The struggle to increase brand engagement and sell products through online and digital marketing can make for a murky pursuit. A recent infographic from ZEFR illustrates how user-generated content {link no longer active} is as good an asset for some brands as the slick ads and video content produced by marketers.
The logic is simple: While branded content is capable of making an impact (shout out to Oreo), the power of YouTube trends is much stronger. For instance, makeup tutorials are a common video type for beauty channels, and the thousands of videos in that category featuring specific products gets a brand’s name mentioned more than the brand itself could ever get away with in a clever ad.
Genres like product unboxing videos, how-to videos, and fan versions of popular commercials also easily outpace official branded efforts. Just take a look at the stats below:
