Why Consumer Generated Marketing Is the New Standard

As someone who primarily shops online, I follow two rules:

1. I only buy products that have reviews or have been recommended to me by a friend or a trusted internet personality.
2. I wholeheartedly trust brands that receive organic consumer generated marketing, preferably on TikTok.

Whether you are trying to sell more, aiming to cultivate trust in your brand, trying to draw more attention to your business, or looking to grow your audience, consumer generated marketing can support all of those goals.

There’s even research verifying the main advantage of consumer generated marketing for companies: “it allows structural costs to be cut, a wider audience can be reached and it simplifies transactions, amongst other.” (Source: The Business Management Review)

Still, it’s easy to feel lost on this topic, especially if you’ve never seen or experienced it.

That’s why I want to share all the information I’ve found about the concept, plus real examples from customers using Walls.io to collect, curate and display consumer generated marketing. Their methods can be applied for both new or already established strategies.

What is consumer generated marketing?

Consumer-generated marketing emerged alongside the massification of social media, marking a significant shift in how marketing content is created and consumed. It refers to marketing efforts where content is created and disseminated by consumers rather than brands themselves. This form of marketing thrives in the online environment, where consumers leverage digital platforms to express opinions, share experiences, and influence others’ purchasing decisions. 

To measure the impact of these user-driven campaigns, businesses can use a marketing dashboard template to visualize engagement metrics, track sentiment, and monitor audience reach across social channels. In addition, incorporating marketing mix modeling can help companies quantify the contribution of consumer-generated content alongside other marketing channels, providing a more holistic view of campaign effectiveness.

Why is consumer generated marketing relevant?

Its relevance today stems from the increasing recognition by both consumers and companies of the digital landscape’s immense potential. For consumers, this environment offers an unprecedented ability to search, compare, and purchase products conveniently. 

For companies, it presents an opportunity to cut structural costs, broaden market reach, and streamline transactions. 

Yet, more importantly, it highlights the growing power of consumers as co-creators of brand narratives.

Who should care about consumer generated marketing?

This topic matters greatly to industries heavily reliant on consumer trust and engagement, such as retail, travel, technology, and Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), as well as to marketing professionals, brand managers, and digital strategists. These stakeholders must understand and adapt to the new dynamic where consumers are not just receivers but also broadcasters of brand messaging.

⭐️ Related: User Generated Content Examples to Inspire You

The historical context and evolution of consumer generated marketing

Initially, the internet was a brand-dominated space: informational, unidirectional, and primarily built for product discovery. Known as the “download internet,” the late 1990s saw a proliferation of corporate websites with little interaction. This began to change with Web 2.0, where consumers became active participants through platforms that supported content creation and sharing.

One clear example is the 2011 Arab Spring, when many protests were organized through social media platforms, especially Twitter. This huge change in how consumers access and influence information has prompted some brands to invite consumer participation, particularly among younger audiences, through consumer-generated marketing initiatives.

The main lesson from this evolution is the need for companies to integrate consumer voices into their marketing strategies. Early missteps involved ignoring user content or treating digital as a separate domain. Today, successful companies blend digital and traditional strategies, acknowledging that consumers naturally move between both.

The current state of consumer generated marketing

Currently, consumer-generated content is a staple of online interaction. Consumer participation has made social networks a critical venue for product discovery and influence. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and other apps increasingly drive both opinion formation and purchase decisions.

Here are some relevant statistics that reflect the current state of consumer generated marketing:

• Almost 70% of people actively avoid advertising because they think it’s only half as effective as earned media. People actually prefer to get information straight from technical experts or people they think are like them.
• 90 percent of consumers prefer brands to share content created by real customers.
• It doesn’t have to be only positive reviews! Consumers seek factual and objective information, willingly reading both positive and negative reviews to make informed decisions and form their own opinions.

For brands looking to understand which short-form content actually drives growth, tools like Virlo help track performance patterns, audience retention, and viral signals across platforms. Now let’s jump into the examples of real brands adopting consumer generated content. 

The best consumer generated marketing examples

1. KIKO Milano 

This Italian cosmetics brand offers stylish makeup and high-quality skincare products at affordable prices in more than 66 countries. They had a great idea of putting consumer generated content posted on TikTok next to the products on their website. 

Why it works: A customer visits the Kiko Milano website and sees their TikTok content, which features lots of users trying out the products and raving about them. The result is an immediate purchase.

2. Cadbury SA’s #CadburyFestive Campaign

Cadbury SA launched the #CadburyFestive campaign, encouraging customers to share festive messages on social media, with the best posts featured on billboards powered by Walls.io.

Why it works: This campaign effectively utilized consumer generated content by offering participants public recognition, which motivated higher engagement and participation across social platforms.

⭐️ Related: Cadbury Amplifies Hashtag Marketing Campaign Using Digital Signage

3. IKEA 

IKEA Poland has integrated various social media photo galleries into its online store; One for each room section of the website. 

Here’s an example from the kitchen category, where IKEA encourages visitors to share their photos using the Polish language hashtag #kuchniaIKEA:

“Wondering how good an IKEA kitchen can be? Look below and be inspired by the arrangements of our customers. If you want the photo of your kitchen to be here as well, add a photo to Instagram using #kuchniaIKEA”

Why it works: The images serve as inspiration for other customers and communicate that you don’t need to be an interior designer to make your home look great with IKEA products.

4. Wallpaper from the 70s

Instagram is widely recognized as a highly effective platform for consumer-generated marketing. With 83% of users discovering new products on Instagram, motivating customers to showcase how they use your products can be a powerful strategy.

Using a Walls.io social wall, collecting and embedding Instagram content is simple. You can even enhance the experience by adding call-to-action buttons that link directly to specific products. For example, Wallpaper from the 70s utilized the Walls.io API to build a customized widget for their website.

Why it works: Promote your hashtag and encourage users to tag their content, so your can then easily aggregate everything into a single feed and seamlessly embed it on your website, creating a dynamic showcase of real customer experiences.

⭐️ Related: User-Generated Content for eCommerce – A Best Practice Example

The future of consumer generated marketing and content

Emerging trends point to SOLOMO (Social, Local, Mobile) strategies and increasing convergence of the physical and digital. Mobile internet usage, location-based services, and always-on connectivity mean consumers are perpetually online and ready to share experiences.

Experts predict a future where social media is as transformative as the internet was in its inception. Gartner forecasts that companies excelling in social media integration will dominate their markets. As content becomes richer and more interactive, businesses must invest in platforms that support these experiences.