Brand guide

What it is

A creator films your product with their phone, at home, with the same aesthetic as any other post in their feed. No set, no lights, no post-production.

Why it works

It enters the feed without friction: there is no tone shift that tells the viewer the ad is starting, so the video is alive by the three-second mark that defines everything else. And it changes your economics. For the cost of one agency piece, you can make ten UGC pieces, and ten pieces are not ten times the same thing: they are ten different hypotheses about which hook and which benefit moves your audience. You stop guessing which one will work and find out. That's why it's the format that feeds paid media today.

What to ask in the brief

The angle, what has to happen in the first three seconds, and whether you'll use the material on your own channels or in ads. Usage rights are agreed in the brief, not afterward.

What it is

The creator talks to camera about your product the way they would tell a friend. No read script, no cuts, no music, no cards. One shot and one person.

Why it works

It doesn't compete for attention: it holds it. A produced video wins the first second and loses the fifth. A person earnestly talking about something that happened to them can keep two minutes, and in two minutes a full recommendation fits, with nuances and the "this isn't for everyone" included. That nuance is exactly what makes it credible. It's the right format when your product needs to be explained, when the purchase requires trust, or when your audience has already learned to skip anything that sounds like a commercial.

What to ask in the brief

The two or three points that can't be missing, and nothing else. This is the format where over-scripting shows the most: the more scripted it is, the less it works.