The Playing Field Continues to Level
Anyone tied to manufacturing in the U.S. has likely had a rough ride the past few years as everything from factory jobs to industrial design and engineering has made its way to lower-cost shores. It is then with mixed-feelings that I report another field has just been introduced to the power of globalization and open-source: Advertising. Wired has an entry today (link) on Adcandy: In exchange for their advertising slogans, catch phrases or campaign ideas, participants could win cash prizes from $50 to $500 and the bragging rights of seeing their ideas used to sell anything from Coke to Levi's jeans. The prizes aren't much right now, but Hoffman hopes to increase the rewards as Adcandy takes off, maybe even to a more standard percentage system. ... While Adcandy has a different model, Carrie McLaren of Stay Free magazine says, "It's safe to say that $50 for a winning idea would be comparable to sweatshop labor in the advertising world."This sounds familiar.
Most participants aren't interested in the prizes right now, but really want the chance to contribute their original ideas.