Joel Warady

Retail TouchPoints: JC Penney, Forever 21 'Haul' In User-Generated Videos For Back to School Promos

August 3, 2010

FROM RETAILWIRE:
In an age where consumer-generated content reigns, tech-savvy consumers have found a new way to support their shopping habits -- by broadcasting their latest finds on YouTube for the social sphere to see. The videos, known as "hauls," have made an impressive impact on YouTube. What do you think of the "hauling" trend around user-generated videos?      [more...]

There is no question that Consumer Generated Media (CGM) is all the rage. Retailers and brand owners encourage their consumers to create videos about products, services, and their own experiences with the brand. But like any new "fad," this will get boring over time, it will be overused, and eventually people will turn off to it.

Additionally, as companies start to pay for these videos, or offer some other type of compensation in the form of gift certificates or products, the videos become less and less genuine, and the messages become less real.

It is great to have people evangelize about your business, but it is only meaningful if it is genuine, and transparent. Otherwise it will serve no purpose, and in fact can ultimately harm the reputation of the company.