Comments on: Too Many Rules Around UGC Won’t Get You Much UGC

By: Woody

Woody — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:30:59 +0000

Is a great promotional tool but you need to ask if its right for the company…certainly its not right for all.

By: Peter K

Peter K — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:57:30 +0000

Tough Rules:
1. Portrait
2. Outdoors
3. Person must be wearing a Burberry coat
4. Both person in photograph and photographer must consent
Are those really tough rules?!

By: Lex Dauphin

Lex Dauphin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:53:18 +0000

Sarah, a really interesting blog. I’m a huge Burberry fan and the art of the trench website – have spent loads of time on it and agree with what Lori said about the rigid rules upholding the brand’s integrity.
I was however interested in seeing UGC and their quality so have kept going back. Have to admit if you click on ‘view latest’ you’ll see lots of photos that have gone up since the site launched and i’m really impressed with the quality so maybe it is working. Am going to upload my own this weekend and will let you know.
Overall, i agree the UGC story can get old quickly, so will be interested to see how they move forward with more collaborations as they mention in their about section, but have to admit think it’s just brilliant brand work.

By: Lori Laurent Smith

Lori Laurent Smith — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:57:55 +0000

As a diehard Burberry addict, this site is an expression of what I love about the brand. It IS the the rigid rules that uphold the brand’s integrity.
People like me (brandvocates) are excited that the brand would be willing to let me participate in a living document like this site. And, if my image is selected, I’d be the first on FB connect, sharing it with my social footprint.
From a business perspective, consider the ‘walled’ communities vs those that let everyone in. It’s the former that survive, not the latter. Club Penguin, a site known for their rigid rules, was v. popular with parents for that very reason. And the Penguin just sold to Disney for $350 million after only 2 years in existence.
Another example – Facebook vs MySpace. The former, with its ‘walled garden approach’ is valued in the billions and the latter, where everyone can freely express themselves, is struggling to keep its network intact.
Back to Burberry — I agree with Jonathan that Scott’s iconic imagery captures the essence of Burberry which also helps fans want to participate in the exercise. Click on any of the images and you’ll already see hundreds of likes an comments already bubbling for each photo and the site is only a couple of weeks old.

By: Jonathan Cohen

Jonathan Cohen — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:57:35 +0000

I’m not sure whether that the site is an effective means of generating UGC, but I have to hand it to the Sartorialist; he is a helluva photographer. And the site has received quite a bit of buzz in the webosphere, perhaps incited by the NY Times article.
I have to hand it to Scott and his photography. I love it. Interestingly, his work for Burberry is waaaaay better than the canned ad work he shot for DKNY with the forced styling.

By: Tom Kasperski

Tom Kasperski — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:47:22 +0000

Marketing activities based on UGC are a tough nut, especially if you’re expecting good content. I wrote a series on UGC here: http://koolaidantidote.wordpress.com/category/consumer-generated-content/
The primary obstacles for Burberry is a) their desire for visual content and b) there isn’t a compelling reason to post. Good visual content requires a high degree talent, experience, desire…and time – something 99.9% of us don’t have. And even if I did, what’s fun about shooting Burberry products?

By: Sarah Jo Sautter

Sarah Jo Sautter — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:22:17 +0000

Craig and Bud: You both make valid points. I go, I visit, I MAY leave a comment. Then I never return. What’s bringing me back, keeping me engaged?
Bud, you’re right in that they’ve made the mistake of implementing with no strategy or long-term plans. Both are crucial to social success.
.Sarah Jo

By: Bud Caddell

Bud Caddell — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:54:18 +0000

I think the majority of people that saw the site last week and shared it didn’t look close enough to realize it was asking for UGC (myself included).
The more pressing question to me is, what’s the motivation for people to actually do the work here?
This just seems like another digital tactic hanging out in the wind with no strategy.

By: Craig Ritchie

Craig Ritchie — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:33:47 +0000

And yet, too many of these types of campaigns worry too much about the masses, with Marketing types opting to allow consumers to upload not only photos, for example, but also video… or just and email… or just a tweet… too few guidelines which leads to no relevant participation.
I think Burberry makes the classic mistake of asking for something from their community before giving anything away. Moreover, they have no community manager here, or brand personification. In social media, the brand comes first, then who represents the brand, then comes the magic.