Crowdsourcing has been revolutionising the way in which a versatile force of creative power can be utilised for business in the brand communications landscape of South Africa and worldwide. Although this is a brilliant strategy being undertaken by a few startups and businesses in the country, the concept to some still remains somewhat of a mystery.
Dailycrowdsource.com offers their definition of crowdsourcing, “Crowdsourcing is the process of getting work or funding, usually online, from a crowd of people. The word is a combination of the words ‘crowd’ and ‘outsourcing’.”
The concept was coined by Jeff Howe in a 2006 Wired Magazine article, “The Rise of Crowdsourcing”. Howe has a noteworthy history as a contributor for the magazine and is world renowned for his coverage of the “crowdsourcing phenomenon”.
In the creative industry, crowdsourcing has leveraged an innovative system of creative outsourcing, the model of which has been used more often as startups look for a sustainable, inexpensive method to facilitate industry class executions. Traditional agencies that are overloaded with a tumultuous creative workload are using crowdsourcing to extend their employee basin into a vast and growing network of available creatives. This action helps to “take the steam off” when a surge of clients come rushing in and also gives managers and Creative Directors a chance to prioritise accounts and crowdsource ad hoc tasks to a network of willing creatives.
Crowdsourcing in South Africa & Pan Africa
South African crowdsourcing has helped in many ways to develop and sustain various initiatives, from helping to raise money for local film projects yearning to travel abroad, to collaborative community based musical feats, right through to the ideation and creation of Johannesburg’s first urban magazine Gummie in July 2012. A great example of crowdsourcing used to help South African startups find their way to success is StartMe, in which anyone is able to either list a startup that needs funding or contribute towards a project/initiative that is in need of monetary assistance. Thundafund is a similar organisation in South Africa, the differentiator being their “All-or-Nothing” crowdfunding model. This benefits financial security, as if the budding startup does not reach its quota or targets, the investors will be completely reimbursed.
As the concept of crowdsourcing has taken off in the country, the creative industry has been buzzing around the idea, many seeing the opportune potential as a gateway into prioritising business strategy and building sustainable relationships with a rich basin of the country’s talent.
To highlight the feats in a “local and lekker” context, here are a couple of companies that have made their mark on the South African creative crowdsourcing landscape:
Video Cartel
Based in the scenic environment of Cape Town, Video Cartel has crowdsourced 23 videographers and filmmakers into their community. Video, being such a high-quality medium of communication, is a vital resource to clients (brands or private consumers) who are in need of footage for various purposes.
This type of crowdsourcing enables individuals who are graced with creative talent to have a platform of showcasing their skills. Where does the company benefit? In Video Cartel’s instance, filmmakers from various backgrounds, specialising in a number of genres and working with different subject matter are at their disposal. Clients can handpick the right filmmaker for their niche requirements and as a result be given the best execution.
The “Video Cartel Directors” have worked with numerous brands and have even been sent off all around the world (as well as some of South Africa’s most beautiful locations) to shoot some awe-inspiring content. It’s apparent that Video Cartel’s mission is to facilitate the growth of creative videographer crowdsourcing in Cape Town’s cultural haven and inspiring surrounds.
Ushahidi
The predominantly African focused crowdsourcing platform Ushahidi has been in the game for over seven years. The organisation reaches out to clients who are looking for freelance software development, design, research, translation and writing.
The different expertise on offer from the Ushandi basin has allowed them to develop a line of products and kickstart impactful initiatives.
Thier offerings include products such as self-entitled ‘Ushahidi’ - a crowd-based data collecting platform. The emphasis lies in the effectiveness and instantaneous visual interpretation of data (interactive data mapping). Community feedback is the driving force behind actioning on these interpretations. In 2013, ‘Ushahidi’ aided in the 2013 Kenyan elections by enabling everyone from citizens to humanitarian response agencies to monitor any incidents in a real time fashion. Interactive mapping served as a ‘gps’ system, which could pinpoint these disturbances and allow for protocol to be swiftly taken.
SA Creative Network
SA Creative Network is known mostly as a platform of the latest in design trends and news in South Africa. There is a secondary model, which sources fresh creative talent for potential clients. This crowdsourcing network is impressive in the amount of different expertise on offer.
The mix includes the usual high profile, sought after skills of graphic design, copywriting and web design. In addition, speciality creative skills such as cake design, post production, motion graphics, creative blogs and even airbrush are on offer. This type of crowdsourcing is not for profit, as freelancers and agencies are allowed to post their creative skillsets on the website for free, facilitating a marketplace of “for hire” creatives. By networking creatives to clients, SA Creative Network is helping to bridge a gap in the freelance industry.
Crowdsourcing has been utilised in many aspects of community based creation. The creative landscape has greatly benefited from this innovative ideology, and the trend is focused on funding startups that bring a vast basin of creative prowess to brands. The potential for the creative crowdsourcing model to grow in South Africa is substantial, as our collective creative consumer market is so diverse and rich in talent.
Springleap utlises a stronghold of industry experts to bring consumer transparency into our client’s graspable reach. Our monthly syndicated trend report highlights the key markets of Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg and uncovers invaluable consumer trends. Are you interested in being part of this innovative platform’s creation? Our door is always open for industry creatives, marketeers, social media guru’s, brand strategists of any niche to join our vetted basin of meta consumers. Are you ready to showcase your skills and provide commentary into the trendiest of consumer insights? Contact julia@springleap.com for more information on how to join the ranks!
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