Five Reasons H. J. Heinz Isn’t Happy

A New York Times article over the weekend, “The High Price of Creating Free Ads,” takes a look at the difficulty H. J. Heinz brand ketchup is having in getting quality work in a consumer-generated advertising (CGA) promotion on YouTube.

The current user-submitted video tagged “heinz” with the most views is this ode to ketchup‘s heavy dose of high fructose corn syrup.

After having a long weekend to think about it, I’d like to suggest some factors that might explain why Heinz is getting such low quality submissions for their expensive campaign.

Brand Loyalty: There is a certain amount of passion a product needs to inspire before it can be successful in the CGA market, and lets face it, Heinz Ketchup isn’t exactly a lifestyle brand. Think American Apparel, Starbucks, and the Toyota Prius. Has anyone ever declined to have ketchup with their fries because it wasn’t Heinz ketchup?

Too Many Contests: YouTube has an entire page devoted to featured contests. And while Heinz’ initial promotional spot for the campaign has over 800,000 views, so do a dozen other CGA and promotional campaigns on YouTube. Just launching a contest is money paid upfront, with no guarantee that you’ll be happy with the results.

Not Enough Incentive: While $57,000 and national broadcast exposure would seem to be a goldmine for your average YouTube user, considering how much work goes into creating a quality 30-second spot and how slim your chances of winning are, it’s really not that great. Plus, there’s a built-in disincentive — if your spot isn’t picked, you still lose the rights to your work. I’m sorry, but listing “Eternal Glory” as a one of the prizes for the winner isn’t going to cut it, even (or maybe especially) if intended ironically.

Creator Saturation: If there’s a filmmaker out there who hasn’t heard of YouTube, I’d be really, really surprised. And most of the best filmmakers working online are moving away from YouTube to services like Blip, Revver, Veoh, Vimeo and so on where they have more control over their work and revenue options. Real filmmakers want real jobs, not a shot at a prize in a promotional stunt.

Blowback: The online community is big, but it’s still dominated by a certain skepticism — note the power of Atheists on YouTube. As the “build your own Chevy ad” campaign proved, when there are serious questions about how safe and healthy your product is, you are basically giving a forum to your detractors.

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