Genius Rocket

GeniusRocket uses the Internet to harness and channel emerging creative talent to produce customized user-generated marketing solutions that meet the specifications of advertisers and brand managers.

Why GeniusRocket?

Technology has transformed the relationship between advertisers and consumers. Public opinion surveys show 76 percent of consumers believe companies lie in advertisements, and technology allows many sophisticated consumers to completely avoid advertising pitches. These trends led Advertising Age Magazine to name "the consumer" Ad Agency of the Year in 2006.

The changing media landscape means advertisers need a new approach to develop and communicate key messages to the public-- particularly the desirable demographic of young adults.

How GeniusRocket Works

GeniusRocket acts as a trusted third party intermediary between the talent of its online creative community and advertisers to create fresh and compelling new advertising and marketing content – such as 30 second TV spots, online video promotions, banner ads, and widgets - in a timely and effective way without the endless meetings, story boards and false starts.

Advertisers bring their marketing challenges to GeniusRocket, which posts the advertisers’ creative briefs, or "Requests for Brilliance", online and solicits solutions from its creative community.

Members of the creative community submit creative executions, (individually or in teams) in response to RFBs. After review in a "private locker" (to weed out inappropriate submissions), submissions get posted to the GeniusRocket site where community members vote and comment on their favorites.

The advertiser chooses the submissions that best meet its needs, with the winners earning cash rewards. Creators can also earn cash by gaining the most support from their peers in monthly Rocket Award competitions.

Mark Walsh is CEO and founder and formerly CEO of VerticalNet, an online marketplace that went public in 1999.