UGC (User-generated content)

UGC (user-generated content) is the photos, videos, reviews and comments about a product that customers or users make and post themselves, rather than content produced by the brand. An unboxing video shot on a phone and a 5-star review with photos on Shopee are both UGC.

What is UGC?

What makes something UGC is who created it. A brand can prompt it (launching a hashtag, giving a discount code for reviews with photos), but it does not write the script and does not pay for the content. When a brand hires someone to shoot video in a natural style, the ad industry still often calls it “UGC” or uses the term “UGC creator,” but it is more accurately paid content in a UGC style. The two differ in usage rights and in the duty to label the content as advertising.

Common forms of UGC in Vietnam:

• Reviews with photos or videos on the Shopee, TikTok Shop and Lazada marketplaces.
• TikTok videos and Reels that users film themselves while using the product.
• Comments and experience posts in Facebook groups.
• Check-in photos and stories that tag the brand.

Why does UGC matter?

Shoppers trust people like themselves more than they trust brands. Nielsen’s Global Trust in Advertising survey of internet users in 60 countries found that 83% completely or somewhat trust recommendations from friends and family, and 66% trust consumer opinions posted online (Nielsen, Global Trust in Advertising, September 2015). The data is old, but that ranking matches how online shoppers read reviews before they order.

On short-video platforms, UGC also sets the visual standard. TikTok advises advertisers to put real people such as creators, employees and customers in their videos and to go for a homemade, not overly polished style, so ads blend in with the user-generated content on TikTok (TikTok Business Help Center, Creative best practices for performance ads, June 2025).

How to use UGC in ads

To run ads with someone else’s video, you need their permission. The two big platforms each have their own mechanism:

• TikTok Spark Ads: the creator opens the video, goes to Ad settings and generates an authorization code (video code) to send to the advertiser. The ad runs on the original post and keeps its likes and comments (TikTok, How to create Spark Ads, June 2026).
• Meta partnership ads: the ad shows both the brand’s and the creator’s names in the header and uses signals from both accounts. The advertiser needs the creator to grant permission (Meta Business Help Center, About partnership ads).

For review photos on a marketplace or posts in a group, ask for permission and save the message where the person agrees.

Example from Vietnam (hypothetical)

A sunscreen brand has about 2,000 reviews with photos on its marketplace store. The marketing team pulls out 30 videos customers filmed themselves, messages 12 of those customers for permission, and 8 agree to generate Spark Ads codes. These 8 videos run next to 3 studio videos in the same ad group, and the team compares cost per order after 7 days. Either side can win. The point is to have real data in place of the belief that “UGC is always better.”

UGC vs. KOC vs. branded content

Frequently asked questions

Is a “UGC” video shot by a hired creator still UGC?

The style is the same, but the nature is not. It is paid content and needs a contract that spells out usage rights and duration. When the creator posts it on their own channel, it is an ad and must be clearly labeled as one.

How do you get more UGC?

Make it easier for buyers: send a review reminder after delivery, suggest camera angles, and repost good content (with permission) so others can see that sharing gets noticed.

If you want to plan how to collect and test UGC in your ads, Adtek’s Creative Strategy team can talk it through with you via the contact page.