Consumer generated content is taking over the world. Five of the top ten websites on the net are created by consumers. Wikipedia is by far the most popular source of information online with a market share approaching 20%, eclipsing traditional resources like the Encyclopædia Britannica.

Now consumers are creating ads too. For a while, netizens have been altering existing TV commercials for fun and replaying them on YouTube, often to the dismay of the advertiser. Tapping into this trend, some adventurous marketers, like Mountain Dew are asking their consumers to make the ads for them, which they will air online and on popular cable channels like MTV and Comedy Central. Nintendo asked MySpacers to create video vignettes demonstrating how they would play with the new Wii console.

For years, advertisers have spent millions in research to better understand their target audiences. Maybe now they can just skip that stage and ask their customers to make their commercials for them.

There is no doubt the quality will suffer dramatically but they may make up for that in authenticity.

What about a real cancer patient sitting at his kitchen table talking about how a new drug saved his life? Or a real housewife in a home video explaining why she buys Tide or shops at Sears?

People have been watching funniest home videos for years. Why not best home commercials from people who are passionate about their favorite brands? Getting a real customer to endorse a product in an authentic way is the true definition of third party credibility.