I’m a big Cluetrain guy, so I’ve been watching as the wall between company and customer has grown semi-permeable. Communication is not and cannot be a one-way street. “Markets are conversations.”

For many companies, user-generated content is a HUGE part of their total customer interface. Support forums. Of a bunch of geeky companies, but the geeks tend to be ahead of the curve.

In these, the most knowledgeable and, especially, engaged customers become part of the company, solving simple problems and pointing people to known solutions.

There are already a zillion support forums for every kind of commercial enterprise on the planet, yet big companies that could use it are scared to death. Ford is completely clueless and Toyota has generated this lame approximation of Web 2.0. Click and Clack, the Tappet Bros. are eating Detroit’s lunch!

So into this mix we throw the “new” idea of user-generated ads. If the process plays true to form, The Client will insist on controlling the outcome, The Agency will pick the submission that most closely resembles their own [lame] ideas, The Spots will be bland, and the whole effect will be to alienate the very people most passionate about the brand. Their quirky, insightful stuff won’t even get close to the short list.

Meanwhile, somebody will be creating a Google to destroy the Yahoo! that is Mad Ave/User-Gen. It might be called YouTube.

Digg is leading the way in this, but you have to be a certain type of person to feel that Digg has the right stories for you. The perfect thing would be to somehow mix your facebook \ myspace friends up and get the media recommendations from them. This would then allow things to be relevant.

Might be ideal.