UGC, or User-Generated Content, is gaining more and more importance and puts consumers in the lead role as they connect their stories with brands. Whether they're sharing a photo of a new product or adding a review, they are creating content that is not just a passing trend. According to studies by AdWeek, 85% of users trust brands and products more because of UGC. However, behind the facade of authenticity, edited reality and misinformation often lurk.

UGC is growing rapidly, but why?

More and more, we share our lives online, and companies are well aware of this. After all, thanks to available technologies, it’s easier than ever, as evidenced by the 4.2 billion active social media users worldwide.¹ That's why we can find this form of advertising on all kinds of platforms – Instagram, TikTok, Meta, X, and many others. We also find user-generated content on the profiles of the companies themselves, which share user content and thereby encourage their customers to create creatively, effectively gaining free advertising. It is viewed positively because of its authenticity and trustworthiness compared to traditional advertising. According to a report by Gartner, up to 84% of millennials are influenced by UGC during purchasing decisions. These campaigns encourage people to interact, and users then spread the content themselves, which brings significant benefits to the company (in the best case scenario). But as is often the case, when something looks too good, it's important to be careful and stay alert.

The dark side of UGC 

Even UGC is not free of doubt. Despite its undeniable advantages, it is essential to look at the dark side of this modern form of advertising. A key factor lies in the content creators themselves, whose creations can be inconsistent and unprofessional. Poor quality can lead to an inappropriate brand representation and create the wrong impression, which can lower its value.

Companies therefore risk users promoting their product in poor quality, with inappropriate content, or with grammatical errors. The biggest barrier is misleading information. Due to low options to intervene in moderation, disinformation damages the company's name and, according to MIT research, has a 70% higher chance of being redistributed than true stories. Fake reviews, whether positive or negative, are not desirable, and this pushes UGC back into the corner of skepticism regarding authenticity and credibility, which is more important for some users than popularity.
We can only argue about who bears responsibility for harmful content, but theorizing will not protect the reputation of companies, which must maintain sufficient distance from harmful disinformation content and promote the truth through their own authenticity.

Successful UGC campaigns

To better understand UGC in practice, we have prepared examples of both successful and unsuccessful campaigns that decided to harness the power of the crowd.
So what is the "template" for a successfully triggered UGC? For many years now, we have had a repeating set of campaigns that consistently garner positive feedback from all over the world.

One of the best examples of a successful UGC campaign is the GoPro Awards. This prestigious program rewards the best shots taken with GoPro cameras and motivates users to share their best experiences, uploading photos and videos to relevant categories where they have a chance to win cash prizes and other rewards. In this way, GoPro gives away up to 5 million dollars annually. GoPro not only promotes its brand and products but also builds a strong community that inspires one another and shares experiences. GoPro uses this high-quality content in its marketing materials and social media, significantly boosting its visibility and trustworthiness. The most famous contribution of this campaign is a video by Richard Leonard, shared on the official GoPro channel, which went viral globally.

Another textbook example of the power of UGC is the BeReal app, which is built on the user's desire to share and see content that is authentic and connected to everyday lives and experiences, rather than perfect, studio-shot content. Once a day, at a random moment, the app prompts users to capture and share their current moment within two minutes using a photo free of filters and post-production editing. In 2023, BeReal organized a unique campaign, projecting the best and funniest photos from around the world on the giant billboards of Times Square in New York. It gave its users the opportunity to be part of something big and showcased creativity and diversity, which captured attention and strengthened BeReal and its community.

Unsuccessful UGC campaigns

Now that we've become pros at identifying successful UGC campaigns, it's time to learn from the mistakes of others and look at companies that did not reap such success and instead sparked controversies that are hard to smooth over.

One example of an unsuccessful UGC campaign is #McDStories by McDonald's. In 2012, they ambitiously launched a Twitter campaign aimed at encouraging customers to share positive stories and experiences associated with McDonald's. Twitter is already a dangerous place due to zero user filtering, and this positive campaign quickly spiraled out of control and turned completely disastrous.
Under the hashtag #McDStories, instead of sharing positive stories, users began sharing negative reviews. They complained about food quality and showed the dark sides of the company. Although the campaign went viral, instead of strengthening the brand, McDonald's became a laughing stock. Their original clown mascot immediately became the exact symbol of how McDonald's came across on Twitter, but instead of just a clown, it became the whole circus. Although they tried to quickly withdraw the campaign, the damage was already done and irreversible.

