Authentic and flawless at once

The apparent contradiction with UGC: even if everything is meant to look casual, the product has to be perfect. The Almighurt cup has to look flawless on screen. So we had several crates on hand that we kept opening fresh – over the two days I must have gone through several kilos of yogurt in every flavour. Authentic and flawless at the same time: that's the real craft of this format.

The trick with real street interviews

Part of the campaign was shot at the farmers' market in Kempten, where passers-by were interviewed about how they liked the Almighurt. In between, we too – as professional extras – were interviewed and “acted” our statements. That way the brand can mix real customer voices with our scripted lines in the edit, without any break. A clever move that shows how closely authentic content and deliberate staging work together today.

How to book UGC: reliability is the crux

The booking logic is simple: a brand approaches a model, influencer or consumer directly and asks whether the content can be produced. All negotiation, invoicing and coordination then happen directly between the producer and the marketing department – fast, painless and efficient, with no agency overhead.

The real crux on both sides is reliability. The market is flooded with dubious requests – brands spamming the influencer market with shady or unpaid offers; and, the other way round, brands struggling to trust creators to actually deliver once the product has been shipped. My recommendation: start with a small test project – on both sides, with a clear compensation agreement and real commitments – see it through cleanly, and only then scale.

What makes a good UGC model

A good UGC and commercial model is, above all, authentic. You know what's trending, you know the angles, you stage a current social-media trend and build the product in organically – or recreate a given reference on purpose. Just as important as on a big set: light and sound have to be right. Modern phone cameras deliver enough quality, but good light is usually essential. If you shoot outdoors, you need the basics – the flat, soft light of early morning or evening versus harsh midday sun that throws hard shadows on the face.

In short: solid photo and film fundamentals, a sense of timing, and the creativity for transitions that work in the short attention span of social media – which is exactly what earns attention there.

What a shoot day delivers – and what it costs

The output per shoot day is good, precisely because there's no large-team overhead. The script is usually small, with planning and responsibility on the creator. Ideally the marketing department sets only a rough frame and leaves the creator room for their own style – because a creator often has a certain “signature” that's the whole reason people watch. A brand shouldn't break that; it should let the product be woven in cleanly.

Important for brands: an all-inclusive package from a creator looks effortless but is full of work – preparation, planning, shooting and editing. That costs time and has to be paid for. The pure performance is comparable to a model fee; the extra time budget for planning, editing and grading comes on top – independent of the usage rights, which are handled as always via buyout and the VELMA table.

Why we deliberately shot on location in the Allgäu

If you deliberately want local content, it makes sense to shoot locally. AI can recreate a lot today – but real content with a real backdrop looks real, precisely because it's shot in a natural, “amateur” way that people enjoy watching. On our shoot we wanted cow pastures in the background, the lake scenery at the Öschlesee and the typical old-town backdrop of Kempten. The viewer immediately sees it's genuinely home. Often that's easier – and more believable – than any recreation.

What it comes down to

This campaign stands for the other side of my work: not action and sport, but emotion, acting and the ability to deliver in a small UGC team just as well as on a large production – including understanding how food shoots, UGC formats, usage rights and regional campaigns really work.

If you're planning a campaign where warmth, emotion and product come together – whether a food brand, lifestyle or regional campaign: send a booking request.

FAQ

What is UGC and why does it save brands money?
UGC (User Generated Content) is advertising material an influencer, model or consumer produces themselves – usually on a phone. Because the creator is their own production team, the overhead of production, casting and crew falls away. The brand receives finished clips or raw footage to edit in-house.

Does a UGC job automatically cover the usage rights?
No. Producing and using are two separate things. The job of producing content settles no rights on its own. Publishing, reach and term are agreed separately via a contract and a buyout – I base mine on the VELMA table.

How do you best book a UGC model?
Directly between brand and creator, with no agency overhead. Because reliability is the crux on both sides, it's best to start with a small, clearly paid test project that both sides see through cleanly before scaling.

What makes a good UGC model?
Authenticity, a feel for current trends and angles, solid photo and film fundamentals (especially light and sound), and the creativity for transitions that work within social media's short attention span.

What does a UGC shoot cost compared to a classic shoot?
The pure performance is comparable to a model fee, but the time budget for planning, editing and grading comes on top – plus usage rights via buyout / VELMA. UGC is cheaper mainly because the production overhead disappears.

Why is it worth shooting on location?
For local, believable content a real backdrop often beats any recreation. In the Allgäu that was cow pastures, the lake scenery at the Öschlesee and the old town of Kempten – the viewer instantly recognises the real place.