Authenticity unleashed: How UK UGC creators are shaping the future of digital campaigns

UK and global brands successfully use UGC creators

Many brands are already seeing success with UGC.

Here are some examples of impressive UGC campaigns.

ITV x Love Island's UGC campaign

ITV took a strategic approach to promote its Love Island Water Bottles through influencer marketing. The TV network activated relatable creators who resonated with their target audience. These creators were given creative briefs and unique affiliate links to track engagement. The campaign resulted in 60 pieces of content and drove significant traffic to the product website.

The content and the water bottles, which shoppers could personalise with their names, encouraged users to share about their new purchases. UGC included unboxing videos, Love Island-inspired skits, and lip-syncs. This created significant buzz around the product and show.

ASOS UGC hashtag campaign

ASOS’s #AsSeenOnMe campaign invited customers to share photos of themselves wearing ASOS products on Instagram using the hashtag #AsSeenOnMe.

These posts were featured on ASOS’s website and social media channels, showing real people styling their outfits.

The results were impressive: By 2021, the hashtag had generated over 1.4 million posts on Instagram. The campaign also created a sense of community, celebrating diversity and encouraging participation from customers of all shapes, sizes, and styles.

Airbnb’s user-generated content examples

Airbnb's Made Possible by Hosts campaign, launched in March 2021, was designed to showcase the unique experiences that hosts create for guests.

Unlike traditional marketing campaigns, Airbnb took a documentary-style storytelling approach, creating a series of films using real photographs of guests staying in Airbnb homes worldwide.

These authentic visuals tapped into people's nostalgia for past trips and anticipation of future travel. Many social media users also shared posts about Airbnb stays using the hashtag #madepossiblebyhosts.

As Hiroki Asai, Airbnb's marketing leader, noted, most of their traffic is organic, allowing them to focus on "educating the world about hosted travel and what makes Airbnb unique."

The campaign showed positive results, with increased traffic to the platform in markets where it ran.

Calvin Klien's organic #mycalvins UGC campaign

Calvin Klein's #MyCalvins campaign is a prime example of how UGC makes brands more relatable and inclusive.

Launched in 2014, the campaign encouraged users to share photos of themselves wearing Calvin Klein apparel, completing the slogan "I _______ in #MyCalvins." The campaign featured celebrities like Justin Bieber and Kendall Jenner but also invited everyday customers to participate, creating a vast collection of authentic content.

The campaign resulted in millions of social media interactions and a lasting impact on the brand's image. Its success has lasted, with the hashtag #MyCalvins still active today. This shows how UGC can be one of the best campaigns for building long-term impact.

UK apps and platforms: Where can you find UGC creators?

There are a number of places where you can discover UGC creators, such as:

• Influencer marketing platforms: Platforms like Kolsquare help you find creators who develop high-quality UGC. All you have to do is run a quick search and filter for location, audience demographics, and more.
• Billo: A platform that helps brands collect and manage user-generated content from multiple sources, often connecting them with micro-influencers and creators.
• Trend.io: This content marketplace connects brands with a global network of vetted creators, ensuring high-quality and authentic UGC.
• Influencer marketing agencies: Many agencies now specialise in connecting brands with UGC creators.
• Social media platforms: Search niche hashtags and those like #UGCcreator on TikTok or Instagram to discover emerging talent and connect directly with potential creators.

If you’re searching independently, you’ll need to check that the creator matches your requirements, including:

• Demographics
• Content style
• Location
• Interests
• Values/message

This will ensure your target audience resonates with the UGC you create.

Best practices for user-generated content marketing

Running great campaigns will encourage more people to join in, resulting in better results for your brand.

Let's explore the best practices for selecting creators and running campaigns.

How to choose the right UGC creators

Here are the best practices for selecting and inspiring users to develop UGC:

Create a community feel

UGC has the power to make your customers feel like they're part of a community around your brand. This inspires more people to join in creating organic content.

Make participation ridiculously easy

UGC creators are rarely paid high wages, and many create content for free. So, make it easy and fun to participate. Use hashtags for organic campaigns. For paid campaigns, set up a simple onboarding process with clear guidelines.

Celebrate your values

UGC is a great place to showcase your diversity and inclusivity. Make sure your campaigns are accessible and activate influencers who are passionate about your brand message.

Opt for data-driven selection

Use data to find creators who truly connect with your audience. Analyse engagement rates and audience demographics to ensure alignment with your target market. Tools like Kolsquare can help identify influencers whose followers match your customer profile in terms of age, location, and interests.

How to create a UGC campaign?

Below is a list of the best practices for businesses running UGC campaigns:

Analyse what worked

UGC campaigns are a low-cost addition to your marketing strategy, but that doesn't mean you can sit back and relax. This tactic provides a huge opportunity to build brand awareness, so track social metrics to analyse what works. For example, track which hashtags were most used and which types of content were most impactful.

Turn top performers into ambassadors

Once you know which fans create high-performance UGC, you can invite them to become brand ambassadors or collaborate in other ways. Long-term collaborations feel more authentic and are the best way to benefit from the creator's skills.

Repurpose UGC

Create a content calendar to plan when and where you repurpose your UGC. You can share the promotions on:

• blog posts
• your own social media channels
• product pages
• email marketing

Remember to ask before using content and consider reimbursing the creator to build rapport.

Share results with participants

When users perform well, let them know and reward them. Consider sending free products or invites to exclusive experiences to encourage more UGC and make them feel valued. This is a great opportunity for strengthening loyalty even more.

Refine your brief

After determining which prompts generated the highest-quality submissions, companies should improve their guidelines and instructions. Explain clearly what successful content looks like and offer incentives for high-quality posts.

