Crowdsourcing Vehicle Design

The current economic downturn has forced a number of the major OEM's to rethink their marketing efforts, and in some cases, the business models that define them. At the same time, there are a number of new startups that are challenging the market with innovative new thinking, processes and technologies. Still, it doesn't appear that anyone has the perfect answer.
 
Here's a new one to consider: Crowdsourcing vehicle design. Massachusetts-based startup Local Motors has a business model that is unlike anything I have ever seen in the automotive world, and I think it has the potential to change the way car design, development and yes, marketing will work in the future.
 

 
For those that aren't familiar with crowdsourcing, Wikipedia defines it as the act of taking a task traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, and outsourcing it to a group of people or community in the form of an open call. With Local Motors, users can register on the site to upload their own vehicle designs or vote on the designs of others. Once one design is chosen as a base, Local Motors develops the vehicle from top to bottom with the support of the community at large. For the physical assembly, the company invites owners out to their micro-factory (oh yeah, you get to help choose where that is as well) to help build it over the course of two weekends.
 

 
This concept has massive potential to succeed for a couple key reasons. For one, the emotional connection between car and owner is massive. Anything you've contributed to on this level is something you're bound to be proud of. That pride translates to tons of word-of-mouth about the experience that will likely bring in new customers. Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, I think this concept eliminates something that has plagued many American automakers (GM, Chrysler) lately: producing products that nobody wants to buy. Here you have a built in mechanism that pushes through only the concepts and ideas that appeal to the public, ensuring that the end product is something that leaves nothing to be desired. Marketing these vehicles should be no sweat!
 
If you haven't heard of Local Motors, you will soon. The budding company is actively involved in social media and interactive media, although their efforts to brand them are a little disjointed at this point. As a startup, I imagine their efforts have largely been focused on product development and operations, and not as much on marketing, although it should be said that they've been deploying contests and giveaways as an effort to increase the wingspan of the brand. It will be interesting to see how this company grows and if their marketing efforts gel over time. For now, follow them on Twitter, become a fan of theirs on Facebook and check out their blog.

by Garret Ohm

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NFCR: Golf for a Cure

Our client, The National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR), will be holding its 6th Annual Golf for a Cure Classic on Monday, September 14th so we wanted to help spread the word. NFCR is the one of the foremost organizations in the fight against cancer and their goal with the tournament is to raise money so that they can support their many scientists across the country in their quest to find a cure for cancer.  The Sutter Group is excited to be participating by playing as well as creating many of the graphics and marketing materials for the event.

The fundraiser will be held at the Kenwood Golf and Country Club in Bethesda, and will include lunch, hors d’oeuvres, dinner, open bar, live and silent auctions, contests, prizes, and more!  Last year, the event brought over 100 people together, including politicians, scientists, sponsors, and donors from around the world.

Register today at www.GolfforaCure.org or call 1-800-321-CURE (2873) for more information. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to join their Facebook group HERE and follow them on Twitter HERE.

by Garret Ohm

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Muffins Go Viral

Sometimes all it takes is a blog and a creative idea to go viral—ok, and a little bit of free product. Little Debbie recently launched an awesome new promotion that calls for interns all over the country to become heroes for their office by crafting a creative plea for free muffins and sending it to Little Debbie.

If selected, the plea and associated images are added to the Intern Hero blog at http://internhero.com/ and muffins are sent in return. It’s a pretty cool campaign that has been getting a lot of play, thanks in part to word-of-mouth marketing on Twitter, Facebook and blogs like this one at The Sutter Group. On top of that, we can’t imagine this was expensive to put together.

If you’re interested in creating a viral stunt inspired by this one, or something completely different, give us a call. The Sutter Group knows viral marketing, and would love to help your message spread like wildfire!

by Garret Ohm

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TSG Sponsors CRTC Mini-Golf Event

The Sutter Group is excited to announce that we have recently signed on to be a “Birdie” sponsor for the inaugural Chesapeake Regional Tech Council Mini Golf Mixer to be held on August 19th at Arundel Golf Park near the BWI Airport. The event, which is chaired by our own Garret Ohm and supported by creative from The Sutter Group, will feature food, drinks, fun, competition and the area’s best tech industry networking. Details of the event can be found HERE.

We hope you’ll join us there. Sign up at the event page on the CRTC website, and be sure to follow all the chatter on Twitter via the page we designed HERE.

by Garret Ohm

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