Do benefits of UGM outweigh risks, and the impact of UGM on planning and buying.

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Would you say the benefits outweigh the risks?

Christine Bensen, Vice President, Media, Modem Media:
I think that ultimately the answer is yes. Brands need to understand the risks and be ready to hear and react to negative feedback sincerely and in a timely manner. If a client is not prepared to handle this two-way conversation, then we would not recommend they enter into this arena.

Bryan Wiener, President, 360i:
The risk/reward quotient must be viewed from the perspective of each marketer. Marketers who decide to plunge ahead must be smart with how they go about the campaign. One automaker, for example, allowed consumers to mix and match video segments to create a commercial for the car. It was so pre-fabricated that consumers rebelled, forwarding their friends clips deriding the vehicle as a poorly made gas guzzler. The backfire can largely be attributed to the automaker trying to control the consumer content too much; you have to really let consumers have fun and express themselves, whether it's creatively, intellectually or in some other fulfilling capacity.

Stephen D. Kempisty, Director, Business Development, Flatiron Media:
I would say it depends upon the advertiser. It's definitely a decision that needs to be made on a case-by-case basis.

Lee Slovitt, Media Supervisor, Heartbeat Digital:
Not yet, for the most part.

Jason Weidner, Director of Performance Marketing, Refinery:
To be determined-- typically we in our industry rush to judgment regarding the next great "thing" but I feel time is the only tell tale.

Erik Harbison, Director of Performance Marketing, Refinery:
For the right brand/product/service, I would say the benefits outweigh the risks.

How is the growing importance of UGM changing the media landscape for planning and buying?

Christine Bensen, Vice President, Media, Modem Media:
There is a lot of hype about the opportunity for UGM, but the numbers for concentrated measured outlets -- like Yahoo 360! -- are still quite small. I feel that in this "pre-consolidation" market it will likely be difficult to buy at scale for a little while longer. This means that planning these types of buys will potentially be more cumbersome, but ultimately may be the truest early adopter form and the most effective with the original crowd.

Bryan Wiener, President, 360i:
There are two types of UGM media opportunities. One is placing a buy on a site with a high volume of UGM, such as MySpace or YouTube. The other is for the advertiser to develop its own UGM campaign or property. The former can often fit neatly into a typical media plan, while the latter requires building a new campaign from the ground up and determining where its budget comes from.

UGM is not changing the media landscape for planning and buying just yet, but it's opening up new possibilities about what you can do to engage consumers with a brand. The current hype around MySpace and other sites has far exceeded the current advertising reality.

Stephen D. Kempisty, Director, Business Development, Flatiron Media:
Blogging, video-blogging, podcasting, MySpacing, spoof commercials-- all these different forms of UGM are redefining traditional media.

Lee Slovitt, Media Supervisor, Heartbeat Digital:
Reaching users in certain demographics will become much easier once companies embrace the idea of running on such sites.

Jason Weidner, Director of Performance Marketing, Refinery:
Well, clearly it is demanding change not just in how media is developed but consumed. Obviously planning and buying must follow suit if the channel as a marketing medium is to stay relevant. In terms of the current landscape, I believe it is affecting offline much more than online at this point; meaning large publishers, especially those that are news-oriented, are largely struggling to adapt. This is greatly affecting their bottom lines as well.

Michael J. Konowicz, VP Integrated Strategy, MarketSource IMS:
If there's any impact, it's happening on the creative side... with more consumers interacting and evolving the messaging marketers use in their plans. In terms of planning and buying, there's very little change. We've always had user-generated content online; ten years ago, consumers were posting messages on sites like t@p Online, theGlobe and Geocities. Today, they're in the blogopshere on sites like MySpace, Bolt and Xanga. The same risks and rewards that were in this space 10 years ago are still here today.

Erik Harbison, Director of Performance Marketing, Refinery:
It forces agencies to become more aware of emerging media opportunities; resulting in the need to partner with subject matter experts or build a solution internally.

Agencies are accountable to educate clients about UGM before providing a solution.

Dawn Anfuso is senior editor, iMedia Connection. Read full bio.