Here's a tactic that would have really worked well for several of my clients had they the "balls" to do something along the lines of Pepsi's User Generated Soda Can Contest, according to B.L. Ochman

"…Pepsi's new "Design Our Pepsi Can Contest" offers $10,000 for the re-design of its soda can. Consumers create and enter their design on the site, where the public will be able to vote on a winning design that will be featured on 500 million Pepsi cans."

I like they let you use your own tools or theirs - I tried theirs and found them too limiting - I was hoping to upload a painting of my own to wrap around the Pepsi Can.  Too Bad I can't use the Coke Painting I just did over the weekend (see below):

This painting was really about how Branded Objects are magnified  in significance and power in Virtual 3D Worlds - I'm not sure I got what I was looking for in my study - but there are elements of my painting that I like and I'm enjoying looking a print of it that's hanging in my office - as reproductions all my recent work is.

Getting back to User Generated Content - in this case really doing that - how would it work for different types of sites:

1. My House Plan Architects - They could have run a contest for people to visit their site and design a house plan - at least the facade of one.  The "winning" design gets full development and is named after the creator - plus the creator gets round trip air fair and 5,000 dollars to visit the Architects offices and party for a weekend.

2. My Ireland Travel Distributor Clients - They could have run a contest to design their own vacation - the most "exciting vacation" becomes a real vacation and is paid for - and named after the Winner.

3. My client, www.ChaaCreek.com   Travel Resort in Belize - they could have designed the ideal resort vacation at their hotel and spa, and the winner get to take it and get filed in clip shown on the site.

All this stuff does cost money to do, but it creates BUZZ and Customer Loyalty.  Frankly, I'd rather see the money spent that way than giving it to Google and Yahoo in the form of PPC that often doesnt work and converts poorly -  but that's just me.

People love contests and the chance to express themselves for a prize - who just to compete; give them the opportunity to do so and win something meaningful - that's the lesson of the User Generated Pepsi Soda Can.