UGC Examples: 11 Real Brand Campaigns That Worked

UGC Examples from Real Brands: 11 Campaigns and What They Teach

In November 2023, a woman named Danielle posted a TikTok of her burned-out car. The interior was destroyed, but the Stanley tumbler in the cup holder was intact, with ice still rattling inside. The video passed 60 million views. Stanley did not make it, pay for it, or plan it. It was user-generated content, and it did more for the brand than most ads ever could.

User-generated content is any content made by customers or fans rather than by the brand: photos, videos, reviews, and posts. The examples below show the main ways brands put it to work, from global contests to simple reposts. Each one ends with a lesson you can apply to your own brand, whatever your budget.

Key takeaways

• The best UGC campaigns give people a reason to create. A contest, a challenge, a prize, or a product worth showing off.

• Make it easy. Simple rules, one hashtag, and a format people already use on that platform.

• Feature the creators. Billboards, product pages, and reposts reward people and invite more content.

• Respond fast when customers create on their own. Stanley and Ocean Spray turned unplanned videos into brand moments within days.

• Ask permission and disclose incentives. Posts made for a prize or a contest entry count as endorsements.

11 UGC examples at a glance

How do brands use contests to collect UGC?

Contests give people a clear reason to create and a clear reward. They work best when the entry shows off the product itself.

1. Apple: Shot on iPhone

Apple’s Shot on iPhone campaign uses photos taken by iPhone owners as advertising. In its 2019 challenge, Apple invited iPhone users worldwide to submit their best shots. A panel of 11 judges, including photographers and Apple executives, picked 10 winners, which Apple announced on its Newsroom. The winning photos appeared on billboards in select cities, in Apple stores, and online.

A few of the winning shots:

Two of the 10 winners used an iPhone 7, a model already more than two years old at the time. That detail made the campaign even more convincing.

[Alex Jiang’s winning photo (Instagram)]

[Alex Jiang, second post (Instagram)]

[Darren Soh (Instagram)]

Why it worked: Every entry was proof of the camera’s quality. Apple did not have to claim the camera was good; customers showed it.

How to apply it: If your product produces a visible result, such as a haircut, a cake, or a renovated room, ask customers to share that result. Feature the best ones in your store or on your page.

2. Starbucks: White Cup Contest

In 2014, Starbucks asked customers to doodle on its plain white cups and share photos with #WhiteCupContest. More than 4,000 people entered. The winning design, by Brita Lynn Thompson, became a limited-edition reusable cup.

Why it worked: The cup was already in customers’ hands, and drawing on it took minutes. The prize, seeing your design sold by Starbucks, was more exciting than cash.

How to apply it: Look for a part of your product or packaging that customers could personalize. A label, a box, or a menu item named after a customer can work the same way.

3. GoPro: GoPro Awards

GoPro launched the GoPro Awards in 2015, with up to $5 million a year set aside for creators. Users submit photos, raw clips, and edited videos shot on GoPro cameras. At launch, the awards were $500 for photos, $1,000 for raw clips, and $5,000 for video edits.

Why it worked: GoPro turned its customers into a paid content team. The brand gets a steady supply of footage, and creators have a reason to keep shooting and submitting.

How to apply it: You do not need millions. A store credit, a free product, or a feature on your account is enough to reward customers whose content you reuse.

4. Doritos: Crash the Super Bowl

From 2006 to 2016, Doritos invited fans to make their own Doritos commercials. Winning ads aired during the Super Bowl, one of the most expensive ad slots on television. According to PepsiCo, the fan-made ads placed in the top five of USA TODAY’s Ad Meter every year. In 2024, Doritos brought the contest back with a $1 million prize, and the winning fan ad was scheduled to air during Super Bowl LIX in February 2025.

[Doritos, Abduction (YouTube)]

Why it worked: The prize was huge and public, which attracted thousands of creative entries. Fans also voted and shared their favorites, extending the campaign well beyond game day.

How to apply it: Your biggest stage might be a front window, a newsletter, or a pinned post. Offering it to a customer makes the reward feel real.

How do brands use TikTok challenges for UGC?

