Co-Creation and the perfect group discount

C0-creation of content is a running theme in every digital plan today. But (and this is where I might finally be getting a handle on Communities Dominate Brands' use of culture instead of content as one of their 4 Cs) how will you allow your community to create its culture - and then embrace the results?

In simple terms, is your digital offering allowing communities to do what they want, rather than what you want them to do? Allowing them to 'create their own culture' by what they do with it may even reveal new ways of transacting.

Let's say your community hates 'ads' but is quite prepared to create a wish-list, or actively pull suppliers to them (by their own rss or similar). Suppliers may have to bid to provide that service to them (there are similar ideas already out there).

But this is where the culture your community co-creates comes in to play. Perhaps you don't charge either party - you allow them to contribute what they think is fair. The culture within that community will create its own pressures for users to conform. Perhaps suppliers pay to subscribe to feeds? I don't have the answer I'm afraid - I'm just keen to raise the question!

And while I was thinking about this stuff it occurred to me, the internet used to be awash with this kind of thing: Join a group buy to get a discount. But I don't come across them so much these days.

Perhaps, with the rise of 4C, systems like this will get a new lease of life.
Imagine, for example, that you could join a group to not only get a discount, but create something with shared specification you all agreed on - a car, a computer?

It's now possible on a global scale for enough people to come together through digital means and say what they actually want and have a facilitator tool up and make it.

Now, that IS co-creation.

Further reading