Whether you’re looking to increase conversion rates, expand brand awareness or pretty much anything else, a well-crafted User Generated Content (UGC) campaign is an invaluable asset.

These 2019 UGC superstars do an excellent job of amplifying their customers’ content through well-designed campaigns, and it’s made a tangible impact on their bottom-line success. Read on to learn how they were able to execute these powerful campaigns.  

Fjallraven

The Swedish brand Fjallraven has become synonymous with long-lasting and ethical outdoor clothing. In line with their ethical approach, they don’t launch new clothing lines and designs to simply sell more. Instead, they go large with their consumer experience. For over a decade Fjallraven has hosted treks across some of the world's most breathtaking landscapes, inviting customers to test their Fjallraven gear out in the wilderness. Out of these treks the spectacular annual event, Fjallraven Polar, was born.

This unique once in a lifetime experience is open to anyone and it’s a UGC goldmine. To apply, applicants must upload an image or preferably a video of themselves to Fjallraven’s contestant page, where the public votes for who they want to join the expedition. Last year alone, Fjallraven clocked over 5,000 applicants. That’s a lot of powerful content.

Their smartest move? Getting both applicants and voters on board. Since the hopefuls are encouraged to share their submissions on social media and others share their votes, both visibility and engagement are hugely increased. Why we love it:  The campaign offers consumers the chance to be part of an exciting experience. Fjallraven’s prize is a strong motivation to get involved with the brand and the competitive element has earned it an almost cult-like following.

Morphe Brushes

Morphe Brushes impressive product selection and focus on their community has made them a favorite among industry professionals and consumers alike.

Morphe’s Instagram game is strong, with over 7 million followers. So, obviously, their UGC efforts focused on harnessing this existing strength. Their goal? To boost their social conversions.

So, they created the #MorpheBabes hashtag to ask their audience to get creative with their make-up and share their looks online. In return, Morphe offered entrants the chance to be featured on their Instagram page.

This initiative is a huge success. Not only has it generated a vast amount of top-quality UGC for Morphe, but they also achieved their conversion-boosting goals.‍

Morphe saw a 2X increase in conversion by using UGC images in emails compared to emails without UGC” and a “33% increase in conversion rates overall.

‍Why we love it: By encouraging followers to harness their own creativity, Morphe was able to gather incredible, album-cover-worthy images that inspired users to “get the look”.

Kimpton Hotels

The hotel industry is an overly saturated market. So, to be heard above the rabble, a business needs to find innovative ways to engage consumers, both old and new. Kimpton owns over 65 hotels across the US. They’ve become known for their quirky yet luxurious, boutique aesthetic. In an attempt to reach out to their customers and create unique, user-focused UGC, Kimpton created a room that they say fosters genuine human connections. In 2018 they launched “Room 301” at the Kimpton Everly Hotel in Los Angeles, centering the interior to encourage visitors to connect with themselves and others. Their audience loved it! The guests of “Room 301” left messages to others, took photos, added to a ‘confessions board’ and all shared their experience with the hashtag #thehumanproject. In 2019, Kimpton rolled out the scheme to 20 other hotels. Each invites visitors to relax and enjoy the locally inspired aesthetic, connect with previous visitors and, most importantly, share their experience online.

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When you realize you get to have breakfast in bed together forever! 😍🥐☕️ We’ve been staying in the #StayHumanProject here at the @saintgeorgetoronto, and started the morning off with a lazy in-room breakfast in our robes! 🙌🏼 This room is so cool - there’s an interactive map, Polaroid camera, and endless suggestions and ideas of things to do in Toronto! The perfect pre-wedding getaway to relax and enjoy the last bit of being fiancées! #saintgeorgetoronto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #ThankYouToronto #YYZ #DowntownToronto #TorontoLife #TheAnnex #Designspo #RoomPorn #DesignLife #KimptonLove #Kimpton #KimptonHotels #LoveIsLove #TwoBrides #LoveWins #ohsoperfectproposal #girlswhokissgirls #theinvisiblefemme #goodvibesonly #twobrides #twobridesarebetterthanone #mrsandmrs #twobridetribe #futuremrs #lifestyleblogger #lgbtblogger #dirtybootsandmessyhair #datenight #dirtybootsmessyhair #neonsign

A post shared by ALLIE & SAM (@allieandsam) on Aug 30, 2019 at 7:54am PDT

Why we love it: Kimpton Hotels really ‘got’ their audience. By understanding their need to unplug and connect with others, they uncovered a positive way for customers to share more with the brand and with others online.

Molson Coors

For the past few years, Molson Coors has been working on updating the image of their beer Coors Light. To attract a younger audience, and encourage them to include Coors Light in their meaningful moments, the brand started the Mountain Calls campaign. Wanting to turn their successful campaign into a UGC win, this year they launched the Molson Coors Mountain Calls Contest. All fans have to do for the chance to win awesome prizes like tickets to the FEQ Festival or front row seats at the MLB World Series, is upload a photo of them enjoying their “Mountain Calls” moment.

With this campaign, Molson Coors is asking customers to include Coors Light in their meaningful life moments. Whether it be a wedding, a family get together or just a day at the beach, their product is at the heart of the photo.

As a result of this ongoing contest, Molson Coors has collected a huge photo gallery of real customers enjoying their product in an unpolished, authentic way. Why we love it: By exchanging the chance to win an exciting experience for UGC, Molson Coors has created a way for customers to positively engage with their brand.

Article

Article is an online-only furniture store known for creating chic, Scandinavian inspired modern furniture.

They have a well-known industry disrupter vibe. They cut out the middle-man and sell directly to their customers, without resorting to showrooms. Of course, this is fantastic for consumers. The simple set offers them both speedier delivery times and lower prices. Who doesn’t want that?The only downside to Article’s strategy is that showrooms typically offer consumers the opportunity to see how a product looks in a real-life setting. So, what’s an innovative furniture brand to do? Create a killer UGC campaign around the hashtag #ourArticle. The campaign invited Article’s customers to share interior designs featuring their furniture.

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A corner of our home that I don’t think I’ve really ever posted a photo of, but we weirdly spend the most time sitting right here. It was a JOURNEY trying to find a sectional that perfectly fit in this awkward space, but leave it to @article to have something that did down to the literal inch!! We’ve never had leather before and are really loving the way it patinas (read: I’m learning to calm my inner Larry David when Arlo goes for a running leap with a face full of pizza) // Just need to find a coffee table and this room will be DONEEE!! 🍿✨ #themindwelling #ourarticle

A post shared by Jeff Mindell (@jeffmindell) on Aug 30, 2019 at 5:08pm PDT

The hashtag was a hit and didn’t take long to expand beyond Article’s initial intentions. An entire community has since emerged where users share interior design ideas and suggestions with others. Why we love it: Not only has Article inspired their customers to get creative, but they also get to show potential customers what their products look like in real houses and a variety of styles that they would otherwise struggle to create.

Why UGC Works

UGC is a powerful tactic for modern businesses. These 2019 wins show just how much can be achieved when a brand really understands its audience and gives them genuine opportunities to interact online. Do you have a favorite UGC story from 2019? Tell us all about it in the comments below.

‍Hannah Vicarage is a budding entrepreneur who runs a small cosmetic business. When she isn’t out whipping up a buying frenzy at the local markets or selling online, she lends her hand at writing for ukwebhostreview.