A challenge is a repeatable format, such as a move, a sound, or a trick, that people copy and post with a hashtag. When it takes off, one brand video becomes hundreds of thousands of customer videos.

5. e.l.f. Cosmetics: #eyeslipsface

In 2019, e.l.f. launched the #eyeslipsface challenge on TikTok with an original song built around its name. According to the company, it was the first branded TikTok campaign to use original music. By October 2019, the campaign had more than 1 billion views, and users had made over 400,000 videos. e.l.f. later released a full version of the song.

Why it worked: The song was catchy and the format was simple: show your eyes, lips, and face in time with the beat. People joined because it was fun, not because they were asked to sell anything.

How to apply it: Give people a format, not a request. A simple before-and-after, a reveal, or a sound tied to your brand is easier to copy than “post about us.”

6. Chipotle: #ChipotleLidFlip

Chipotle’s 2019 Lid Flip Challenge came from a trick an employee did when closing burrito bowls: flipping the lid into place. Chipotle launched it on TikTok with creator David Dobrik, alongside a free delivery offer. According to the campaign’s award entry, it drew about 110,000 video submissions and 104 million views in its first six days.

Why it worked: The trick was something real staff already did, and doing it needed a Chipotle bowl. Every video showed the product.

How to apply it: Watch what your staff and customers already do with your product. A habit, a ritual, or a trick can become your challenge.

How do brands turn customer photos into marketing?

Not every UGC campaign needs a contest. Some of the most effective programs simply collect what customers post and feature it.

7. Coca-Cola: Share a Coke

Coca-Cola printed popular first names on its bottles in place of the logo, starting in Australia in 2011 and later rolling out in the US in 2014. People hunted for their own names and friends’ names, then posted photos of the bottles.

Why it worked: The product itself prompted the post. Finding your name on a bottle is a small, personal moment that people want to share.

How to apply it: Add something to your product or packaging worth photographing: a handwritten note, a name, a funny line, or an unexpected detail.

8. Glossier: customers as the face of the brand

Glossier built much of its early marketing on customer content. Its Instagram regularly features real customers’ photos and routines alongside its own images.

Why it worked: Seeing ordinary people use the products made them feel achievable. Customers also posted more, hoping to be featured.

How to apply it: Repost customer photos with credit, and ask permission first. A steady stream of real customers makes your feed more believable than polished product shots alone.

9. Wayfair: #WayfairAtHome

Wayfair invites customers to share photos of its furniture and decor in their homes with #WayfairAtHome, and features them on its social channels.

Why it worked: Furniture is hard to judge from a studio photo. Real rooms show scale, color in natural light, and how pieces look together.

How to apply it: If your product is hard to imagine at home or in use, customer photos answer the question better than any description. Collect them on your product pages and in your social posts.

How should brands respond to viral customer content?

Sometimes customers create the best content without being asked. The brands that benefit most respond quickly, sincerely, and generously.

10. Stanley: the tumbler that survived a car fire

In November 2023, TikTok user Danielle posted a video of her burned car with her Stanley tumbler still intact and holding ice. The video passed 60 million views. Stanley’s global president, Terence Reilly, replied in a video on Stanley’s TikTok account. He offered to send her new tumblers and to replace her car, something he said the company had never done before.

[Danielle’s original video (TikTok)]

[Stanley’s reply (TikTok)]

Why it worked: The video was more convincing than any durability ad. Stanley’s reply was fast, personal, and generous, which turned a customer’s moment into a story people followed and shared.

How to apply it: Set up alerts for your brand name and check comments and tags daily. When a customer posts something great about you, reply publicly and thank them in a way that matters to them.

11. Ocean Spray: the “Dreams” skateboard video

On September 25, 2020, Nathan Apodaca posted a TikTok of himself skateboarding, sipping Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry juice, and singing along to Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.” It passed 27 million views, and the song climbed back up the charts. Ocean Spray gave him a new cranberry-red truck filled with juice, and CEO Tom Hayes posted his own version of the video.

