Current TV Takes ‘User-Generated’ One-Step Further
21 November 2006
Current TV pioneered the user-generated content bandwagon, and this time they’re back with something just a little bit different - user generated TV ads. Current’s new VCAM program (short for Viewer Created Ad Message) appears to modeled after the success of unsolicited user generated videos such as the McDonald’s Drive Through Song. As with other user-generated content plays, the originator of the content is paid sub-market rate in return for the recognition of having their piece aired in front of an audience. Current TV currently pays a $1000 flat rate if a user’s ad is run on TV.
Given such a low rate I expected submissions to be the typical YouTube, webcam, teen-angst diatribes - and I wasn’t disappointed in this respect. What was surprising however were a few top-notch submissions created by talented freelancers and small design shops . Ads such as the “Sony - Transformation” video shown below illustrate one of the ways in which the bottom-up mentality of the 2.0 online world is gradually making inroads into mainstream media; replacing the old-boys’ network of traditional ad agency relationships with a meritocracy based on creative ability and grass-roots support. Should be a fun one to watch.