#McDStories is a prime example of how a UGC campaign can spiral out of control if it is not carefully planned. They expected users to act as brand ambassadors sharing only positives, but these unrealistic expectations spelled disaster.
Another example of a failed campaign is the Christmas #SpreadTheCheer by Starbucks in the UK, designed to boost the festive atmosphere and positive mood. Just like with McDonald’s, this forced positivity backfired. People started using the hashtag to express frustration toward the company, which, according to customers, exploited Christmas sentimentality for its own profit while failing to maintain basic working conditions and dodging taxes.

It certainly didn't help this campaign that the #SpreadTheCheer posts were displayed publicly at London's Natural History Museum. This negative feedback didn't stay hidden away on social networks but was highlighted in both the virtual and real worlds.

How are leads generated?

But how should you go about it? To build a community and increase brand awareness, a company must use effective leads that reach potential new customers and increase the engagement of the existing community. When executed successfully, businesses can reap many benefits such as increased brand awareness, trust building, enhanced engagement, or increased conversions. According to some research, up to 93% of brands have acquired new customers thanks to UGC and confirmed an engagement increase of 28%² higher than classic brand content, which receives 10 times fewer views than UGC.

There are many effective ways to encourage the generation of user content, but each has its own cultural specifics and factors to watch out for.

1. Hashtag – Creating unique hashtags makes it easier for users to share relevant content. Companies can track the market impact of a new product under a given hashtag. Customers can be prompted to continue sharing products under the hashtag with the promise that their post could be selected and featured on the brand's official account. You can organize a contest using a hashtag and offer prizes for the best post. Running contests encourages users to produce UGC and allows you to utilize high-quality content for upcoming marketing campaigns. Influencers can also be involved in hashtags, using the unique hashtag and motivating their relevant audience to join in. However, we must not forget to choose an appropriate Call to Action so that users are aware of the hashtag and have a reason to use it in their posts.

2. Giveaway – People love free stuff and will jump at the chance to enter a contest. By hosting a giveaway, companies can offer people a product, an experience, money, and more. It is entirely up to you how you choose to structure the giveaway. Followers can be asked to share a post, tag friends, use a hashtag in their post, follow the page, create content, or a combination of these.

3. Creation and Voting – Take inspiration from campaigns like the GoPro Awards and invite your users to upload their best photos, videos, and experiences with your brand or product, and reward the most interesting ones. You can select the winners yourself, or once again involve users by allowing them to vote for the best and most popular post – this keeps you out of your bubble and provides the perspective that is often needed to avoid ending up like the unsuccessful McDonald’s and Starbucks campaigns.

4. Content Reposting – By actively reposting content created by customers, companies motivate other users to create their own content. Not only that, but they also strengthen community ties and boost brand visibility. Tagging builds relationships, and customers will be happy that their photo has reached a broader audience. 😊

5. Reviews – Let customers rate your product and publish those ratings. This gives you feedback you can use to improve. User reviews are also UGC that can be utilized in your marketing campaigns. Both Gen Z and Millennials find UGC up to 50% more trustworthy than traditional ads.

6. Trends – Creating UGC relies primarily on platforms like YouTube and TikTok, where Gen Z is most active. Meanwhile, targeting millennials uses a combination of the aforementioned platforms, including Instagram, Meta, and Twitter, as indicated by research from The Manifest. According to Later Social, current trends in UGC content include unboxing videos, reviews, tutorials, and showcasing authentic experiences.

Choosing the Right Metrics

So, what metrics should we choose to know if our UGC campaign was truly successful? Common key performance indicators (KPIs) in the engagement area include likes, reposts, comments, click-through rates, or social media growth. If we want to measure conversions, we will look at conversions coming directly from UGC posts (e.g., influencer discount codes, etc.). At the same time, we should monitor the lifetime value of customers who are exposed to UGC.