Exemplifying the latest advertising trend related to user-generated content, Sony Electronics' latest TV commercial wasn't created by either of its ad agencies but rather by 19-year-old Minneapolis native Tyson Ibele, who won Current TV's first viewer-created ad contest, writes The New York Times (via MediaBuyerPlanner). "User-generated content is sort of the word of the day," said Anne Zehren, president of sales and marketing for Current TV - which uses user-generated content in one-third of its programming. "And I think smart marketers will start harnessing that."
Advertisers looking to tap into Current's youthful audience include American Express, General Mills and L'Oreal. The network requires most advertisers agree to one-year contracts priced at over $1 million.
The risk that comes with viewer-created advertising involves reduced control of the marketing message on the part of the marketer. "The trick is that you have to let go," said Mike Fasulo, chief marketing officer for Sony Electronics. "We're used to dictating our messages and we're used to being in control."
