eYeka is happy to present the first visualization of the use of crowdsourcing by brands over time. This interactive timeline, called Crowdsourcing by World’s Best Global Brands shows how the use of crowdsourcing has exploded since the early 2000’s. The objective is to have a rich and visual representation of how brands increasingly use of crowdsourcing to pursue marketing- and innovation-related business objectives.

And the best part is: it will be crowdsourced.

Click on the image to access timeline

This timeline shows how the world’s most valuable brands (the 100 brands included in Interbrand’s Best Global Brands ranking) use crowdsourcing. Rather than being a one-time illustration of how brands increasingly use crowdsourcing, it is intended to become a participative document to gather and display information about brand-sponsored crowdsourcing initiatives.

“This timeline demonstrates that Brands are ‘crossing the chasm’ of crowdsourcing”, says François Petavy, CEO of eYeka. “Once considered as a marketing gimmick or a source of low-cost content, crowdsourcing is coming of age and becoming an everyday tool for marketers. In a world where relevance and time-to-market make the difference, more and more Brands are realizing that the true opportunity with crowdsourcing lies in a stronger connection with consumers and an accelerated pace of innovation.”

In order to make it as complete as possible, you’re eagerly invited to contribute by submitting crowdsourcing initiatives that might have missed (note that we haven’t integrated all the crowdsourcing initiatives yet, more will be added on an ongoing basis). To do that, and to be listed as a contributor of the timeline, you just have to send an email to brandcrowdsourcingtimeline@gmail.com.

Just make sure that…

1. The initiative you submit falls into the scope of the timeline (see here)
2. You provide a title, background information, results and outcomes
3. You provide some visuals and/or videos to illustrate it
4. You describe the initiative citing external sources

To access the interactive timeline, click on the following infographic:

If you haven’t clicked yet, you can access the timeline here 😉