Seattle, March 13, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Creativity is lacking in today’s traditional advertising, according to respondents of a recent survey by Zooppa, the world’s leading source of user-generated advertising. Responses overwhelmingly underscored the continued shift towards integration of more interactive marketing tactics that directly involve fans and customers.
The Zooppa community, consisting of more than 135,000 videomakers, graphic designers, animators, and other creative professionals, also answered that they participate in content crowdsourcing primarily for the creativity (84%) and the fun (37%), with only 21% in it for the money.
"Interactivity is lacking in today’s advertising," said Los Angeles director and FX supervisor, David Wilson.
Wilson, a member of Zooppa’s online community, sees ads "built with an entertaining and compelling story" as the centerpiece of the next generation of marketing. Concerning co-creation through branded contests, he says, "Those who use/buy the product know it best." When invited to create ads, users "will be doing so with a personal flair or intuition about the product -- that intangible link between the consumer and brand."
"The results of the survey are a true representation of our community, which is known for its creativity in terms of both content and delivery," said Wil Merritt, CEO, Zooppa. "That creativity, along with passion for the brands we work with and a fresh, authentic customer voice combine to make our community incredibly effective for our brand and agency partners."
Beyond the lack of creativity, rounding out the three top answers to the question: "What is missing from today’s advertising that video contests fulfill?" was a lack of customer voice (34%) and authenticity (27%).
The Zooppa community also, by a wide margin (67% to 26%), believes that crowdsourced advertising complements traditional advertising rather than competes with it.
User-generated content, mobile applications, and other marketing strategies that place brands directly into the hands of consumers were also among the most top responses to questions about 2012 advertising trends. The overall sentiment of the survey reflects the prevailing movement in the industry away from disruptive ad content, and towards a value-adding, socially-engaged dialogue.
About Zooppa
Zooppa is the world’s leading source of user-generated advertising. With a creative community of over 135,000 members, Zooppa has worked with global brands including Google, Samsung, AT&T, and Nike and agencies including BBDO, MindShare and Razorfish to produce fresh and fun creative ads. Beyond content, Zooppa’s innovative model of social crowdsourcing offers brands and agencies a cost-effective, strategic approach to engage consumers, build online word-of-mouth and gain customer insights.