Why Your Events Should Be More Like Chris Pratt

Lately megastar Chris Pratt – star of Jurassic World, the Lego Movie, and Guardians of the Galaxy – has been making the rounds on social media. But not due to a new movie announcement, or a celebrity scandal – Pratt issued a challenge via Facebook for fans to create a new cover image for his profile that he requested include;

“…eagles, american flags, guns, cool ford raptors, cigars, explosions, anything sly stallone, bloodsport, early steven segal, anything that looks bad ass and…maybe some raptors, or even some largemouth bass or deer or trophy elk, maybe some cool guns or rollerblades or possibly even a nascar or a steak maybe even some corndogs.”

So far the challenge has been shared over 5,000 times and received over 6,000 submissions, and that’s only counting Facebook. So besides the fact that writing about Chris Pratt will boost this post’s view count, there is something to be learned from the viral challenge.

Today’s consumers love user-generated content.

Not only is it a great way to foster real engagement between a brand and your target market, but consumers will be vying to contribute to your brand message. Snapchat has done a great job capitalizing on this using their featured stories. GoPro has built their entire marketing library on user-generated content.

Your experiential campaigns should not just show audience’s an experience, but make them part of it. Whether it’s asking fans to flex their artistic muscles, taking selfies at a music festival, or encouraging them to give a lip-sync performance in the middle of times square, engagement is key.