Seeker: Daimler (Mercedes Benz)
Solvers: 8000 from more than 100 countries
Challenge and Solution communication mode: Internet
Primary Play: Long Tail
Industry: Automobile
Year: 2010
Country: Stuttgart (Germany)
Challenge: Daimler (Mercedes Benz )was looking for new creative designs when they wanted to launch a new car codenamed smartfortwo. They were also looking to enhance their brand value and create a buzz around the brand.
Trigger : Daimler had earlier used an internal idea management application for employees to post the ideas and which allowed colleagues from other departments or regions to comment, rate and further develop them. Daimler thought of developing a similar system to rank and rate the design ideas.
Solution: A new web site was created http://www.styleyoursmart.com and entrants created more than 50,000 designs for the exterior of smarttwo. The contest ran for a period of 6 weeks. The contestants exchanged opinions and commented on and evaluated each other’s designs with the same enthusiasm and passion that they put into their own designs. There were more than 600,000 online ratings.
An expert jury consisting of five judges selected the four best designs based on the community ratings. The total prize money rewarded was 5000 Euros.
Outcome/benefits:
1. Mercedes got some fresh creative design ideas
2. Generated buzz and enhanced brand value.
Extent of openness: High (template was defined and anybody with basic knowledge of paint software with creative idea could contribute).
Diversity of solvers: Medium (The inputs came from creative people with some interest in automobiles and ability to express their creativity)
Learnings:
1. The response was far more than what the team anticipated – both in terms of quantity and quality. Even though car design is considered a niche area, the reach of the internet makes it possible to get amazing results.
2. People are looking to express their creativity in multiple ways and companies cannot afford to ignore the creative talent any longer.
Quotes:
“The response to this competition greatly exceeded our expectations – in terms of both quantity and quality”, says Marc Langenbrinck, Managing Director smart brand and Head of Sales & Marketing smart “It shows the enthusiasm that the smart brand generates.”. Dieter Feder, Project Manager in the Business Innovation division at Daimler AG is pleased with the result: “Also after the contest the website still lives on. The community can continue to rate designs and add new ones. The results clearly show that the passion for personalisation and creativity is boundless on Web 2.0.”
References:
http://500sec.com/open-innovation-style-your-smart-design-contest/
http://www.styleyoursmart.com
