Readers of Apartment Therapy have been challenged by Bloomingdale's to design room sets with furniture from Bloomingdale's new collection.
True to blogging fashion, photos will be published and then the race is on to see which blogger can drive the most votes to their design. Furniture on 5 is located in the Bloomingdale's main New York City store. The winner will get stuff from Furniture on 5.
Implications - A smart way to induce consumer attention and excitement is to create participatory opportunities for consumers to join forces with your business. Businesses who can create contests where the public vote -- perhaps on product packaging or advertising campaign ideas -- will stir up consumer excitement.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Participatory Design
- Businesses can create contests to involve consumers in designing products and advertising campaigns
- Crowdsourced Marketing
- More businesses could adopt a crowdsourcing strategy to engage with and gain insights from their audience
- Collaborative Promotions
- Partnering with influencers and bloggers can be a successful marketing tactic for businesses to promote their products
Where This Applies
- Retail
- Retailers like Bloomingdale's can leverage crowdsourcing window displays to generate excitement around their products and engage with their audience
- Marketing
- Marketing agencies can help businesses create and execute participatory campaigns to generate buzz and increase brand awareness
- Furniture
- Furniture brands can partner with bloggers and influencers to showcase their products and create buzz on social media
