VW, Lego, Doritos: The Secret to Success Is User-Generated Content

User Generated Content (UGC) is a popular topic of debate: Is it relevant and does it contribute to positive brand development or is it just more content that no one is interested in? There are good arguments for both sides and also good and negative examples. Content, especially UGC, is often accused of passing you by like a ship on a river at night. Quote from a well-known advertising expert.

Others rave about how great it is when consumers voluntarily spend time with a brand and create and share content with love. In any case, the content should match the quality standards of the brand.

Either way, UGC has become an important part of many campaigns. Authentic content created by customers and fans themselves has great power to increase the affection and popularity of a brand. True to the motto: I trust another consumer more than the brand.

UGC is also valuable for building authenticity and community engagement. However, UGC campaigns often pose major challenges in terms of quality assurance and brand safety. Or they require a large reward/incentive so that users actually generate “good” content themselves.

It is equally important to equip users with the necessary resources and know-how and to have them accompanied by influencers and professionals. We therefore advocate the concept of user brand dialogue with brands. We communicators act as moderators and ideally bring together the best of both worlds.

Quality assurance and brand safety

The quality of content plays a crucial role in how a brand is perceived, so it is important to achieve clear guidelines and standards for UGC. This can be done by providing tools and tutorials to help users create high-quality posts.

A classic example of this is Doritos' Crash the Super Bowl campaign, where fans were able to submit their own commercials. Careful pre-selection and professional editing ensured that the submitted commercials met Doritos' high quality standards.

Another now classic example of user-generated content was provided by Coca-Cola: The Share a Coke campaign, launched in 2011, featured hundreds of the most popular first names on Coca-Cola cans and bottles. Through classic ads and displays in stores, customers were encouraged to find a bottle or can with their own name on it and share a photo of it on social media platforms with the hashtag #ShareaCoke.

In connection with UGC today, it is also important to remember that AI tools are available to everyone. This must be regulated, and users must agree in the terms and conditions not to use AI. And if AI is to be used, it is advisable to choose a model that has been trained for the customer with their brand values and quality standards, as the example of the AI donut challenge below clearly shows.

Brand safety is another critical aspect. It is important that user-generated content reflects brand values and does not contain controversial or harmful messages. This is where moderation tools and a dedicated content moderation team come into play.

Platforms like Lego Ideas, where fan involvement goes much further, into product design, have implemented rigorous review processes to ensure that all proposals comply with brand guidelines and are suitable for a young audience. With the exponential growth of generative AI, which is of course also available to users, the review process will face major challenges, especially in the area of buyouts and copyrights.

Equipping users with resources and know-how

A successful UGC strategy therefore involves providing users with the tools and knowledge they need to create 'on-brand' content. This can be done through tutorials, workshops and direct support. GoPro is a prime example of how to empower your community while showing how to use your products. GoPro not only provides technical support but also inspirational content that motivates users to share their own experiences. This not only encourages content creation but also brand loyalty.

When it comes to resources, I also think of AI: There is a useful use case here of how AI can help improve the quality of UGC while breaking new ground. A pioneering achievement is the 'AI Donut Challenge' on thefluffykrapfenclub.com, where anyone can create creative donut artworks without any prior knowledge. The 'AI Krapfinator', based on the DALL-E 2 and Stable Diffusion technologies, makes artistic collaboration particularly easy and accessible. Participants simply have to enter creative descriptions that include the word 'donut' to create digital artworks. These artworks can then be shared and rated with the entire community.

Strategic support from influencers and professionals

To maximise the reach and impact of UGC campaigns, collaboration with influencers and professional content creators is crucial. Influencer marketing can act as a catalyst that significantly increases UGC visibility and engagement.

One example is the VW Golf R campaign: Volkswagen launched a campaign to mark the launch of the new Golf R that celebrates the creativity and passion of its fan base. The heart of the campaign is a four-minute masterclass on YouTube. Award-winning director Alberto Blanco and his cameraman Mikey Zeller show fans how they can stage their Golf R using creative camera settings, perspectives and editing techniques. Especially on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, fans receive tips and tricks from the well-known carfluencer Sophiacalate (@sophiacalate).

This strategic support not only ensures a greater reach, but also a higher level of trust and authenticity. Influencers and professionals can serve as role models who increase the quality of the content and at the same time act as a kind of quality control. Another strategy for minimising risk is user rankings of user suggestions, which function similarly to a viewer award.

Benefits of UGC and Influencer Marketing

As a brand and communicator, it is worth using the power of consumers and incorporating their creativity. This is best achieved in collaboration with influencers, who often act as a magnet, and under the leadership of a communications agency that develops user-generated content (USG) as a campaign element and integrates it into an overarching communications plan.

These are the advantages of this approach:

• Authenticity and credibility: UGC and influencer marketing convey an authentic and credible brand image. Content from real people appears more trustworthy and emotionally appealing than traditional advertising messages.
• Transparency and brand image: Involving the community in communication creates transparency and strengthens the brand image. User-generated content shows that the brand takes its customers seriously and values their opinion.
• Customer satisfaction and ROI: UGC and influencer marketing can significantly increase customer satisfaction and return on investment (ROI). Positive reviews and recommendations from customers and influencers lead to more new customers and sales.
• Measuring success and trends: By analysing UGC and influencer activities, valuable insights into the target group and current trends can be gained. This data forms the basis for optimised campaign management and future-oriented marketing strategies.

The ROI is often quickly apparent: On Instagram, for example, there are over 870,000 photos with the hashtag #MyCalvins. Most of them are selfies of twenty-somethings proudly wearing Calvin Klein cotton underwear in bed or in the bathroom mirror.

The American fashion brand launched the campaign in early 2014 to promote its underwear and has since expanded it to market denim. The campaign has proven to be very effective as it not only attracted the attention of a coveted audience but also generated endless streams of user-generated content on social platforms. It is one of the longest-running UGC campaigns, which also impacts the selection of models for the billboard advertisements.

Conclusion

User-generated content offers enormous potential for brands that want to strengthen their authenticity and community loyalty. Through targeted quality assurance, strict brand safety measures and the strategic support of influencers and professionals, UGC becomes a user brand dialogue with brands that has a significant impact on brand image and customer loyalty.

Campaigns such as 'Crash the Super Bowl' by Doritos, the GoPro community, myCalvins or the VW Golf R approaches impressively demonstrate how successfully UGC can be used in communication. By providing our users with the right resources and know-how and also being able to use AI tools, we not only create "better and more effective" content, but also promote a strong and committed brand ecosystem.