This Year, Everyone Wants To Be Mentos

An excerpt from a Brandweek article.

 

The Marketing industry’s obsessions seem to change every two years or so.  In 2004, all you heard about was product placement and branded entertainment.  Now, the fixation du jour is user-generated content.

 

Though technically that’s the last big idea, much of the discussion at The Next Big Idea Conference in New York last week involved user-generated content. 

 

Karin Timpone, head of marketing at Yahoo! Media Group and a former Hollywood marketing maven, started out the day with some case studies involving a contest in which consumers were invited to send in clips of themselves dancing like Shakira to her song “Hips Don’t Lie” to get a chance to see the singer perform live.  Timpone credited the contest with vaulting the song back into the top 10. 

 

One goofy home video that made it on to Yahoo!s online video program included someone messing around with Twinkies.

 

While that was the only mention of Twinkies, many people referred to Mentos’ success after videos of people stuffing the candy into Diet Coke bottles to cause a small explosion benefited the former brands.  “Two years ago, who talked about Mentos?  Now, suddenly, they’re hot again.”

 

Okay so I’ve got a $25 gift certificate for the best home video of yourself and a play red rubber ball.  Challenge ends Oct. 30^th.

 

 

Kara Franey

4th & Goal

 

Look at more stuff.  Think about it harder.

 

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