How about that title for alliteration. But seriously people, I recently read a few articles about the increasing popularity of curated crowdsourcing in relation to marketing projects.  My thought is that if curated crowdsourcing is the next big trend in the development of logo designs, ads, package design,TV spots,etc. then the ad community and our clients (who may looking at this idea) are in semi-trouble.

From what I can see, the argument for a curator approach (a web-based entity that manages/administers resources) is that they can reach out to dozens of art directors, writers and designers to develop and post their work based on a brief. Then the best work is screened, selected and paid for almost like it is done on spec. Not good and a little light on the strategic level, most likely.

The curator claim is that with an agency a client works with a limited number of people. That is hardly close to the truth. With an agency a client has the advantage of working with teams from different departments and marketing disciplines, with different perspectives, and a much deeper understanding of the client’s business and the target audience they need to reach…not just from the design side of the business. It is not myopic in any sense.

As a result, if you were to test the concepts/ideas/designs developed by the agency against those done by the crowdsource, my confidence (and money) would be on the agency – and it is not just because I work at an agency.

Curated crowdsourcing just seems like a cheap bicycle with a few parts missing.