Jeff Howe is a journalist (Wired) and author who wrote the book on crowdsourcing. “The Rise of Crowdsourcing” came out in 2006 and lead the way for a number of innovative shops to enter the advertising business. Today we’ll speak with Howe about the practice, where it’s come since 2006 and where it’s headed. Check out Howe’s blog here. He’s also working on a project called “One Book, One Twitter” which we discussed on the program.
Another topic: agencies and creatives losing business thanks to the practice. “I have no sympathy for creatives,” said Howe. Update: “i do have sympathy, but that my sympathy [doesn’t] affect underlying economics.” Crowdsourcing is creating an equilibrium for the cost of creative, while leaving quality in tact.
Photographers and journalists alike have suffered from crowdsourcing, though calling it that is a new phenomenon. It’s become a system for tipping the scale away from high-cost creative, back toward lesser-known-but-still-talented people who can also get the job done.
Howe is skeptical whether or not a full scale campaign can be executed with the crowd. We’ll have to see how Victors & Spoils do, he said. Indeed we will. The advertising portion of this interview begins at the 10 minute mark.
Also be sure to check out the trailer for his book. Tilt-shift!
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