.com/2009/08/more-thoughts-on-cocreation-how-consumers-cut-themselves-in-on-the-action.html/comment-page-1#comment-570 Andres B Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:42:24 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=60#comment-570 Grant, I think your description fits better in the context/area of viral marketing, than in relation to co-creation (a term/concept I can't take seriously now because of wide misuse by buzzword mesiahs). Looking at the elements listed here: <a href="http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmt5/viral-principles.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmt5/viral-principles.htm</a> you can identify some traits you describe "I saw it first," "It makes me look good," "It's easy to insert myself in the process," etc. According to the linked post, a complete viral marketing strategy: 1) Gives away products or services 2) Provides for effortless transfer to others 3) Scales easily from small to very large 4) Exploits common motivations and behaviors 5) Utilizes existing communication networks 6) Takes advantage of others' resources Cheers from Mexico, your blog is always great mind-fertilizer :-) Grant, I think your description fits better in the context/area of viral marketing, than in relation to co-creation (a term/concept I can’t take seriously now because of wide misuse by buzzword mesiahs).
Looking at the elements listed here: http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmt5/viral-principles.htm you can identify some traits you describe “I saw it first,” “It makes me look good,” “It’s easy to insert myself in the process,” etc.
According to the linked post, a complete viral marketing strategy:
1) Gives away products or services
2) Provides for effortless transfer to others
3) Scales easily from small to very large
4) Exploits common motivations and behaviors
5) Utilizes existing communication networks
6) Takes advantage of others’ resources

Cheers from Mexico, your blog is always great mind-fertilizer :-)

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