The two faces of facebook.

AuthorBrandt, Kristin Sundin
PositionDigital Media

The growth in new media has been driven largely through the creation and distribution of consumer-generated content. Businesses looking to capitalize on this trend have begun to create promotions designed to engage consumers by encouraging and rewarding the creation of new content that enhances their brand.

In 2007, Dove introduced a new product, Dove Cream Oil Body Wash, through a contest asking real women to make the commercial they would like to see on television. Commercials from the 10 semifinalists were aired during highly watched television shows including "Good Morning America" and "Oprah," and the winning entry was unveiled during the 2007 Academy Awards. The campaign was so successful that Dove has rerun the contest with the newest winner aired during the 2008 award ceremony.

In 2006, early adopter UMB Bank N.A. (assets: $6.7 million), Kansas City. Mo., continued to lead financial institutions in the use of new media and consumer-generated content through its "My Ugly Room" contest, which centered on the site myuglyroom.com. Registered users uploaded photos of their ugly rooms, with other users given the opportunity to give the rooms the "thumbs down." Each week UMB gave $100 to a random winner from the top 10 ugliest rooms, and at the end of the contest, the top 10 rooms, as chosen by users of the site, were placed in a drawing for $10,000 to redecorate. According to bank managers, they also gave everyone a chance to redecorate with a little help from UMB (through a home equity line of credit or credit card). The bank also promoted the site in a number of ways, including redecorating some of the bank's lobbies with ugly furniture and signage. In an interview at the time with the Northwestern Financial Review, the chairman and CEO of UMB, Mariner Kemper, said "I like to think of this contest as UMB's version of HGTV; it seems like everyone has a place in their home they'd like to improve ... We're having some fun with an innovative marketing idea, getting people involved in the contest to submit their ugly rooms and also voting for the winner."

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Digital networks

Although it is commonly referred to as "social networking," I prefer to split the category of digital networking into two types--professional and social. Whatever you choose to call it, digital networking is defined as "focusing on the building and verifying of online social networks for communities of people who share interests and activities, or...

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