At one point or another, everyone thinks they have a brilliant advertising idea. The problem is that it's impossible to get that idea to the right ears. Now a new website will act as the middleman between companies looking for fresh ideas and would-be advertisers.
Per Hoffman started Adcandy so the public could contribute their original advertising ideas and possibly even see them used to sell their favorite products. "People want to participate in all forms of culture, so why not commercials, for better or for worse?" said Hoffman.
In exchange for their advertising slogans, catch phrases or campaign ideas, participants could win cash prizes from $50 to $500 and the bragging rights of seeing their ideas used to sell anything from Coke to Levi's jeans. The prizes aren't much right now, but Hoffman hopes to increase the rewards as Adcandy takes off, maybe even to a more standard percentage system.
Typically ad agencies get paid based on a percentage of the media buy. The more frequently an ad runs, the more money the agency makes. While Adcandy has a different model, Carrie McLaren of Stay Free magazine says, "It's safe to say that $50 for a winning idea would be comparable to sweatshop labor in the advertising world."
Most participants aren't interested in the prizes right now, but really want the chance to contribute their original ideas. "The average Joe has a hard time penetrating the advertising environment with one idea and no background," said Apryl Duncan, advertising guide for About.com. With Adcandy everyone has the opportunity to have their ideas picked up.
The freedom to participate has some people comparing Adcandy's new ad medium to open-source programming. "People are participating out of the love of doing it, not necessarily for professional reasons," said Hoffman, who was a musician before he started Adcandy.
The contributions that come to Adcandy aren't labor-intensive, but spring from a moment of inspiration. In its text-messaging slogan contest, entries included: "U had me at : )" and "Let your fingers do the talking." Other contests asked participants to name a new MP3 player, with submissions like "Audacity" or "LoudMouth."
Online open-source advertising is quickly becoming a new method to reach consumers. Just one year ago a viral-marketing campaign for iPods swept across the web, and advertising experts think more will follow.
"If only a few companies start accepting ideas outside of the norm, others would notice and soon follow," said Duncan.
Adcandy currently has only two companies signed on to accept advertising ideas from participants, but the site is soliciting slogans and catch phrases for all kinds of products.
Hoffman hopes this guerrilla effort to create slogans and catch phrases will attract more companies, even if they join Adcandy only to get insight into what their customers think of their products.
"Regardless of if they come up with good slogans, they are going to interact with the advertisements; it's more resonant and creates more buzz," said Hoffman.
