2014: GoPro grabs user-generated content by the horns
To celebrate the Ad Club of New York's 120th anniversary, The Drum is inviting readers to share their favorite marketing moments from the past 120 years.
Gopro
Today’s marketing moment was chosen by Ian Clazie, co-founder and chief creative officer of San Francisco-based marketing agency Ready State. Below, find out why GoPro’s use of user-generated content in its content marketing efforts is one of his favorite marketing moments.
The view from deep inside an endlessly barreling wave is something few had seen before GoPro launched its content-marketing effort.
There was a time when the brand was gaining recognition but wasn't yet pervasive. The company made some key moves and inspired users to post their best footage online. Social posts with #gopro were easily picked up by the company's marketing team for curation and promotion. Amateurs could become stars overnight.
Mixed in with the amateurs were sponsored pros capturing some of the greatest footage from big wave surfing to skiing off cliffs. And to remind people their product isn't just for outdoor adventure, a slow-motion baby flew through the air in a Super Bowl ad to dub step music.
GoPro's products are tools for creating content. In realizing this and bringing to life an explosively entertaining content community, they raised the user-generated content bar very high. This helped paved the way for today’s movement toward brands delivering experiences instead of just messages.
See the full 120 Marketing Moments in the dedicated online section and find out how to purchase the exclusive book.