Social media is a major source of big data. Besides the big social networks, crowdsourcing and co-creation
are approaches to directly engaging with consumers to sourcing data.
Crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing is the process of
soliciting ideas or content from a large group of people, usually an online community.
LEGO IDEAS, an example covered in the chapter New Product Development,
uses a crowdsourcing programme to source ideas for new Lego projects.
Co-creation
Co-creation is an off-shoot of
crowdsourcing, which involves smaller group of individuals with specialized
skills. It is used increasingly to generate ideas for the development of
advertising and new products. Examples include consumers building their own
shoes (Nike), conceiving their own pizzas (Papa John’s), and generating
advertising content for companies like Coca-Cola, General Motors and Microsoft.
