Consumer generated content can be a powerful thing. A group of passionate people with the skills to create video, artwork or other media is a force to be reckoned with. Sometimes this group uses those talents to create media relating to a particular brand that is either positive or negative toward that brand.

Recently a slew of marketers such as Mastercard, Chevrolet and others have attempted to tap into this powerful community of content creators with campaigns that appear to encourage people to create their own "Priceless..." spots or commercials for a Tahoe SUV. More often than not, though, the manner in which the companies do this is by giving people a bunch of stock footage to cut together or simply a fill-in-the-blanks type of form by which to "create" their own ad. That's not consumer-generated content. I think it's great that these advertisers are trying to engage with consumers but true engagement means not forcing the creators to use your sand in your sandbox for a length of time you decide upon. You need to go out and get your hands dirty with the people who are creating stuff on their own. Talk to them, figure out what moves them to spend such time on their efforts. Whether it's a simple blog post or a 7-minute film on YouTube about how much they love/loathe a new product, true power lies in joining the existing conversation not in forcing people to play an adult version of Choose Your Own Adventure.