As advertising moves into the interactive space, consumers are increasingly doing the advertising themselves, reports The Los Angeles Times. The adoption of CGM incorporations into formal marketing plans is one symptom of this trend.
M&M's has logged 1.5 million users for a feature that allows people to create M&M avatars in their own image. And on MyCadillacStory.com, users can add themselves to a 30-second spot.
MIT Cultural Anthropologist Grant McCracken thinks this new era of participatory advertising represents a revolution. For the first time, marketers are inviting consumers "into the production of meaning."
