User Generated Content: If you build it, will they come . . . or do you need to first ‘prime the pump’?
Has anyone had the privilege displeasure of using an antique water hand pump?
To start the water flowing, you must first ‘prime the pump’. You need to ‘put something in before you can get anything out’.
Based on the laws of physics you must create suction. It can take a considerable amount of effort initially to begin the flow of water. But the payoff is that once the water is flowing it only takes a gentle pumping motion to keep the water flowing.
9 INCH AXIOM – User Generated Content
“In order to get something going with user generated content, you must first put effort in to prime the pump”
Case Study: ‘TASTE THE MADNESS’
This past year Coke Zero encouraged fans to upload “their most animated and fanatical videos and photos” supporting their favorite NCAA college basketball team. The contest was called ‘Taste the Madness’. Over 1,000 videos were uploaded during the short contest period. How did they drive such a high number?
The answer lies in the grassroots outreach they did in preparation for launching the contest. According to Mediapost:
The brand is promoting awareness of the contest and the site by having a group of students known as school spirit leaders whose teams are in the NCAA post their own videos and photos on tastethemadness.com. The first two vignettes in the series featured Duke University’s “Cameron Crazies” and the University of Kansas’ “Rock Chalk, Jayhawk” chant.
Credit to the folks at Coke Zero and their agencies on leveraging the NCAA sponsorship and building a strong integrated platform. They understood the importance of ‘priming the pump’.
Today’s Lagniappe (a little something extra) – A video and some trivia
A video on ‘priming the pump’ of life from the legendary motivational speaker Zig Ziglar
Some trivia on Zig Ziglar – what is Zig’s real first name? The answer is in the first comment.
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The goal of marketing is to capture the mind and ultimately conquer the heart of your target audience.
The aim of 9 INCH MARKETING is to examine that journey. We'll explore 'how to' bridge the gap between traditional and social media by taking a sensory approach to integrated marketing.
Zig’s real first name is Hilary. He made the change in 1970 when he pursued a career as a full time motivational speaker.
Zig Ziglar’s parents named him Ziglar Ziglar after Bobby Kennedy’s assasination by Sirhan Sirhan.
Actually, his real first name WAS Hilary; he FIRST changed it in 1969 to Mary, but that didn’t work either, so THEN he changed it to Zig in 1970. Happy to help.
Stan,
You are dead on with priming the pump. Major campaigns usually start with large grassroots efforts that build audiences as they take hold. This applies not only to brands, but in local and national politics as well. Local ordinances, rezoning efforts, school referendums all need grassroots support to come to fruition. This is why the New Hampshire primary has always been so important in presidential politics. If a presidential candidate cannot connect with residents on a local house-by-house basis in New Hampshire, then how will he or she relate to the country at large? Priming the pump is where it starts.
Thanks Ryan. That was a great campaign by Taylor.