YouTube video contests are nothing new (GOP, SHP, JCP). And they seem to work. Do consumers know they're stumping for the corporate man? Sure. Do they care? Maybe. But Americans' desire to get famous always trumps any other emotion, rational thought. Sprint is putting a new twist on the familiar corporate YouTube fest by asking its audience to make family or summer videos and to insert a Sprint Instinct phone into the vids as product placement. This is so meta that I'm not sure if I'm thinking my thoughts on it or if I'm thinking about thinking about them.
The advertising industry is systematically breaking down every possible level of trust in this country, and it's not just about the trust between consumer and corporation. Soon, consumers will begin to find out that there are people on the street—usually good-looking, young and overly friendly—who are paid to shill for products. Next up is a YouTube video contest asking consumers to take vids of this undercover stumping.
For now, we have this Sprint Instinct contest. This promotion is so backwards to me. It used to be that an innovative and daring advertiser would put its brand into the hands of the consumer and ask them to create something to compete against other consumers who had done the same. When people are encouraged to be creative and given an incentive to do so, it doesn't matter to me that it's Converse or anyone else. In this instance, the advertiser and agency (Goodby, Silverstein & Partners) have gotten supremely lazy and are asking their audience to create "art"—but don't forget your friend the corporate sponsor in the form of a product placement. The cynicism kinda hurts my head. I hear this contest was the inspiration for the Wachowski Bros. when they made Speed Racer.
That being said, almost nothing seems to be able to stop Americans from parading in front of cameras. Maybe the one thing that can get us moving more than the prospect of fame is the prospect of a good deal. So, will the promotion work? The "cheap" iPhone is $199 and the Instinct is $129. You tell me. Via.