Current TV Now Includes Ads Created by Users

AN AGENCY'S WORST NIGHTMARE: ADS CREATED BY USERS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Julie Bosman]
User-generated content, best known for fueling the popularity of Web sites like YouTube and MySpace, is rapidly taking hold in advertising. Dozens of entries were recently submitted for a contest on the cable channel Current TV to create an ad for Sony. In the coming weeks, more user-generated ads for companies like L'Oréal and Toyota will follow the Sony commercial. User-generated content, best known for fueling the popularity of Web sites like YouTube and MySpace, is rapidly taking hold in advertising. "User-generated content is sort of the word of the day," said Anne Zehren, the president of sales and marketing for Current TV, which was started last August. "And I think smart marketers will start harnessing that." Current relies on user-generated content for roughly one-third of its programming, from fashion features to foreign documentaries. The network operates under the theory that its programming will be more relevant if its audience, primarily 18- to 34-year-olds, have a voice in creating it. If the audience is interested, there is less of a risk that they will tune out in favor of other entertainment like the Internet and video games. User-generated content owes part of its popularity to the younger age group's increasing agility at working with video and audio tools at home to mimic what television studios and advertising agencies do for hefty fees. For people who are relatively obscure professionally, Current is an instant national platform.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/11/business/media/11adco.html
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