Brand Good UGC and Brand Bad UGC

I had the good fortune of being in a presentation today where UGC was the big topic of conversation. Specifically, the idea that so much video online today is UGC, and yet advertisers are afraid to run on it.

Which is of course understandable. But at the same time, I think it is far too binary a view. Too often, it seems, people fail to draw quality distinctions between different grades of video. It is not an environment where all professionally produced video is brand enhancing, nor all UGC depicting two women in wet t-shirts hitting each other over the head with baseball bats while calling each other four letter names.

But being able to distinguish between videos is challenging. Certainly ScanScout’s brand protector is a step in a positive direction, as are other initiatives from video publishers and networks.

I don’t want to propose a model in which there are 27 grades – but what about four: two for pro content and two for UGC. Such a model could help advertisers feel more comfortable about UGC, while still being able to capitalize on the virality and passion that UGC drives.

Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to write.