Commit Launches UGC Online Community Platform Propeller

Award-winning user generated content studio Commit has launched Propeller, an online community product designed for brands that want to discover and engage with their creative consumers in meaningful ways. Commit, the brainchild of Jim Meadows and Adam Catlow, believes Propeller is a big step forward in the fight against inauthentic influencer marketing. Developed in partnership with long-standing client, hard-drive giant Seagate Technologies, it allows brands to build a custom community around the curation of content with global audiences. In short: brands can find real fans of their work and engage with them, building genuine relationships and initiating collaborations and, most importantly, creating killer content that resonates with the right audiences.

Propeller is the next generation of online community, fostering co-creation through an understanding of each brand’s specific audience, ensuring content is always genuine and relevant. Centred around a highly integrated API, Propeller discovers creative customers through social media channels and social messaging apps, learns what makes them tick and reaches them in the places they hang out. A community is then built through challenges, events, gamification, competitions, collaborations and rewards. In exchange for participation and content generation, creators will discover an entire online community who love the same things they do. Through this word-of-mouth discovery, meaningful connections are cultivated organically without the need to rely on heavy-weight influencers with no legitimate love for the brands they promote.

Paul Langston, Global Consumer Marketing, Seagate Technology said “The Commit team have been integral to the ideation, development and execution of our creator community and UGC strategy over the past two years. They have a deep understanding of the creative economy and the nuances of consumer buying behaviour and their unique approach has helped us build relationships and engage with our customers in more meaningful and productive ways. Our community continues to exceed our expectations in terms of growth, engagement and UGC velocity.

Consumers are rebelling against paid-for influencer marketing that can feel insultingly artificial. (Commit’s research shows only 37% of consumers trust influencers as a credible source and influencers themselves agree, with 27% admitting they feel inauthentic supporting products only because they’re being paid to). Both consumers and creators want accountability and authenticity – trust, not influence. 65% of consumers report UGC as being more interesting than branded content and, at point of sale, this kind of genuine content can improve conversion by 29%.

“We wanted to create a flexible community product for today’s creative audience,”said Commit’s Managing Partner, Jim Meadows. “The biggest benefits lie in the brand ownership of their audience’s data and the ability to reach them organically – something that is becoming impossible to do via native social networks. The trend toward scaling content production via micro-influencers is being facilitated by third party platforms that stand between brand and creator, and this not only impacts the authenticity of the content, but also the ability to form relationships with key talent.” 

The team hope Propeller will enable companies to bridge these content gaps by creating a direct line of communication with creative audiences who want to collaborate with the brands they love. It’s about respecting the creators, not patronising them, hence Propellor’s tagline: “Love Your Creators”.

Propeller officially launches on April  16th 2019 at YMS London @ The Old Truman Brewery Shoreditch. For more information please visit loveyourcreators.com