Top brands are leading the way by utilizing the latest technology to market their content.
With so many ways to craft value-added experiences with content, brands need to choose the best investments to maximize conversions and sales. These fifteen brands aren’t just exceeding expectations when it comes to content engagement, they’re investing intelligently in technology that helps them achieve the type of customer experience they strive to provide.
Under Armour
The apparel company uses AI for purposes that extend beyond product innovation. For instance, Under Armour developed an AI program that scanned visitors of the NYC Fashion Week to discover the guests who were the least dressed up. Once identified, these guests were given a pair of $90 Under Armour shoes to look more stylish and fashion-forward. This AI program is a great example of how modern technology can bring a brand close to consumers. By handing out shoes to NYC Fashion Week guests, Under Armour showed customers that they care about the consumer's feedback and response to their apparel. This makes Under Armour more relevant to their customers and encourages more UGC that the company can then use later to market their products.
Old Navy
Old Navy is a clothing and accessories retail company that focuses on giving customers stylish looks for affordable prices. To emphasize their mission, "Making current American fashion essentials accessible for every family," the brand collects user-generated content that showcases diverse families wearing Old Navy merchandise.
Because Old Navy is a lifestyle brand, UGC is the perfect way to promote their retail products by connecting with their customers and staying up to date with the latest trends. Old Navy curates this content from various social media platforms and displays it on its website. In today’s market, customers want to be heard. Through user-generated content, dynamic companies like Old Navy can interact with their customers, take notice of their feedback, and develop loyalty to their brand.
Hylete
HYLETE uses Pixlee to collect UGC for popular items from top customers to market their products and stay relevant to consumers.
HYLETE shows off UGC on their product pages and features reviews to connect the brand to the community.
Hylete harnessed the power of Instagram and its broader community to power its dynamic content in all of their marketing channels. This has enabled Hylete to not only cut costs on content creation but increase conversions. Since visitors trust consumer content more, UGC is a great way to bring in more engagement with a brand.
Morphe
Morphe fans are interested in authentic looks, so to power their content, Morphe’s team turned to technology and user-generated content from their #Morphebabes community. With Pixlee, this brand was able to not only better manage their current existing UGC but connect with newfound #Morphebabes to create fresh content and further promote the brand across all channels.
Well-known for being heavily involved with its consumer community, Morphe has mastered community-driven marketing.
Breckenridge
The small town of Breckenridge, Colorado managed to increase the flow of tourism coming in by leveraging the power of social media.
Breckenridge’s tourism office used social media to find tourists who had visited their town and then used their content to stimulate more tourism. The results were astonishing: over 18,000 photos were submitted, ultimately increasing the click-through rate by an impressive 35%.
Airbnb
Airbnb has come a long way from a small startup to a huge company that millions of people use globally. Keeping that in mind, there is a vast number of customers and listings. With such an extensive catalog, you are sure to find the optimal apartment to satisfy your needs with a little help from UGC.
Through UGC, Airbnb has been able to give authentic insights into Instagram-worthy accommodations. By curating content that Airbnb clients have posted on various social media platforms, the company is able to provide beautiful content displaying the many houses, apartments, or condos available for their customers. These different images on the Airbnb website give consumers a better visual for location options.
Article
Article is a chic furniture company that emphasizes real people and their creative spaces. Article has become a full-blown lifestyle brand by including an "inspiration" section on their website where consumers can browse through photos and get ideas for their own Article furniture. That inspiration section includes UGC featuring the designs of real Article customers who have transformed rooms into personalized spaces. Article derives their UGC by curing content from social media through the #ourArticle hashtag on Instagram.
The utilization of user-generated content not only highlights the company’s products but allows customers to feel comfortable with their purchases by presenting organic examples of customers who enjoy Article pieces. Providing consumers with an inspiration section also drives other customers to design their own visionary spaces to be featured as well – ultimately creating more UGC for Article. Engaging the community has never been more efficient.
Molson Coors
The alcoholic beverage business is highly competitive, so brands have to take action to stay relevant in the market. In order to achieve this, Molson Coors has changed their marketing tactics to target younger demographics. Through digital campaigning, the beverage business is focusing on 21-34-year-olds to stay fresh and current.
Because social media is so important in today’s market, digital marketing is an excellent way to keep up-to-date. By shifting their focus to millennials, Molson Coors has been able to recognize the falling trend in alcohol consumption. To overcome this problem, the company introduced non-alcoholic beverages in their product line to keep its brand up-to-date. Likewise, Molson Coors has also been gathering user-generated content to market their products using real-life customers that appeal to millennials. By taking note of social media and consumer trends, the beverage business is able to keep up with market demands and conquer any challenges that come up in the alcoholic beverage market. This emphasizes how crucial it is for brands to consider their customer base and pay attention to feedback.
