Author: Steffen Meyer, Mobile Marketing Content Specialist
Customlytics CEO Christian Eckhardt gave marketing competitors a friendly nudge in the latest podcast episode of Mobile Growth & Pancakes by Storemaven: According to Christian, many competitors create ads for social media as if they are creating ads for television or outdoor screens. “This a big clash – and actually quite funny because these traditional ads are just so out of touch with this social media world.”
An ad should match its environment, Christian goes on, and for social ads this means: user-generated content (UGC). Instead of polished “happy people on the beach” commercials, UGC is created by common people with the usual social media tools. This way, the ad blends into the content made by the user’s friends.
“We saw huge success with brands from all sorts of verticals”, says Christian. “And not only do these ads work better, they are also much cheaper to produce.” There is no need for a high production studio or hired models, you just need a phone, regular people and some social media skills.
One big success was the campaign for the electric car sharing company WeShare. “We just told members of our design team at Customlytics to use a car and have a nice day”, Christian explains. The employees did as they were told and created videos during their trips which later became the content of the ad campaign. The success was remarkable: Important KPIs saw significant increases, among others there were 30% more app installs, as pointed out in the corresponding case study.
Though Christian humbly states that “you don’t have to be a marketing genius to come up with this concept” there are many nuances to user-generated content. Among other things, you should pay attention to the channel where you run your ads. “Instagram is different from TikTok”, he states. If you want to know where these differences lie, have a chat with our consultants.
According to Christian , this UGC approach is not a one-hit wonder. “We have tested it for mobility, E-Commerce, travel and a few other companies”, the CEO shares. “I’d say it works for everyone because it’s not a phenomenon, there is an easy explanation why user-generated content works better: It just fits the content you see on these social networks, hiqh-quality productions do not.”
Christian has a simple rule to spot unfitting advertisements: “The biggest tell is that you see it’s an ad.“ He always thinks about how car manufacturers produce their ads. “These are ads where everyone can see at first glance, this is an ad.“
Publishing these old school ads in an environment that is dominated by user-generated content isn’t only expensive and ineffective, it is also hurtful to the brand, as the Customlytics CEO explains. “It doesn’t feel authentic and people don’t relate to it.” Ads with user-generated content on the other hand feel more real and people rather trust them – as the Customlytic’s numbers show.
Cheaper, better, but underused
“They are cheaper and they work better“, Christian sums up UGC advertisements. “So we are asking ourselves: Why would anybody still stick to these old school ads?”
Do you have an answer for this? Share your thoughts with us here or via LinkedIn. Also, have a look at our Marketing Master Map, which was also featured on the podcast.
