In the beginning, the ad world was governed (for the most part) by Mad Men. But it’s since become a place for consumers to try out for the part of creator, as brands jump on board with crowdsourcing initiatives.

Campbell Canada is among the brands looking for an outside perspective and last year began working with Mofilm (a crowdsourcing contest that connects brands with over 50,000 amateur filmmakers) to source TV creative for its new Cracker Chips.

Since November 2011, Campbell has submitted three briefs for entrants to create video spots. Another 20 brands have participated in the competitions, with filmmakers awarded prizes (such as a trip to Chicago’s Lollapalooza or a safari in Africa) and given the chance to have their creative used in a commercial.

Online testing via Ipsos showed impressive consumer engagement with the first Mofilm-made Campbell spot to make it to TV, which showed a man enjoying the healthy chips to his significant other’s disbelief. “The interaction with the product was so compelling that the brandsell almost happened without there even being a brandsell,” says Mark Childs, the brand’s VP of marketing.

“This is an opportunity to embrace a new avenue of creative expression,” he says. “While Mofilm is a crowdsourcing model, they have a roster of high calibre filmmakers. So you’re almost guaranteed to get back some great work.”

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