Ad companies are increasingly trying to harness the potential of viral video and user generated content, but Proctor and Gamble is going right past their creatives and crowdsourcing their next campaign. Fans of Emeril Lagasse might be sad to learn that the television chef's trade mark phrase, "Bam!", will no longer be the tagline for Crest products, because Procter & Gamble is hoping YouTube fans will come up with their next campaign slogan.
Starting September 15, individuals can submit videos with their suggestion for the brand's new slogan, in 10 words or less.
The potential for large groups generating quality content is something that all media types are trying to harness these days. Reacting to The Philadelphia Inquirer's decision to put all of its content in print before letting it appear online, David Carr wrote just yesterday:
With user generated content on sites like Twitter and Amazon becoming useful ways to aggregate information, relying on the wisdom of crowds is increasingly popular. But the tactic is dependent on sifting through masses of information — and the quality of the content.
In the case of the Crest campaign, its success depends on the pool who register submissions. But in this case, it shouldn't be too hard. With all the powers of the Internet combined, there's gotta be someone who can come up with something wittier than "Bam!"
