Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/books Saylor.org
9.3 The Bigger Picture
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Understand how crowdsourcing may impact the bigger picture of eMarketing.
- Understand the role of the amateur in crowdsourcing.
- Understand the concept of the wisdom of the crowd.
- Learn how a new agency model may be needed.
The concept of crowdsourcing has had an enormous impact on the marketing and advertising
industry, and its repercussions are not fully realized yet.
The Internet can be seen as a catalyst as well as an enabler that propelled crowdsourcing to the fore.
In the past we had to be together physically to create crowds. Now with technology, crowds can be
well connected although geographically distant. A savvy organization can tap a wider range of talent
and knowledge than that present within its own resources. And once more, crowdsourcing, as Jeff
Howe states in his book by the same name, is now “faster, cheaper, smarter, easier.” [1]
Crowds can also contribute in many ways based on a range of skill levels. Everyone from professional
engineers to stay-at-home moms can be working on the same communications problem, for example,
and each has the opportunity to come up with the best solution to the problem.
For clients, solutions to problems can be explored at a relatively low cost and often very quickly.
Unlike traditional agency models where an individual is paid per hour, crowdsourcing permits a
client to pay a single cost for an exponential amount of solutions. Ultimately a client only pays for the
solutions it makes use of, while those in the community who are not paid usually retain their
intellectual property. This is the case with Idea Bounty.
By listening to the crowd and requesting their contributions, organizations can gain first-hand
insight into their customers’ needs and desires and build products and services that meet those
needs and desires.
