Did You Notice That Ad?
Credit: Hollister
I’m scrolling on TikTok and a video comes up. It’s about meditation. A woman is narrating a video on how to relax. After watching the entire video a pop-up appears telling me to download an app. Oh my god! I realized I just watched an ad. And enjoyed it. Have you experienced this lately?
Well, it’s probably no surprise that most people hate ads. A recent study from the Interactive Advertising Bureau found that consumers hate content produced by brands, but love content produced by users:
“86% of consumers say that authenticity is important when deciding what brands they like and support. Consumers are 3x more likely to say that content created by a consumer is authentic compared to content created by a brand.”
Countless other studies have found the same results. A study by Crowdtap found:
“Our [Crowdtap] research with Ipsos MediaCT, which focused on Millennials in particular, found that consumers ages 18 to 36 trust UGC 50% more than they do traditional media. The study also found that user-generated content (UGC) is 20% more influential when it comes to purchase decisions and 35% more memorable than other types of media.
But brands didn’t stop making ads. They just changed their strategy. More advertisements than ever aren’t produced by the brand, but rather UGC. I’d like to layout two arguments in this post:
Stop using the phrase UGC
Entertaining ads are better for the world
A New Phrase: Polished User-Generated Content
First, let us stop calling every piece of content produced by an influencer or actor, UGC. Is the creator of the content being compensated? If so, is it really UGC? Is it truly authentic? Even more so, the brand can help edit some of the content to make it appear more professional — of course, without giving the impression that the content is produced by the brand.
I propose we start using the word polished user-generated content. What does this mean? Any content produced and filmed by the user, but is compensated by a brand either monetarily or through labor.
Ok, now that we have agreed on my new word. Let me explain why polished UGC is a great trend for consumers and brands.
Better Ads = More Money for Brands and More Happiness for Users
The problem with brands producing their own ads was that they didn’t know the consumer as well as they thought. For example, who would you prefer selling a product to Generation-Z, Hollister or the D’Amelio sisters? The answer is the latter. If you don’t know who they are, they are TikTok influencers with 115M followers between the two of them. They are the face of the Generation-Z. It thus made sense for Hollister to partner with them to sell their new line of jeans. There is even a website dedicated to the jeans that Charli D’Amelio wears. It’s clear that consumers not only pay attention to UGC, but buy the products featured in them.
They know what captures the consumer’s attention and produce the content that reaches them.
In conclusion, stop using UGC. Start saying polished UGC. Let’s celebrate that ads are getting better. I look forward to the day when I will stop clicking skip ad.