How to Build Social Brands Using Crowdsourcing - 5 Campaigns to Learn From

Ideas and innovations are two important factors that fuel business growth and that is precisely why companies are constantly looking for ways and means to do new things.  The social media wave has engulfed companies, brands, products and services. Companies are no longer working towards building “successful brands" but are actively seeking to build “social brands”.  Not surprising when you consider that most consumers are now netizens who turn to the internet and social networks for information, entertainment and to establish connections with people and brands alike.

The power of social media lies in unlocking the potential of it’s many users and influencers and here’s how you can build social brands through the power of the crowd…by unleashing the power of crowdsourcing on social media just like these brands did…

Design Development

While the snack brand, Kurkure is known for its funny advertisements featuring Bollywood actor and producer, Juhi Chawla and her antics never fail to bring a smile to your face. It is now in the news for running a campaign that aims at encouraging creative people to get involved in designing a Diwali gift box.   The crowdsourcing campaign that Kurkure is running through Talenthouse India is open to illustrators, graphic designers or even you and me (basically anyone with a creative idea) to design their Diwali gift box for this year.

The perks of this campaign being: a design created in the process will reach lakhs of families this Diwali, the winning designer will receive Rs. 1 lakh cash incentive and the highest voted design will receive a reward of Rs. 25,000!  On the company side…it will have engaged a large audience, involved people in design and gained access to a great gift box design at a fraction of the cost that it would have otherwise incurred.

A Community Song

When HP India Facebook page crossed the 100,000 fans mark  they decided it was time to take “social brand” to a new level and launched one of the most creative crowdsourced Facebook campaigns to create “Rise Up” HP’s Community Song.  In a landmark of sorts, the campaign which sourced the lyrics, music and video of the community song HP created Rise up’ the first-ever crowdsourced song from a Facebook community!

Recruitment

If you are looking to hire the best talent around, try social media to tap in to the world’s biggest talent pool.  At least that’s what Indian TV channel FOX Traveler did when they were looking for a host for their new show, Freaky Traveller Hunt. 

From August to September 2011, FOX Traveler used an interactive app to appeal to fans to participate in the campaign.  Aimed at young and adventurous job seekers, travel aficionados, freaks and anyone who game the app was asked people to submit their applications and upload their craziest pictures and videos. Unique in format and appeal this campaign was one of the campaigns by Facebook Studio.

Logo Design and Redesign

Logos and brand names are the first point of call between customers and the companies behind them.  This is probably why logo design and even for that matter redesign is no longer the domain of designers and illustrators.  Powered by social media and interactive apps, anyone with a creative bent of mind can get involved in the process.

Logo designing is no more an assignment for a few intelligent minds, now brands want people to design for them. Vijay Sales, a name that is synonymous with exciting deals in electronic goods, roped in its fans to design a new logo in May 2012. It designed a Facebook app, “The Big Hunt” for the contest and invited Facebook fans to share their ideas on logo design.

Earlier in 2012 Micromax together with Talenthouse ran a contest for logo redesign.  The contest ran on the Talenthouse website and on the Micromax Facebook page through the tab ‘Logo Redesign Contest’.

Product Design

An India centric, Bangalore based startup, Chumbak ran a crowdsourcing campaign in tune with its core values…funny, trendy and very Indian.  “The Things Indians Say” was a crowdsourcing campaign whereby Chumbak encouraged people to submit typically Indian statements which they further developed in to a range of products.

The things Indians say threw up responses like…Yellow Yellow Dirty Fellow, Red Red Susu in the Bed, Enthu Cutlet, Swalpa Adjust maadi, Jugaad, Tashan and a million other things.  These were later emblazoned on a range of Chumbak products like tins, posters, notebooks and coffee mugs.

Chumbak collaborated with Samosapedia to re-invent their brand through this crowdsourcing campaign.  They also went on to launch their products with ">this funny video on YouTube.

Be it logos, designs, songs, recruitment, product Ideas or product launches crowdsourcing campaigns open up huge possibilities for brands.  While the untapped potential is immense working to build “social brands” through crowdsourcing on social media platforms will yield results only if your ideas are original.  Doing the same thing might be just too jaded an approach.  So craft an original and innovative crowdsourcing campaign to stand out in the crowd of brands clamoring for attention on the social media platform.