Crowdsourcing is a method of calling on the "crowd" to participate in the development of a product, the creation of a slogan, participating in research for science, and so on.
Crowdsourcing is a technique increasingly used by companies. It differs from crowdfunding, which focuses on financial support.
Here, the business takes advantage of the ideas and creativity of the general public at low cost to create products, involve them in an innovation project, choose the name of their brand, create slogans, design packaging, etc. It’s a technique that is particularly prominent in a B2C context but is growing in popularity with B2B companies as well.
This method is also known as collaborative or participation marketing. Some platforms specialize in crowdsourcing, making it easier to put people in touch with each other.
Companies can call on both professionals and amateurs for their crowdsourcing operations. In return, contributors may receive a reward or remuneration, particularly if their proposal has been validated.
But crowdsourcing isn't just about reducing creative costs. It's also about involving consumers in the development of a brand or product, to increase their level of trust and ownership of that product or company.
Brands can also create buzz around this collaborative marketing method, boosting their brand awareness.
Three broad categories of crowdsourcing can be identified:
- Crowdsourcing of creative/inventive activities: the crowd is called upon to work on finding solutions to a creative or complex problem. This could involve collaborating on the development of open-source software, helping to choose a slogan or brand name, participating in the creation of a product or idea, etc.
- Crowdsourcing of routine activities: this involves calling on the crowd to carry out tasks that don't require any particular skills but that do consume the company's time.
- Crowdsourcing of content: here, the crowd is called upon to contribute data and information. This might involve, for example, providing information to update a road map or offering photos or information for an online encyclopedia.
Companies may avail of a crowdsourcing platform not only to gather a wealth of ideas but also to reduce their costs and creative timescales.
This method is also ideal for involving consumers. This boosts a company's reputation and increases its goodwill with the general public.
