AgVoice | Crowdsourcing and Visualization - Mantra for Digital Campaigns

Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp etc., may have started as means of exchanging text information but have gradually evolved into dynamic multi-media with intelligent use of Crowdsourcing and Visualization for content creation. In a world where people are increasingly sharing their personal lives on social media, marketers have started to use this consumer/audience behavior for smart marketing. In a traditional media, content is created by experts and edited by super experts. However, in the newer digital world, brands have awakened to the power of crowd. Today, content is created and developed by the crowd. For instance in a typical TV ad, the content is created by a team of experts and the crowd is only downloading and decoding that data whereas in a social media platform all the data floating is provided by the crowd whether it’s in terms of status updates or tweets or visuals.

Here is an example of a leading juice brand, Tropicana – the brand wanted to bring the message of not skipping breakfast to the attention of the busy working population. Instead of using the traditional outreach, the brand decided to use social media, and wanted to convey this in a humorous, subtle yet powerful manner and make it viral. So, the brand leveraged Twitter for its outreach activities, and effective promotion around #skippedbreakfastbecuase was launched.

In this campaign, the brand leveraged both crowdsourcing and visualization and these two elements helped in a huge success for the campaign. For the first time, 6 second vine videos were used effectively through pointed and quirky videos adding to the momentum and complemented by crowdsourcing content from enthusiasts, consumers etc. This leaded to a no. 1 global trending on twitter. Here, tweets become content and crowd becomes author and the role of a brand is that of a moderator or gatekeeper.

Similarly, crowdsourcing plays huge role where mass opinions are significant such as elections. In elections, while traditional media (Print & TV) continues to promote and showcase work done by political parties. The more interesting and important dialogue is happening on the social platform where the crowd voices out its opinions. In a democracy like ours, such digital surveys & dialogues provided by the crowd are very influential.

Talking about visualization, it’s important to go back to evolution of mankind and understanding human psyche and behavioural patterns. Wherever the two most important sensory organs are involved, i.e., ‘eyes and ears’ the impact is bound to be deeper. In the recent past, we witnessed the how the ecosystem relied on typing and texting evolving from Typewriters to Qwerty keypads.  In today’s scenario, it’s all about what you see. People are hooked on to technology which better presents data by use of infographics and visuals. It’s the era of touchscreens, LED, AMOLED, Super AMOLED, etc. Even if you analyze the trend on Facebook, you will realize the massive shift from posting text to more and more visuals. The recent hit among audiences the ‘Facebook movie’ – using pictures from user’s profile and even the success of Instagram are great examples. 

Another important factor is while working with data and big data sometimes even a slight misinterpretation or representation can prove fatal. So, leaving it on audiences to decode data can at times be misleading. By visualizing the same data and use of infographics one can be confident of having a clearer impact and possible word-of-mouth. 

In the digital ecosystem, marketers need to work on newer ways to simplify the message and be able to differentiate it in a cluttered web space. The key concerns here are – what will make your message stand out? Will it turn audiences into consumers and in turn consumers into loyal consumers? Marketers are now realizing that data visualization and infographics are potent tools of communicating complex data in a simple narrative form. Visualization has the ability to create a real environment in which a consumer can place himself/herself and is better able to make decisions.

In a challenging and complex environment, the sole idea is to present your message in an efficient manner. And there is no better mantra than ‘engagement’. The moment marketers involve crowd - give them a sense of ownership and create a one-on-one rapport with them, they turn them into friends of brands. Crowdsourcing and visualization are powerful tools that allow larger involvement and engagement. Clear messaging (visualization) and engaging content (crowdsourcing) are certainly going to take your marketing efforts to a next level and help in creating a winning digital campaign. | By Vinish Kathuria, Chief Operating Officer, Digital Quotient

About the writer:

A digital entrepreneur, Vinish is a visionary in the fields of Social, Mobile, and Video marketing as well as Cloud Computing. He comes with a rich experience of more than 20 years across the corporate worlds of USA & India having experience with companies including Ericsson, Microsoft & Infospace to name a few.

As the Chief Operating Officer of Digital Quotient, India’s pioneering social+mobile marketing firm, he is spearheading the emerging ecosystems of Mobile & Social marketing.

Vinish has a passion for new business ventures, prior to working with Digital Quotient, he was CEO of SolidGyan.com (a startup for online education) and President of Mobisoc Technology (a technology venture for Mobile Internet), besides advising companies in Government, Travel, Education and Entertainment sectors regarding development and usage of innovative mobile and digital solutions.

A firm believer in the role of digital technologies in helping drive a society’s evolution, he has been involved with development of novel & unique solutions that have added value for masses. Some of his works have received recognition from JDPowers & Associates, India Digital Awards, Forum Nokia, Manthan Awards and m-Governance awards.

He is also an angel investor, a member of Indian Angel Network and has invested in select exciting startup ventures in the India.

A graduate of IIT Delhi, Vinish pursued his MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and MS from Case Western Reserve University. Vinish loves to spread his digital knowledge and enjoys teaching –he has been a guest lecturer at ISB Hyderabad and MDI Gurgaon as well as key institutions in USA.

After living in USA for 15 years, Vinish relocated to Gurgaon, India in early 2007. An avid traveler, one will find Vinish spending his leisure time with his wife and two sons travelling to new and distant places meeting interesting people and exploring the local culture. He is also an ardent sports lover and voracious reader.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not reflect in any way of Adgully