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How to Produce UGC That Doesn't Look Cheap

How to Produce UGC That Doesn't Look Cheap

User Generated Content (UGC) is the biggest buzzword in marketing, but for luxury brands, it's dangerous. Shaky, badly-lit iPhone videos cheapen your brand equity. But polished studio ads feel cold. The solution? "Polished UGC".

The "Polished UGC" Framework

You want the authenticity of a creator, but the aesthetic of a campaign. How to achieve it:

  1. Curated Creators, Not Influencers: Don't hire people with big followings. Hire people with beautiful homes and good taste. You are buying their aesthetic, not their audience.
  2. The Brief is Key: Do not let them freestyle. Give them a moodboard. Specify "Golden Hour lighting only". Forbidden messy backgrounds.
  3. Edit In-House: Take their raw footage and add your brand fonts, your color grading, and your pacing.

The result is content that feels native to the feed but premium enough to represent a high-ticket brand.