The author advocates for brands to focus on harnessing UGC, suggesting that a strong in-house content team can help identify and share the best UGC. Digital tools can also help integrate UGC into brands' websites, making it easier for customers to understand the brand's narrative. The author believes that as AI's influence grows, consumers will seek out authentic human experiences and brands that facilitate this will be more discoverable and trusted.
Key takeaways:
- AI-generated content may initially seem appealing for brands due to cost and scale, but it risks flooding the web with indistinguishable and mediocre content, making it harder for brands to stand out.
- AI content also lacks authenticity and real human experiences, which could diminish brand/customer relationships.
- User-generated content (UGC) is more influential in purchasing decisions than brand-led content, but the challenge is that it's scattered across various platforms and largely goes unseen.
- Brands should focus on encouraging real people to share real experiences via their digital platforms, making themselves more discoverable and trusted, and ensuring that being online remains a shared, human experience.