AdHack: 

AdHack profiled on TrendHunting

Hey. Wow. We’re profiled in TrendHunting: Sexy DIY advertising reveals the truth behind chocolate.

I’m tired of traditional advertising that insults my intelligence. Too often, ads are one-way messages from brands telling consumers what to purchase through overt campaigns that depend on boring stereotypes to inspire us to buy.

Yes, yes, I’m listening.

Most consumers listen to (and trust) product opinions from friends and family far more than any traditional ad developed by professionals. Savvy marketers are realizing the potential of a new (un)advertising model that highlights peer-to-peer recommendations and personal perceptions over rosy fantasies.

Houston, we have liftoff!

Communities are developing around consumer generated advertising, or do-it-yourself (DIY) “ad hacking” that look very promising as a way to share a brand story, without the message coming from the brand itself. Designers, photographers and other creative folks are pushing the advertising envelope online by featuring their own opinions, testimonials and reviews in fresh formats that threaten to blow the socks off the traditional advertising paradigm.

*blush* Aww, shucks.

Whether you work in advertising, marketing, innovation or new product development, one of the most difficult things is having to come up with new ideas & perspectives all the time. There’s often a mad scramble to find innovation examples, social commentary or macro trends when we have pitches on or a presentation due, but the reality is that this kind of information is most useful & valuable when it’s applied consistently throughout the entire working process.