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User/Customer Generated Content

A while back, I got an email from ING Direct, the online bank. I am a customer, one with multiple products and several monthly direct deposits. The email was touting a contest where customers were asked to write a brief essay with the following:

How you have set, achieved or are on track to achieve a specific saving goal;
Details on why you selected that particular goal and the timeframe you set to achieve your goal;
Roadblocks you faced or are facing along the way to your goal;
Adjustments you made or may need to make to achieve your goal; and
The final result of your efforts, or the expected result.
AND…

You also must submit a photograph (no videos will be accepted) to us that illustrates your saving goal.


They offered up one grand prize of $10,000 and 25 first prizes of $1,000 each. They received over 10,000 entries. Winners can be found at: http://www.roadtohappinesscontest.com/

How great would it be to get all that content for a mere $35,000? How great would be it to get all that qualitative research about how your customers are using your products, the challenges they face and some of the solutions they came up with to conquer those challenges? Talk about real market research.

As an association, why not make the lives of your members better by giving them a substansial reward to get relevant market research and solid content?

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