Session: Participation and Authenticity (The New Prosumer and User-Generated Content)

Session Leader: Steve Portigal

PDF link to Steve's Talking Points

Three Themes

1) Participation

2) Marketing Back to Us

3) Authenticity

1) Participation

• previously there existed a huge gap before between producers and consumers

• now there are interesting links between the two

• internet enables the blurring of the lines between producers/professionals and consumers

• content now no longer in the realm only of producers

• enabled by technology or motivation

• cited examples of Adult Swim show parodying heavy metal band Dethklok

• creating + realizing directly on the web

• examples of participation

2) Marketing Back To Us

• cited examples of notion of participation is now being marketed

3) Authenticity

• question - what is authentic?

• BzzAgent has generated strong negative reaction regarding strong evangelists within social networks

• questions and discusssion around undercover or stealth marketing

• eg. sony ericsson – hired attractive people in bars to generate buzz around the exchanges by using the products.

• lonelygirl15 – you tube series

• subservient chicken – burger king

• question - why would someone trying to market zima to us in a bar bother us so much? feel stupid, wasted your time

• lack of authenticity, people being paid to market irritates people

• now people have to filter through interactions to think about what is authentic

• innate ability for people to ferret out bs

More Questions

• What's the right voice?

• Is there an ethical issue?

• Honesty?

• Or does it not matter to get the buzz?

• Is it different for different products?

• Implications for products or emssages

• What happens when companies let go and let people participate off message,

or should companies try to participate and control the message(s)?

• How do you measure all these different things?

• Are there metrics?

• What are the core drivers?

• How do you change from being a producer?

Nancy Tubbs – challenged assumptions that we're producing more today.

Lots of discussion around this.

Responses include:

• it's more about delivery – not you can broadcast

• Easier to share now,

• kids are comfortable with sharing

• identity development is important here (Mike Prince)

Miscellaneous Comments/Questions

• speed of the feedback loop

• commentary instanteanesouly

• backlash to all the user generated content

• it's a given that content is being shared

• create community - is it the same as the third party?

• what voice does the manufacturer use to touch the customer?

• innate ability for people to feret out bs

• the internet is becoming bs – more and more junk there

• why does disingeniuty bother us - because they don’t have your interst in mind

• companies following blogs – commenting to change content

• financial interests of bloggers – Michale Arrington example, interest alignment

• older people fall for ads – whereas kids are more savvy

• when does someone have an agenda that I don't know about and when do they don't

• how do you get the word out, in the quickest amount of time

• consumers want access to cool products", would rather get a few enthusiasts to market

• people just want to know what's advertising – Arrington is good about this

• self-policing is going on – people freak out if their comments are being deleted – flame wars will erupt

• interesting how the concept of friend changes

• shifting norms in mediated interactions as tech changes

• what's appropriate commenting behavior – what do you say about Zima?

• there is a backlash – losing channel of who to touch

Main Participants

Steve Portigal

Eliel Johnson

Peter Kazanjy

Paul Martino

Nancy Tubbs

Virginia Glaenzer – BuzzBee

Natalie Quizon

Lauren Blankenship

Evelyn Rodriguez

Anu Nigam