Ikea
The iconic Swedish furniture company, Ikea, is also on the list of top companies who benefit from the advantages of user-generated content. Ikea’s customer base is considerably extensive, so finding ways to connect with each individual is crucial for the company’s success. Similarly to Article, Ikea also has an inspiration section on their website called “ideas.” However, different from Article, Ikea’s idea portion of their website caters to many niche groups to successfully market their products to all types of consumers through innovative content marketing and blog-like approaches. For example, the ideas include inspiration for wedding decor, workspaces, motorhome organization, or outdoor furniture.
Using real-life examples to market to niche audiences is an excellent way for Ikea to make their clients feel significant and relevant for their brand. Since the company’s customer base is broad, Ikea has been able to use authentic content to tie together the Ikea community and stay connected with customers. As a result, Ikea’s social media following and interactions have notably increased.
BH Cosmetics
BH Cosmetics doesn’t use Artificial Intelligence. Their take on technology is much more conservative. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of the team's approach is great.
BH Cosmetics features UGC from their community to showcase unique looks and styles. This helps twofold: they’re able to feature the diversity of their audience and include products that best match each unique member of their community. On the awareness side of the sales funnel, the company uses a variety of UGC showcasing customers wearing and using BH Cosmetic products resulting in a network of influencers to introduce new customers to their products.
Puma
Puma is an innovative brand that tells a compelling brand story with its customer’s content. By featuring UGC on their localized websites, the apparel and shoe company stays relevant to its audience.
Puma also connects with its customers through the use of interactive in-store displays that utilize artificial intelligence to provide the ultimate customer experience. Not only does Puma’s in-store AI provide information about a selected style, but the customer can then try on the product and engage in a fun game that allows them to test out the shoe. By implementing the latest technology in their stores, Puma has created an entirely new meaning to customer experience – just by using already available technology.
Carnival Cruises
Carnival is taking the cruise experience to the next level. Early in 2017, the company introduced a personalized wearable Ocean Medallion that turned sea travel into an IoT experience.
The Medallion helps passengers navigate huge Carnival Cruise ships that can be as large as 19 decks high. The Medallion offers personalized advice on where Carnival Cruise guests should go based on the customer’s experience. The Medallion is so smart that it can remember food preferences and allergies. Ocean Medallion will signal the room to adjust to the right temperature and turn on the light as a customer approaches. By designing an AI technology around each individual CX, Carnival Cruises are creating a personal experience for cruise-goers.
Additionally to The Medallion, Carnival Cruises centers their marketing campaigns around authentic customer stories creating an entire Carnival Cruise community. These initiatives help customers feel like a priority bringing positive brand awareness to their cruise lines. Furthermore, sharing guest experiences encourages user-generated content that can also bring more awareness to Carnival Cruise and develop brand loyalty. UGC allows for a more inviting experience since consumers trust other consumers.
Nike
Nike is well known for its ground-breaking campaigns that offer poignant social commentary. In 2017, Nike ran the campaign #FinditwithNike. The campaign was driven by an image search tool that used image-recognition technology to help customers to find apparel that they discovered online.
The app was a success with fashionistas and meme pages, as it was reminiscent of the "Steal her look" meme. #FindItWithNike hashtag was trending in the UK, and the campaign reached over 13 million people.
With a piece of technology that perfectly captured the needs of young people, Nike was able to increase brand recognition and establish themselves as fashion gurus.
ZoZo
This Japanese brand brought film-industry technology to customers worldwide. A brand of Japan’s biggest fashion online marketplace Zozotown, Zozo, announced they’re going to be making custom-fit clothes at mass-market price levels. To help people with measurement, they’re giving away motion-capture suits. Zozo app scans your body in this suit and sends precise measurements to the company. As a result, you get clothes that fit perfectly.
Maapilim
Maapilim is a company that specializes in cosmetic products for men.
By leveraging the power of AI, Maapillim was able to create a website for their products that is easy to navigate and displays the product line beautifully. What’s more – with Wix ADI, Maapilim was able to create a high-quality online platform.
All of these successful companies used cutting-edge technology, such as UGC, to enhance their creativity and promote their products. These companies worked strategically to use the technology that was already available to them in a way that was effective for their products. By connecting with consumers and focusing on UGC, these companies were able to build a brand that is both contemporary and relatable for their target customers.
James Riddle is a freelance writer with a passion for new technologies, marketing trends and branding strategies. He is always seeking to discover new ways for personal and professional growth and is convinced that it’s always important to broaden horizons. That`s why James develops and improves his skills throughout the writing process to help and inspire people.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on pixlee.com. Any statistics or statements included in this article were current at the time of original publication.
