Content Marketing: "Shot on Iphone 6" user-generated content

User-generated content is nothing new, but where once it was just integrated with the marketing strategy, it has now become a pivotal part of it . People are becoming immune to the traditional marketing communications. You can flick through a magazine or surf through the internet without noticing a single advert or banner, so how do marketers get your attention? Well, that's where content marketing comes in. The practice 'attracts and retains customers by consistently creating and curating relevant and valuable content with the intention of changing or enhancing consumer behaviour.' Bit of a mouthful? Put simply, content marketing is the art of communicating with customers and prospects without selling anything. But this communication is even more effective when its comes from the customers themselves. 

The source of a message greatly affects how well it is received. In the age of retweets and shares, marketers have realised that people want to engage with the marketing messages they see in the media. More than that, when these messages are C2C rather than B2C, they are more convincing. This is why every marketing touch point has little social media icons or a hashtag. Existing customers will tweet, or post about the campaign, and prospects can see what their peers are saying about the product or brand by simply searching for the hashtag. But user-generated content goes one step further by getting people to make the content themselves. 

The TFL Travel Better London campaign uses poems to explain how passengers can reduce disruption and make the travelling environment more pleasant. Have you seen them? They are quite amusing. Back in February, TFL invited commuters to write a rhyme about a travel habit that can be changed, such as dropping litter. This not only got their target audience, the commuters, engaged with the campaign via the hashtag #helpie, it encouraged active participation. As the campaign managers released "We know that the real champions for considerate commuting are commuters themselves. So we set up a competition where they could submit their own poetry about travel etiquette". 

But the best example of user-generated content are the "Shot on Iphone 6" adverts. Apple are displaying mesmerising photos taken by ordinary people using their Iphone camera.  While it might seem that the marketers over at Apple are running out of ideas, it's the simplicity of the campaign that makes it work so well.
People can see the functional capabilities of the Iphone 6 in one single photo, without Apple having to spend any time or money on a traditional TV advert.  I don't know about you guys but after seeing the clarity of these photographs, I am really considered getting an Iphone. Apple know that in today's society everyone is an amateur photograph, and when it comes to buying a new phone, camera quality is a big consideration! These outdoor adverts are therefore tailored to the needs of existing customers, but also to the millions of people in search of the perfect selfie! Apple also invite us to view their world gallery on their website. It features a Tumblr style gallery of equally beautiful photos taken by Iphone users around the world. So with one single photo Apple has effectively communicated their products' photographic capabilities, engaged their target market and driven traffic to their website where you can purchase the phone. Genius! 

As you can see when content marketing is executed correctly, especially when it is user-generated, it can be a brilliant marketing tool. My only worry is, as consumers become more involved in the marketing strategy, us marketers might find ourselves out of a job!