How Apple benefitted from one of the best UGC campaigns in recent memory.
Fans of a brand’s product or service can be its best friend. Not because they pay more money or sign up for newsletters. Instead, fans have a tendency to want to showcase themselves using said product or service.
User generated content (UGC) is one of the greatest organic marketing sources a company can have. It promotes the brand without the company having to spend extra money; In fact, they paid to do this themselves. And it’s even better when a fan already has a large following.
But how does a brand capitalize on its users’ propensity to do this and invite others to join in?
Take a look at Apple. They figured it out, perhaps taking note from a similar GoPro campaign, when they announced the ‘Shot on iPhone Challenge’ in January 2022.
To celebrate the new camera technology in their phones which allows users to take focused pictures at incredibly small distances, Apple was able to convince thousands, if not millions, of people to take to Twitter (now X) and Instagram to post UGC with the hashtags #ShotoniPhone and #iPhonemacrochallenge.
Now, you may be wondering how they convinced them. It was as simple as telling people 10 photos would be selected that would appear on Apple’s digital platforms (website, socials, etc.) and could possibly appear in further campaigns both online and off.
It’s pretty genius.
For starters, the product name was out there, on every post, on multiple platforms for all eyes to see. Every interaction was an interaction with the brand.
Second, it built engagement with their current fans while also extending the reach significantly towards non-users. Even if you had an android, chances are you were seeing the capabilities of a product you didn’t have.
Third, Apple was able to choose from innumerable photos for their marketing campaigns. The company had its pick of the litter of which ten photos were the perfect fit to showcase its brand in its stores and on its billboard and anywhere else. All they had to do was pay a licensing fee.
In conclusion, even the simplest UGC campaign can create massive waves on social media that benefit the brand and its product or service. After all, Apple essentially just asked people to take a photo.
Sources:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/apples-shot-iphone-challenge-suchika-sunil