Create a contract

Paid UGC should be under contract, even if you're working with smaller creators. After all, you don't want to turn your biggest fans against you.

Be sure to include the common contract clauses, including:

• usage rights
• content ownership
• intellectual property
• scope of work
• compensation terms and conditions
• deliverables and timelines
• termination clauses
• moral rights

It's best practice to create a thorough contract that protects your brand and the creator.

To pay or not to pay: The value of paid vs. organic UGC

There are two ways to run a UGC campaign: paid and organic. it's important to understand the differences.

Let's investigate the differences and determine which one is likely to benefit your business.

Paid UGC campaigns

Companies launching paid UGC campaigns compensate creators. They also oversee the content, send guidelines, and approve posts. This approach allows brands to control the content's style, quality, and distribution.

It's best to use paid UGC campaigns for:

• product launches
• sending specific messages
• increasing reach and engagement

Paid UGC is ideal for generating buzz around new products or services.

Here are the top benefits of paid UGC:

• Control and consistency: A company has more control over the content, ensuring it aligns with its marketing goals and sends a specific message.
• Cost-effectiveness: Paid UGC can be more cost-effective than traditional advertising. It may offer better ROI and higher engagement rates.
• Targeted reach: UGC creators have small audiences. They can promote a company to a target audience precisely.

Put simply, use paid UGC if you want a controlled, authentic strategy that hits specific objectives. It's a great way to boost brand awareness or promote a new product without high costs. It's especially useful when you want to reuse content across other channels

Organic UGC campaigns

Organic UGC is voluntarily posted by customers. Here, users share genuine experiences, which are some of the most authentic endorsements a brand can receive.

Here are the goals organic UGC helps you reach:

• building trust
• long-term marketing success
• strengthening community

Organic UGC is useful for establishing credibility among potential customers. These campaigns bring out your real fans, so it's a great way to discover new creators to work with. You may even discover fresh content ideas from your customers.

Let's dive into how a company would benefit from organic UGC campaigns:

• Authenticity and trust: Organic UGC is perceived as more genuine, leading to higher trust levels among consumers.
• Community building: Increase customer loyalty by creating communities through UGC. When users build communities around a brand, they are more likely to keep shopping with them.
• Cost-effective: You don't need to pay creators to run these campaigns. Simply inspire community engagement, repost, and watch your brand grow its reach.

Overall, unpaid tactics are the most authentic and low-cost. However, inspiring users to post videos and photos does take effort.

Below are some tactics for running a successful organic UGC campaign:

• Create a memorable brand experience: Develop unique experiences that leave a lasting impression on your customers, encouraging them to share their stories organically.
• Use branded hashtags: Create a unique hashtag that resonates with your brand identity. This will make it easy to track and showcase posts.
• Run contests and giveaways: Host competitions where participation requires users to create and share content related to your brand.
• Showcase user content: Feature UGC on your social media channels, website, or marketing materials to motivate users by providing recognition and visibility.
• Engage with your audience: Actively interact with your audience by responding to comments and acknowledging their contributions.
• Leverage influencers: Partner with influencers who align with your brand values to inspire their followers to create UGC.
• Provide behind-the-scenes insights: Share company stories, product development processes, or employee tales to build a sense of connection and community.

Budgeting for UGC vs. influencer marketing

Budgeting for UGC and influencer marketing is quite different. UGC is usually more affordable, especially if it’s organic. However, to encourage participation, you may need to offer incentives like giveaways or contests. When running UGC campaigns, invest time and resources into developing an engaging strategy. Consider whether you want to run an event or hashtag challenge.

On the other hand, influencer marketing, where creators charge higher up-front fees, is more expensive. Influencers have worked hard to build a loyal following, and partnering with them can help your brand gain credibility and reach specific groups that align with your target audience. While it costs more, influencer marketing brings extra benefits, like prestige and high brand awareness. In addition, influencers are experts in creating content that speaks to their audiences.

The benefits of UGC for brands and marketers

UGC drives higher engagement rates, as audiences trust peer-generated content more than branded ads.

Below are the key opportunities presented by UGC.

Higher engagement rates

UGC drives higher engagement rates, as audiences trust peer-generated content more than branded ads. This encourages users to create communities around brands.

Cost-effectiveness

It’s a low-cost strategy, allowing you to save on production costs while increasing awareness and social proof. You can also reuse UGC in other areas.

Scalability

UGC is scalable, enabling you to reach a wider audience with ease. With the right strategy, you can build a steady stream of fresh, relevant content without running expensive paid campaigns.

Impacting purchase decisions

Incorporating UGC into ads creates social proof, leading to better engagement, click-through rates, and conversions.

Over time, these promotions put your product top of mind, strengthen loyalty, and build community. These factors influence purchase decisions when shoppers are looking to buy.

The future of customer-created content: How to run a UGC campaign in 2025 and beyond?

UGC is growing more popular. As a result, a number of trends are emerging.

Let's examine the future of UGC :

• Artificial intelligence is set to revolutionise UGC for content creation, behaviour analysis, and pattern identification
• Brands will focus on building loyal customer communities online
• Immersive experiences with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) will likely increase in UGC campaigns, allowing brands to develop interactive content
• Brands are shifting towards local UGC strategies, tailoring content to appeal to regional markets
• The trend towards shoppable UGC will continue as consumers grow more comfortable purchasing on social media platforms
• Smaller creators will stay at the forefront as they offer the most authenticity and high engagement

For UK brands, embracing UGC is the new standard for building trust, engagement, and long-term customer relationships.