Who Would Want to Do an Ad for Heinz Anyway?

by Heather Green, Business Week Magazine

Sometimes the NYTimes see so off track in its very earnest voice. Case in point today was their story on online videos that brands ask people to make and send in. There is this thread about how, shock, it's not cheaper to do this than to do a standard ad. Well, it's an entirely different process and it takes different costs, so no, that's not so shocking to me. And making ads on the cheap isn't the point. The point is interacting with people.

But asking folks to participate doesn't always work. And that's the real problem. All these companies jumped in thinking that no matter what they are, or make or do, people will be inspired to make videos that fit what the company thinks it represents.