Will a contest get you a new audience? Or just Joel?

I met "professional contest winner" Joel Moss Levinson at the iCitizen conference in Columbus earlier this year. He's a nice guy with boundless energy and a great story, but he's also a bit of a cautionary tale for marketers.

But before I get into all that, check out his new video, "Bleep for Free," which was (of course) made for a video contest for Proctor & Gamble.

This is just one of many songs and videos Joel's made over the years. It's a commitment that has landed him tons of prizes, including $100,000 from a Klondike Bar contest.

There's no doubt that Joel is a faithful ambassador to all the brands that have given him swag. Here's a sample from a recent blog post:

"My favorite brand of super-low-priced wine is the wine that send me to Australia, Little Penguin. My all time favorite snack is the one that is currently paying off my credit card debts and tastes great in the summer, Klondike bars. When I want something healthy to eat while I’m hiking, I turn to the only granola bar that is sending me to Antarctica, Nature Valley."

While that's great that these brands have won over Joel with fabulous prizes, does it really say anything about how these companies have been boosted with people beyond Joel?

There's a lot to be said for contests and marketing campaigns that encourage people to create their own content, but I've always been wary of embracing this consumer-generated approach.

Offer too little incentive, and you end up with a half-ass collection of "submitted videos" that your staff probably made anyway. Offer a big prize, and you end up getting targeted by pros like Joel, who are bound to spend more time, energy and talent on the contest than your mainstream consumer.

Joel himself kinda argues against the contest approach with his own philosophy on brand loyalty (from the same blog entry linked above):

“Give me shit for free, and I’ll use  your brand.” That’s basically it. For example, there’s good and bad shaving cream, but I will tend towards the free shaving cream over both. And guess what, no matter how good your brand is, I will probably give up on it as soon as someone else gives me better shaving cream.

That isn't really a brand-loyalty model that capitalists can embrace. Companies are in a daily struggle to prove that their products are worth their price. If that price is zero, you haven't accomplished a whole lot.

Again, I applaud Joel's initiative and creativity. He's clearly earned everything he's won. I just wonder if his very success may end up discouraging other companies from holding big-ticket contests of their own.

Hat tip to the always tapped-in Joe Niedecken.

Comments

[Andrea HIll]

Joel IS an iCitizen, that's for sure! I love that his personal brand is so strong that he can have 988 members in his "Yes, Joel, I'll vote for your newest stupid contest" facebook group.

Yes, he's doing well for himself, but he is also doing a good job at promoting the companies. As a member of his group, I hear about all these crazy companies and their promotions. The promotions aren't just rewarding a brand loyalist (which Joel arguably isn't), but it does help raise awareness of the brand.

[David Griner]

Good points, Andrea.

I still have a lot of reservations about contests. If the goal is to attract creative people to get excited about the brand, how will they feel about the brand if they lose?

And when someone does win, why should anyone other than that person care? If I had to pick between a contest and a charity concept where the company benefits the greater good, I think I'd always favor the charity.

[Cindy L.]

I don't think the sole purpose of contests is to excite the contestants. I think that what Joel is able to do is motivate others to check out websites they otherwise may not, in order to see what kind of video he has made. As a fan of Joel's, I think I am more inclined to think about buying something from Klondike or Nature Valley because I spent so much time on their websites while voting for him. Most of the time, I did my daily vote and went on my way. There were other times, however, where I'd poke around the website to learn something new. I think companies should love Joel for participating because of the traffic he brings with him.

[Rebecca Cullers]

Some people just adore contests. I’m not sure why, but I’ve seen people come in and get all excited about it. It gets them talking about the brand even when there’s no follow through and they never intend to answer. I admit, I enjoy checking out the winner’s tapes.
I’ll also admit I’m going to that Proctor and Gamble website right now. Free stuff ahoy!