Latest / Social Media Marketing with Fexingo: Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Platform Strategy / How Brands Use Social Media for Co-Creation Campaigns
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's this term that's been floating around marketing circles for a while now, and I think it's finally having its moment: co-creation. Luna: Co-creation — meaning brands and customers actually making something together, not just asking for feedback on a finished product? Lucas: Exactly. It's not a focus group. It's not a survey. It's inviting your audience to help build the product, the campaign, the experience. And I want to talk about why this is exploding right now, especially on social platforms. Luna: Before we dive in, a quick thing — if you've ever found yourself applying something you heard here to your actual job, or you've shared an episode with a colleague, that's exactly the kind of thing that keeps this show ad-free. A couple of dollars a month at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo genuinely makes a difference — it's listener support that lets us keep doing these deep dives without any sponsor interruptions. Lucas: Yeah, it really does. And speaking of deep dives — let's talk about the gold standard of co-creation: LEGO Ideas. Luna: LEGO Ideas — that's the platform where fans submit their own set designs, and if they get enough votes, LEGO might actually produce it. They've been doing this since 2008? Lucas: Since 2008, yeah. And as of early 2026, over 30 fan-designed sets have made it to store shelves. Things like the NASA Apollo Saturn V, the Beatles Yellow Submarine, a typewriter that actually works. These aren't niche items — the Saturn V set was a massive hit, sold out repeatedly. Luna: What's the incentive for LEGO? Beyond goodwill, I mean. Lucas: Two big things. One: these sets come with a built-in audience. The designer's community is already invested, so they market it for you. Two: LEGO gets to test demand before they commit to manufacturing. They only produce sets that have already demonstrated a passionate fanbase. It drastically reduces the risk of a flop. Luna: So it's like a demand validation engine disguised as a community program. Lucas: Exactly. And the social media component is crucial — fans campaign on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, building buzz around their submissions. LEGO doesn't have to spend a dime on that initial hype. Luna: Let's talk about a smaller brand example. There's a coffee company, let's call them 'Roast & Co.' — they ran a TikTok challenge asking people to create their dream cold brew recipe. The winner's recipe got turned into a limited edition product. Lucas: And how did that go? Luna: They got thousands of entries, but more importantly, the winning recipe sold out in under a week. And the people who entered became brand advocates — they shared the campaign with their networks, posted about the launch. The cost was basically just some coffee beans and a modest prize. Lucas: That's the magic. Co-creation works because it taps into a psychological principle: people value things more when they've had a hand in creating them. There's a term for it — the IKEA effect. Luna: Right! We put more value on furniture we assemble ourselves. Same with products we help design. Lucas: So the question becomes: how do you set up a co-creation campaign that doesn't feel like a gimmick? I think there are three rules. Rule one: be genuinely open to the outcome. If you've already decided what you want, don't pretend otherwise — people can smell that. Luna: Authenticity is non-negotiable. What's rule two? Lucas: Give credit where it's due. LEGO puts the designer's name on the box. Roast & Co. tagged the winner everywhere. If you take someone's idea and act like it was yours, you'll lose trust fast. Luna: And rule three? Lucas: Make it easy to participate. The barrier to entry has to be low. On TikTok, that might mean a simple duet challenge. On Instagram, it could be a poll on flavor options. The harder you make it to contribute, the fewer people will. Luna: What about the risk of losing creative control? Some brands are terrified of that. Lucas: It's a valid fear. But you can set guardrails. LEGO has clear guidelines — no licensed properties they don't already have, no sets over a certain piece count. The structure is there, but within that structure, creativity can thrive. Luna: So it's about defining the sandbox, not the sandcastle. Lucas: Exactly. And I'd argue that the risk of not doing it is bigger. In a world where consumers are bombarded with polished ads, a co-created product feels genuine. It cuts through the noise. Luna: I want to talk about data. Do you have any numbers on engagement rates for co-created content versus standard brand content? Lucas: There was a study from a few years back — I think it was by a platform called TINT — that found user-generated content, which includes co-creation, gets 6.9 times higher engagement than brand-generated content on social media. And that's just for UGC in general. Co-creation specifically, where people feel ownership, probably drives even higher numbers. Luna: Six point nine times — that's significant. But is there a risk of