from Foxtail Marketing"There is nothing hotter in the world of marketing right now than user generated content campaigns," writes Alan Cassinelli of Postano.
Quite the superlative statement, right?
There is validity to that statement, based on research found in Who interacts on the Web?: The intersection of users’ personality and social media use.
Customers and fan bases contain an immense power to provide genuine content that gives any marketing campaign instant credibility and relatability.
Crowdsourcing and user-generated content are filling up the Interwebz, but why? What makes user-generated content popular?
Let's take a look in this week's examination of the science in social media!
User-Generated Content: A Participatory Media
from AdWeekThe Internet is part of our everyday lives, and who we are guides how we use it. A user's personality traits are crucial factors in causing them to generate content for brands.
This form of participatory media hinges on users' extraversion, emotional stability and openness to experiences, which each play a unique role in the uses of interactive social media.
Take a look at how Coca-Cola compiled over 200,000 selfies to use in one of their World Cup campaigns. The extraversion of those 200,000 people acquired them valuable social currency, which leads us to our next point...
User-Generated Content: Valuable Social Currency
From Warby ParkerSocial currency, as defined by Jonah Berger, makes us look good to those who see our social posts.
The research discovered a positive relationship between openness to experiences and social media use.
The novel nature of social media technologies provides rich experiences for users, which then increases their social currency.
Take, for instance, Warby Parker's #WarbyHomeTryOn campaign. In this campaign, consumers received valuable feedback from their social peers on which look they prefer.
The research suggests that "investigating many of the psychological factors that lead people to engage in this participatory media is especially relevant in an ever-increasing user-generated Web where active participation may become crucial for advancing in social spheres."
So what can brands do about that?
What Can Brands Learn?
Ad agencies, brands, sports teams and more should take into account users’ characteristics and needs when building campaigns to capitalize on user-generated content popularity.
As mentioned above, Warby Parker's campaign evoked extraverts and introverts alike because the campaign focused on making the user look their best in a pair of their glasses.
What other campaigns have capitalized on user-generated content?
Do you think user-generated content is here to stay?
Let us know in the comments below!