[Nathan Apodaca’s original video (TikTok)]

[Tom Hayes’s video (TikTok)]

Why it worked: Ocean Spray did not try to take over the moment or turn it into an ad. It joined in, rewarded the creator, and let the internet keep the story going.

How to apply it: When a customer goes viral with your product, celebrate them rather than selling over them. A thank-you, a gift, and a playful reply go further than a promotional post.

What do the best UGC campaigns have in common?

Across these examples, the same patterns repeat:

How to run your own UGC campaign

1. Pick one goal. More product photos for your listings, more reviews, or more reach on TikTok.

2. Choose a simple format. A photo of the product in use, a before-and-after, or a short challenge.

3. Create one hashtag. Make it short, unique to your brand, and easy to spell.

4. Offer a reward. A feature on your account, store credit, or a free product.

5. Ask for permission before reusing content. Get written consent, especially for ads.

6. Disclose incentives. In 2014, the FTC told Cole Haan that social posts made to enter a contest are endorsements and should be labeled as contest entries. Ask entrants to add a tag such as #contest.

7. Feature the best entries on your feed, website, and product pages.

8. Measure results. Track entries, reach, saves, and sales from featured content using the social media metrics that match your goal.

If customers are happy to talk on camera, a short testimonial video is often the most persuasive UGC you can collect.

Where AI fits in a UGC strategy

Real customer content cannot be replaced, and it should never be faked. But AI can help you test UGC-style ideas while you wait for real content to come in.

With Linen, you can create UGC videos with AI from a product photo: an AI presenter, voiceover, and music, with a script you can edit scene by scene. Use these videos to test hooks and angles, label them as AI-generated, and never present the presenter as a real customer.

When customers do share content, ask permission, then repost it on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok with LayerProof, which schedules and publishes your posts from one Calendar. Plans start at $5 a month. Pick one product, ask your best customers to share it, and get started today.

UGC examples FAQ

What is an example of UGC?

A customer’s Instagram photo of your product, a TikTok review, an unboxing video, or a written review are all UGC. Apple’s Shot on iPhone billboards, which use photos taken by iPhone owners, are a well-known brand example.

What is the most successful UGC campaign?

There is no single answer, but Apple’s Shot on iPhone, Coca-Cola’s Share a Coke, and e.l.f.’s #eyeslipsface are among the most cited. Each made the product central to what people created and shared.

How do brands get customers to create UGC?

They give people a reason and make it easy: a contest, a challenge, a reward, or a product worth photographing. Featuring creators publicly also encourages others to join.

Do you need a big budget for a UGC campaign?

No. A simple hashtag, a modest reward such as store credit, and regular reposts are enough to start. Many brands collect UGC just by asking happy customers for a photo.

Do I need permission to use customer content?

Yes. Ask the creator before reposting, and get written consent before using their content in ads. Credit them in the post.

Do contest entries need to be disclosed?

Yes. Posts made to enter a contest or win a prize are endorsements. Ask entrants to label them, for example with #contest, so viewers know there was an incentive.

References

• Woman’s Stanley tumbler survived a car fire. Now the company is giving her free cups and a new ride, ABC7 Los Angeles, November 19, 2023

• Apple highlights best photos Shot on iPhone around the world, Apple Newsroom, February 26, 2019

• Starbucks selects winner in fan-created cup contest, Fast Casual, September 8, 2014

• GoPro Launches GoPro Awards to Empower Consumers and Aggregate the World’s Most Engaging User-Generated Content, GoPro, October 14, 2015

• e.l.f. Turns Up the Volume on Beauty with Release of “Eyes. Lips. Face.” Song, e.l.f. Beauty, October 11, 2019

• Chipotle Lid Flip Challenge with Superfan David Dobrik, The Shorty Awards

• Ocean Spray gifts truck to TikTok star who went viral for lip-synching Fleetwood Mac song and sipping juice, CBS News, Christopher Brito, October 7, 2020

• Think you can do better? Doritos challenges fans to make a stronger Super Bowl Ad for a chance to win $1 Million, PepsiCo, September 19, 2024

• Cole Haan closing letter, Federal Trade Commission, March 20, 2014