only hearing from your most engaged fans? The loudest voices might not represent your broader customer base. Lucas: That's a really good point. Co-creation can sometimes skew toward power users. One way to mitigate that is to combine it with broader data — surveys, sales data, social listening. Use co-creation for inspiration, but validate with a wider audience. Luna: So it's one tool in the toolbox, not the whole toolbox. Lucas: Right. And it works best when the product itself is inherently social. LEGO sets are shareable by nature. Coffee recipes are shareable. But if you're selling something like accounting software, co-creation might look different — maybe a community-driven feature request board. Luna: Speaking of which, there's a great example from the software world. Notion, the productivity tool, has a huge community where users create and share templates. Notion didn't design those templates — users did. And it's become a massive driver of adoption. Lucas: That's a perfect example. Notion's template gallery is essentially a co-creation engine. Users feel invested because they're using something another user made, and the original creator gets recognition and sometimes even compensation. Luna: So it scales. LEGO, Notion, a small coffee brand — co-creation isn't just for big budgets. Lucas: Absolutely not. In fact, smaller brands can be more agile. They can run a co-creation campaign on a two-week timeline and pivot quickly based on feedback. Bigger companies have to get legal, supply chain, and marketing all on the same page. Luna: What about the role of AI? Are brands using AI to help sort through co-creation submissions? Lucas: Increasingly, yes. If you get thousands of submissions, you can't manually review them all. Some brands use natural language processing to cluster similar ideas, identify themes, and flag the most popular ones. That makes the process scalable. Luna: But you still need human judgment at the end to pick the winner. Lucas: Absolutely. AI can surface patterns, but it can't judge creativity or brand fit. The final decision should always have a human touch. Luna: Let's talk about measuring success. What metrics matter for a co-creation campaign? Lucas: Number of submissions is the obvious one, but I think the key metric is 'conversion to advocacy.' How many participants actually buy the finished product? How many share it? LEGO tracks that: they know that people who voted for a set are more likely to buy it. That's the real ROI. Luna: And beyond sales, there's the long-term community building. People who co-create feel a stronger connection to the brand. Lucas: Exactly. It's not a one-off transaction. It's an ongoing relationship. The best co-creation programs are repeatable — you don't just do it once, you build it into your brand rhythm. Luna: I'm thinking about the flip side. What if a co-creation campaign flops? You put it out there and nobody participates. Lucas: That can happen. Usually it's because the incentive isn't compelling enough, or the ask is too vague. You need to make it clear what's in it for the participant — recognition, a chance to see their idea come to life, maybe a free product. And you need to promote the campaign properly, not just post once and forget. Luna: So it's not a set-it-and-forget-it strategy. You have to actively nurture participation. Lucas: Right. Social media is perfect for that — you can post updates, highlight early submissions, create a sense of momentum. The more you engage, the more people want to be part of it. Luna: I want to circle back to LEGO for a second. One of the most successful LEGO Ideas sets was the Ship in a Bottle. It was created by a fan named Jake Sadovich. That set sold millions of units. What's the story there? Lucas: Jake was a LEGO fan from Montana. He submitted the idea in 2016, it got 10,000 votes in just a few months, and LEGO produced it in 2018. It became one of the top-selling LEGO Ideas sets. And Jake got a percentage of the royalties, plus credit on the box. He's become a minor celebrity in the LEGO community. Luna: That's a powerful story for any brand considering co-creation: you can turn a superfan into a partner. Lucas: Exactly. And that partnership doesn't end when the product launches. Jake continues to promote the set, attends LEGO fan events, and generates ongoing buzz. It's a long-tail asset. Luna: So what's the one thing a brand should do tomorrow if they want to start a co-creation campaign? Lucas: Pick one specific, low-risk product or aspect — like a new flavor, a color variant, a tagline — and ask your social media audience to contribute ideas. Set a deadline, offer a meaningful reward, and commit to actually using the winning idea. Then promote it like crazy. Luna: And be prepared to give up some control. But the payoff is a product that people already love before it even exists. Lucas: Right. And that's the ultimate goal: turning customers into creators. It's a shift from broadcasting to collaborating, and I think it's where marketing is heading. Luna: I'd love to see more brands try it. Maybe we'll revisit this in a year and see some new success stories. Lucas: I'd bet on it. As long as brands remember that co-creation is a relationship, not a transaction.