Advertising 2.0

As an abstract idea, Web 2.0 is simple: there has been a change in the direction of traffic on the Information Superhighway. What used to be a top-down flow of communication on the Internet is now bottom-up. Downloading content has been replaced by uploading. Viewers are calling the shots when it comes to media content. Consumers are crafting advertising messages. The sun and moon have switched places. Snowflakes are falling up. Got it.

For those of us in the advertising community, however, Web 2.0 is much more than a simple abstraction. It is a living, breathing organism whose vital signs are visible throughout the vast media-scape. Here are some Web 2.0 Advertising success stories:

:: You make the ad: The Doritos story
Instead of spending millions on producing a Super Bowl commercial like everyone else, the folks at BBDO only spent $20,000 to sponsor a 'create your own Doritos ad’ competition among its consumers. The idea resulted in thousands of entries and a lot of buzz in the press including five minutes of airtime for free on the Today show. Not to mention a pretty good Super Bowl ad.


:: Dove: Spinning the “Word-of-Mouth” mill
Another great spot this year wasn’t even technically a TV commercial. It was the Dove “Evolution” viral video that showed a normal woman being transformed into a supermodel using both cosmetic and digital techniques. Instead of running on traditional TV, it ran on the “Word-of-Mouth” network – the Internet – letting the Web work its inter-connective magic.

:: Haägen Dazs and “Crowdsourcing”
The Haägen-Dazs site “Scoop” uses a Web 2.0 technique called “crowdsourcing” which relies on its users to help with research and development. The users not only generate the content of the web site, they generate the product itself.

:: Old Spice’s “Mashup”
Another interesting Web 2.0 tactic is the use of multiple sites to create content using a technique called “Mashup”. For the web, Old Spice merged with the web site College Humor to create a “Keep it Clean” contest. Visitors were asked to upload amusing pictures – of nature, architecture, accidental double entendres, etc – that look sexual in nature but, upon closer inspection, are completely innocuous.


:: Mini’s big idea
Web 2.0 insights can also be applied to outdoor. Mini came up with an outdoor idea that communicates with drivers via Radio Frequency Identification. The drivers opt into an email blast. After answering the email, a keychain with a FOB arrives in the mail. Now, whenever the driver goes by the outdoor board, the display will post personalized messages for the drivers as they pass.


Web 2.0 may have become an overused buzzword lately. That’s inevitable; all good ideas get abused in our culture. But good marketing works because it captures something true. Web 2.0 is on everyone’s tongue these days because its basic aim – to give a greater, more participatory role to the consumer – is creating a lot of new avenues of opportunity for consumers and advertisers alike. We would all be wise to master this new Web upgrade – and apply its insights.

Tom McManus
North American Creative Director
Cheil Communications New Jersey