Best Film: The Social Network
Crowdsourcing A Speedy and Cheap Path to Creativity
Aside from the fact many sessions at Cannes are simply veiled commercials for the brands and agencies that host them or an excuse to have a celebrity on the panel, Mofilm’s panel, Can Crowdsourcing Build Big Brands?, offered up a semi-amusing point from Jesse Eisenberg (Celebrity. Check) who likened ad agencies to Hollywood’s large, disparate and convoluted studio system and independent film making to Mofilm (celebrity endorsement?)
Nothing like slamming the infrastructure that forms the lion’s share of the Cannes Lions Festival. But, hey, Eisenberg is right. The Holy Trinity of Omnicon, Publicis and WPP are big, bloated and slow moving. Which is probably why all kinds of people are all over crowdsourcing, the topic Mofilm’s panel today.
Chevrolet and Mofilm announce an extension of their Route 66 program. They are taking it global and inviting filmmakers to submit films that speak to their experiences on the road. The winner will gave their commercial air in the 2012 Super Bowl.
During the session, Mofillm CCO David Alberts shared some of the work Mofilm has done with brands including Mountain Dew and Sovereign. The Sovereign example emanated from Cannes-themed contest that awarded the winner $8,000 and a trip to Cannes.
Chevy’s Paul Edwards spoke to the brand’s hook up with John Landau (Wait. We thought Hollywood was bloated and bad?) for the Route 66 promotion and its goal by saying Chevy wants people to explore the “freedom of the open road” when submitting films.
Here’s the issue we have with crowdsourcing. On the one hand, it’s a wonderful way to source creativity outside the confines of the advertising industry’s walls. On the other hand, we can’t help but feeling it’s a cop out; an excuse brands and agencies use when they don’t think they can come up with creative genius on their own. Oh and lets not forget paying for crowdsourced creative is but a fraction of what’s normally paid for creative work inside the system. So while brands and agencies may, in fact, be tapping into creative excellence, they sure aren’t paying for it.