The web has long been the impetus of crowd-sourced knowledge with luminaries like Clay Shirky talking about how online communities help use cognitive surplus and so ThinkIrish.ie has headed to social-networking sites to make the world’s first crowd-sourced ad.
Members of the public may have heard some hoopla about this on Today FM, where ThinkIrish.ie are running some promotional spots for the grass-roots project. The idea is that people go to their website, press the record button, read out the script and send the finished product with their email address all from within the site.
With those in the ad being sourced and auditioning entirely online through social media, the idea is to make the ad go viral through Facebook and Twitter with the aim of one collective voice encouraging the nation to switch €20 of their weekly grocery spend to Irish-made products to create more jobs and boost the economy.
Reduce unemployment aim
The manner in which the ad is recorded is meant to reflect the idea that Ireland as a whole nation can help reduce unemployment rates.
Campaign director Alan Graham said: “We’ve been getting a great reaction to our ambitious plans to blend the very traditional and popular media channel that is radio with the explosion that’s happening in the social media space.
“People may not be able to control NAMA or the collapse in property prices, but here’s something practical that consumers can actively participate in and start to make a difference.”
“We have very gratefully received support from Today FM who have also undertaken to run a number of promotional spots nationwide to raise awareness and encourage public participation in the recording phase of the commercial’s production,’ he added.
The social media commercial concept was conceived by the Dublin-based Bonfire agency and has been brought to life by Bonfire in Dublin. “Social-media platforms have given us the means to do this and to create a dialogue with consumers,” said Graham.
In two weeks’ time, a selection of the best auditions will be chosen and electronically cleaned up, plus professionally edited to produce the final version of the radio ad that will air nationally.
“The ThinkIrish.ie radio ad will have no fancy recording studios, no professional voice over artists – just the plain people of Ireland doing their bit and having their say in support of a stronger Irish economy,” Graham explained.
