Description of campaign

Converse did not place restrictions on the submissions other than requiring them to be 23 seconds in length. (This would enable them to add on seven seconds of sales messages if they chose to run the ad on TV.) Thus this was one of the most “open” CGA promotions to ever be hosted by a major brand (Moskowitz, 2007).

Was the strategy effective?

The campaign was a success due not only to the quality of the submissions, but the quantity as well. At the time Converse initiated the promotion, it was still largely unknown how willing consumers would be to participate in CGA. When Converse received ads from over 2,000 contributors, it not only quelled these fears but sent a signal throughout the whole industry that CGA was legitimate. Most analysts gave the campaign very positive reviews, with one media commentator calling it “the high watermark of CGA to date.” (Moskowitz, 2007)

Analysis

Not placing limitations on consumers' creativity seems to have been a smart move for Converse. It allowed their loyal customer base to freely express their passion for the brand with impressively constructed ads.

The quantity and quality of ads received by Converse may not be so easily duplicated in campaigns by other brands. Converse's non-conformist image and passionate consumer base seems to have made it the perfect match for a CGA campaign (Moskowitz, 2007). Thus while the campaign's success demonstrates the potential of CGA under conducive conditions, by no means should it be interpreted by other companies as caveat-free sign to “go ahead and do this.”