User Generated Content (UGC)
User Generated Content (UGC) explained
UGC makes experience visible from the user’s perspective. A self-recorded recipe video, an account of using a device or a product review can answer questions that a brand description leaves open. Its value lies in the specific perspective and information that can be understood and assessed. -created material is not automatically true, representative or an endorsement.
In marketing, the term is also used for paid videos made by so-called UGC creators. These may resemble everyday phone recordings, but they are commissioned advertising. What matters is how the content originated: a voluntary customer experience, an incentivised contribution or a paid production. UGC-style presentation and an independent user opinion are different things.
Brands can invite participation, curate useful contributions or work with creators. The invitation should fit actual product use and be easy to understand. Useful content might demonstrate an application, explain a decision or identify a product limitation. A large number of contributions alone says little about usefulness or quality.
A well-known external industry example is Coca-Cola’s Share a Coke. Coca-Cola describes how the campaign, launched in Australia in 2011, combined names on packaging with an invitation to share. The brand’s campaign idea and the contributions people created around it are distinct. The source documents the example; it is not presented here as a Davies Meyer project or performance claim.
Before reusing a contribution, establish the necessary rights and conditions for the intended use. Public visibility does not automatically authorise advertising use. Identifiable people, music and other third-party material may also be involved. Paid or otherwise incentivised content must be assessed against the advertising disclosure requirements that apply to the publication.
AI can help organise contributions by topic or prepare subtitles and language versions. Claims, context and permissions still need review. Synthetic people or fabricated reviews must not be presented as genuine customer experiences. Quality here means credible experience and useful information; economic evaluation includes curation and review.
Examples
External industry example: Coca-Cola – Share a Coke
Names on packaging and an invitation to share connected brand communication with personal participation. Coca-Cola’s linked retrospective documents the campaign’s origin and brand .
Illustrative scenario: recipe video
A could show how they use a product when cooking. Any subsequent use by the brand would require clarification of the necessary permissions and intended application.
Illustrative scenario: product experience
A customer could describe a device’s strengths and limitations. A useful account does not have to be entirely positive. A paid creator contribution would require a different commercial context.
Key Points
- UGC conveys the user’s perspective.
- Distinguish organic experience from commissioned advertising.
- Genuine origin does not guarantee accuracy or representativeness.
- Clarify rights and disclosure before reuse.
- Treat critical experiences fairly and avoid fabricated reviews.
- Assess quality, usefulness and effort rather than volume alone.
Sources and context
- Coca-Cola: How a campaign got its start Down Under
Company retrospective on the Australian origin of Share a Coke; an external industry example.
- German Copyright Act: Section 31, rights of use
German legal basis for granting and defining usage rights; other affected rights still need assessment.
- German media authorities: online advertising disclosure
Guidance for identifying commercial content in Germany. Assess the specific collaboration, format and applicable market requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions about User Generated Content (UGC)
Examples include users’ own reviews, photos, videos and accounts of experience. Marketing also uses the term for commissioned creator content. It should therefore be clear whether a contribution reflects voluntary experience or paid or incentivised communication.
No. Specific experiences that people can assess may be useful. Contributions can also be inaccurate, manipulated or commercially influenced. Origin, context and content quality matter more than an apparently authentic look.
Publication or a branded hashtag does not replace clarification of the necessary usage rights. For the intended use, check and document the scope of rights, channels, duration, editing and any other affected rights.
Coca-Cola. The company’s linked retrospective describes its launch in Australia in 2011. It is presented as an external campaign; no involvement by Davies Meyer is implied.
A synthetic person or invented statement is not an actual customer experience. AI can assist in editing real contributions where their meaning and context are preserved and the use is permitted. Artificial testimonials must not be presented as genuine experiences.
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