Making things better and making better things

Nick Coates, chair of the Big Brands Co-Creation showcase, kicked off his session with the warning that ‘if you think co-creation is going to go away, you can think again.’

It’s true that the practice of getting consumers and brands together in a bid to solve and create has moved from the fringe to the mainstream. Phillip McNaughton from Face seemed to sum up the state of co-creation saying, “it’s not a new idea but it is a now idea”. He then swiftly added, “But that doesn’t mean it’s a fad. We are tapping into a more participatory culture.”

Three case studies from Face and Coca-Cola, Hyve and Beiersdorf, and Sense Worldwide and Discovery Networks, whilst not explosively detailed, did go some way to prove that high-profile brands are profiting from this technique.

Face and Coca-Cola outlined a project where the fizzy drinks manufacturer worked with older teens to build ideas together. German co-creation agency Hyve worked with Beiersdorf to sift and refine new product ideas for Nivea, and Sense Worldwide worked with a slew of clients who wanted to co-create ideas and insights surrounding male opinion and behaviour.

At last year’s conference the subject of co-creation caused a considerable ding-dong between the pro- and anti-faction. This year’s session was more about the ‘how it works’ rather than the ‘does it work’, and the session was a lot more sedate as a result.

Showcasing the merits of co-creation is all well and good, but more interesting issues were touched upon. The panelists believed that clients must lose their fear of ceding control to customers and that clients must shrug off the belief that co-creation represents “just another workshop” that they have to attend.

And what of the participants? What of attracting consumers to what is undoubtedly going to be a considerable time-investment on their part? Sense Worldwide’s Jeremy Brown spoke about a move away from the old methods of respondent incentivisation and motivation. He said, “Motivating and incentivising is not about offering participants vouchers or book tokens. This about a compelling communication asking them participate in making a difference. This is about making things better, and making better things.”