GE Seeks ‘Instagrapher’

By Bob Marshall 

2011: The year that “Instagrapher” became an actual job title at General Electric. I wonder what Jack Donaghy would think of this hip, social media-motivated development at the ol’ “General.”

From SF-based digital creative agency Mekanism comes the above video for GE’s “Be the Next Instagrapher” contest. It might seem a little odd at first for an old-timey brand like GE to create a contest based around hipsters’ favorite mobile photography app, but if you’ve ever seen GE’s Tumblr page, you already know that the General has been using Instagram and the social network to add a youthful, vibrant spin to its 120-year-old brand. After all, at 120, you’re not old, you’re “vintage.” And, don’t forget that GE was co-founded by the Steve Jobs of the late 19th century, Thomas Edison. (“Light bulbs were the original iPhones, bro.”)

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Anywho, the best photographer Instagrapher gets a ticket to the UK to photograph a “world-class jet engine facility.” Interested parties can submit photos based off of GE’s designated themes on Twitter using the hashtag #GEinspiredMe or by posting them on GE’s Facebook page. And, though this idea may seem a bit ludicrous to the skeptical eye, realize that GE is actually doing better at engaging with a social media audience than the vast majority of comparable megabrands. Don’t believe me? Just wait and see how many people actually participate in this contest.

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