Al Gore Didn’t Invent The Internet, But “Internet TV” He Might Have A Claim To

September 26, 2008 By


I was watching Current on Comcast cable last night and was struck by the number of consumer generated spots the channel was serving. These ads even have their own acronym, VCAM, which stands for Viewer Created Ad Message.
Here is Current’s pitch:

We’ve teamed up with the world’s biggest brands and they want you to make their commercials to run on Current TV. Get creative and break the mold. Make the ads you want to watch, not the commercials you’ve already seen.
If we choose your spot to air on Current, we’ll pay you $2,500. If our sponsors choose to air it elsewhere, you can earn up to $60,000.

Current intersperses these VCAMs with professionally produced commercials (that are so clearly “from the man”). It seems Millenials have upped the DIY ante, considerably.

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Filed Under: Consumer Generated Media
About David Burn

I wrote my first ad for a political candidate when I was 17 years old. She won her race and I felt the seductive power of advertising for the first time. Today—after working for seven agencies in five states—I am head of brand strategy and creative at Bonehook in Portland, Oregon.