UGC (User Generated Content) was long relegated to simple, secondary social activation. Today, we realize that its effectiveness is now at the heart of brands' content strategies. Therefore, we must question the blurring line between amateur creators, professional influencers, and sponsored content in this rapidly changing ecosystem. We are witnessing a drastic redefinition of the relationship between brands and creators, but what are the stakes?
UGC: A Strategic Lever for Performance and Authenticity
UGC is unquestionably becoming a very strategic resource for brands. The generated content, whether video or simply in the form of a testimonial, is perceived as a performance driver that is certainly more engaging, but above all, more authentic and less costly to produce. The attention rate is thus greatly improved, pushing brands to invest ever more in a diversity of micro-creators via UGC platforms or specialized agencies for sourcing these talents.
The Risk of Industrialization: Preserving Creative Freedom
Indeed, brands can now easily access a multitude of potentially relevant profiles, where ordering a dozen videos from certified creators becomes simple. An important point to underline, however, is the increasing feeling of a creator becoming a service provider rather than a partner. The risk is present of shifting from a personalized relationship to a more industrialized one, where the creator receives a brief, executes it, delivers, and is then remunerated.
To prevent the creativity of these talents from losing some of its soul, it is necessary and paramount that a space for creative freedom nonetheless remains.
Emerging Talent and the Ethics of Collaboration
Furthermore, UGC is first and foremost a formidable opportunity and entry point for emerging talents. Where classic influence campaigns relied on established profiles, UGC allows young creators to get noticed, prove their worth, and sometimes be contacted directly by brands. Collaboration must also rely strictly on fundamentals. Whether it's respecting the work and the creative style, clarity of usage rights, and assumed co-creation—these are all crucial elements for maintaining a certain form of creativity, ethics, and humanity in the exchanges.
In this balance, the brands that will stand out are not those that exploit dozens of videos without any connection, but truly those that build genuine relationships of trust and creativity, even on a small scale, with chosen talents.
Budget Optimization and Investment Allocation
Cost management is essential. Thus, for an optimal UGC strategy, we recommend a creation budget not exceeding 10% of the media investment, with an overall recommended split of 25% for creation and 75% for media buying.
This allocation guarantees the production of quality content while ensuring effective and targeted distribution. We also advise adopting a flexible approach, adjusting investments based on content performance and obtained returns, in order to optimize the overall campaign ROI.
Conclusion and Support
At the agency, we are committed to offering our clients relevant and quality UGC content, with the goal of enhancing brand reach. If you would like to know more, please do not hesitate to contact our creative team, who will be delighted to support you in your future advertising campaigns!
