Well that's one way a struggling automaker can keep costs down, especially when you're talking about buying ad time during the 2007 Super Bowl. Chevrolet is holding a contest for college students, asking them to submit their commercial ideas for the company's new lineup of cars. Five teams will be selected from among the submitted ideas and be flown to Detroit (always a treat) to meet with executives from Chevy and its ad agencies. The winner will be involved in the process of producing their idea and turning it into (shudder) a 30-second commercial.

On the face of it this is a fine idea but it's missing one component if you ask me. This needs to be televised. Let the audience vote on the work the teams do and shoot commercials for all five ideas, with cameras following the teams as the spots are produced. Then let the audience vote, with the winner revealed during the Super Bowl broadcast. It's increased engagement as well as garnered interest in the game itself, making the spot itself part of the "appointment viewing." How does this not make sense? I'm tingly with how cool this would be. After all, if you're going to create a 30-second spot you might at least do something original with it.