Consumers should be taught to learn how to become better storytellers if they want to participate in ads creations. Briefly summed up, this is the recommendation Denise Lee Yohn professes on iMedia Connection. Sort of Ok OK what she says but this 'we as pros do better' attitude would make me cringe if not done on purpose. I hope. I hate patronizing. Amongst other things the brand marketer states that common people's creation " ..better be good work" , that 'the brand should dictate the strategy' and that " the objective is not to make people laugh".  I see all that. But wait a minute: laughing is one of the strongest emotions advertisers are trying to trigger. So let's rephrase the previous: "If we're going to be seeing more work from ad directors at all, it better be good work" :-) There have been far too many mediocre ads heralded as great ones and unfortunately 'novelty' is not some excuse we can give them. I'd like to answer with the following recommendation, stolen from the excellent 'I am the media' from FutureLab. Alain is a fair guy and I am sure he appreciates the Allow me to copy some of its material here.

While Denise is still wondering "if the average Joes who enter ad contests are as capable of creating work as great that produced by experienced and trained ad agency creative directors", I suggest you take a look at the recent Deloitte's video contest I mentioned last week. Yes I think they can make an ad. At least something that I care about, that is fun & memorable, that i can easily tell others, that makes my conversations more interesting. They exist.