From 'Brand Guardians' to 'Brand Hosts'

10:00 AM Mar 04, 2006

Consumer-generated content establishes a beachhead (free registration/bugmenot required) on Madison Avenue with a Current TV deal to have viewers make their own ads -- a more lucrative expression of the spirit behind the MoveOn Bush ad contest of '04 and more broadly, a wide swath of Web 2.0 phenomena such as YouTube and Flickr.

Personally, I can't think why someone would want to make an advert for L'Oreal, but then, I watch the Super Bowl for the game and hit the can at halftime. People are motivated by all kinds of crazy stuff. Possibly even your cause.

This comment from Sony's marketing officer could just as easily be about nonprofits:

"Agencies beware ... It’s a great reinvention. ... These are the folks we want to tap into speaking to each other -- let’s put them to work on their terms, not ours."

Sounds like a good deal, being a "brand host," if you get to keep the company jet and the expense-account Alpine vacations. At what point, though, does the old corporate office become the "brand parasite"?

Update:  Speaking of branding, see what happens when Microsoft redesigns the iPod box. (Hat tip:  Donor Power blog)

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