Wendy's Real Time Site

There are some interesting campaigns based around the voice of the consumer.  We first saw this with Skittles and now with Wendy’s.

The idea is to pull together user generated content that is popping up on Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, etc. onto the Wendy’s web site.  The display is a random cascade of user generated posts, pictures, and videos.  It seems to me that there is a potentially engaging concept here but I haven’t seen an execution that lives up to the concept.

It’s interesting to see how we could have gotten here by looking at the history of interactive marketing.  We first mimicked traditional mediums by broadcasting a unidirectional message.  Then over the last 3 years or so we all started to delve into multidirectional conversations with the consumer.  Now it appears the pendulum has swung all the way to unidirectional but the message is coming from the consumer.    I’m not sure that this is anything more than a gimmick but like I said, maybe there is something worth looking into.

Thoughts:

• The Wendy’s and Skittles execution lack a purpose.  I get it but why would I get engaged.  And what is the connection to the product?
• There is potential here.  Especially around the idea that you can reward your brand’s fan base by showcasing their posts.  Hence enticing them to post more.  But this can also quickly backfire as mischief makers start learn how to game the system.
• An execution of this nature needs a purpose.  It may work better if linked to a cause or movement.  Combining your brand with a cause ,such as Breast Cancer Awareness, than wrapping that into a platform for consumers to share with each other will build engagement much better than these stand alone concepts.

How do you think this concept can be executed in a meaningful integrated campaign?