	Introduction
	2006 Was Your Year You Were Time Magazine's Person of the Year You Were AdAge's Agency of the Year And This "You" Trend Has Only Just Begun!
	With increasing power in consumers' hands, consumers now have a say in everything from fundamental functions like product design and development to something that has always been kept from them up until now: advertising. Nowadays, companies are doing what might be considered unthinkable several years before: letting the consumers make an ad for them. These ads are called consumer-generated advertising (CGA). CGA is a part of a new trend toward an increase in consumer-generated content on the Internet , which is facilitated by the growth of Web 2.0 applications and access to broadband connections. Many companies have implemented CGA in one form or another to their advertising campaigns in the past 2 years. Some were successful like Converse's Gallery, Mastercard's Priceless, and Burger King's Mask. However, some also failed miserably like Chevrolet's Tahoe, Walmart's The Hub and many other CGA campaigns that nobody has even heard about at all. With this widespread use of CGA, one might wonder the impact that it might have to advertising. Many experts believe that CGA is just a fad that will fade away soon while others believe that CGA is just a part of a bigger trend that is evolving in the advertising world today. In order to examine CGA and its possible impact to the advertising better, this Web site will cover various topics related to CGA from factors involving in the rise of CGA to the reasons why CGA is and is not successful to the future of CGA.
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Introduction

2006 Was Your Year

You Were Time Magazine's Person of the Year

You Were AdAge's Agency of the Year

And This "You" Trend Has Only Just Begun!

With increasing power in consumers' hands, consumers now have a say in everything from fundamental functions like product design and development to something that has always been kept from them up until now: advertising.

Nowadays, companies are doing what might be considered unthinkable several years before: letting the consumers make an ad for them. These ads are called consumer-generated advertising (CGA). CGA is a part of a new trend toward an increase in consumer-generated content on the Internet , which is facilitated by the growth of Web 2.0 applications and access to broadband connections.

Many companies have implemented CGA in one form or another to their advertising campaigns in the past 2 years. Some were successful like Converse's Gallery, Mastercard's Priceless, and Burger King's Mask. However, some also failed miserably like Chevrolet's Tahoe, Walmart's The Hub and many other CGA campaigns that nobody has even heard about at all.

With this widespread use of CGA, one might wonder the impact that it might have to advertising. Many experts believe that CGA is just a fad that will fade away soon while others believe that CGA is just a part of a bigger trend that is evolving in the advertising world today.

In order to examine CGA and its possible impact to the advertising better, this Web site will cover various topics related to CGA from factors involving in the rise of CGA to the reasons why CGA is and is not successful to the future of CGA.