America 250: UGC in the USA

An American milestone could inspire the biggest UGC campaign ever.

In an era where every brand manager and CMO is looking to connect with their audience on a personal level, one unlikely brand has just launched a groundbreaking campaign that might just be the biggest User-Generated Content (UGC) branding experiment in the history of marketing.

Which brand? The United States of America.

The United States Semiquincentennial Commission, also known as America250, is inviting individuals from all walks of life to share their personal stories of America. The campaign aims to curate a diverse collection of narratives that embody the essence of the nation and celebrate its upcoming 250th birthday in 2026. In this blog post, I'll explore the origins of the America250 campaign and its significance for content marketers in bridging the gap between brand stories and the real human stories of their customers.

Uncle Sam Wants You (To Create Content)

The America250 campaign was launched this July 4 at the Milwaukee Brewers baseball game (and on YouTube) via a powerful manifesto video. A gravelly voiceover (is that Uncle Sam himself?) narrates the video, reminding us of the nation's journey, challenges, and accomplishments over 250 years of striving to form a more perfect union.

The campaign invites individuals to visit America250.org and share their unique stories of what America means to them. This initiative comes at a critical juncture when the United States, and democracy as a whole, faces profound branding challenges. By opening the platform for public storytelling, America250 aims to foster unity, inclusivity, and a shared sense of national identity.+

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Connecting Brands To Real Human Stories

Content marketers have always strived to weave together brand narratives and the authentic experiences of their customers. The America250 campaign exemplifies the power of UGC as a means to connect brands with their audience on a deeper level. By encouraging individuals to share their personal stories of America, the campaign seeks to create a chorus of voices and perspectives that reflect the nation's rich and diverse makeup. This idea moves beyond traditional storytelling and taps into the genuine emotions, aspirations, and memories of the audience.

Embracing UGC offers several benefits for content marketers. Firstly, it fosters a sense of community and belonging, as individuals become active participants in shaping the brand narrative. It lifts brand authenticity, as real stories resonate more deeply than scripted content with audiences. Moreover, UGC provides a treasure trove of diverse content that can be repurposed across various marketing channels, creating a genuine connection with a wider audience.

However, UGC also has its challenges. It’s hard to forge a consistent brand message with a deluge of user-generated content. You have to have a careful curation and moderation plan. Balancing the need for creative control while honoring the authenticity of user stories can be a delicate process. Additionally, privacy concerns, inappropriate content, and the potential for negative experiences need to be addressed proactively to maintain brand integrity.

For instance, the America250 campaign DOES NOT call for people to post online using the hashtag #America250. That’s probably an attempt to control the narrative, making sure that all “official entries” go through the website. But, as we know, we Americans aren’t big on following directions. And that’s not how people naturally share stories these days. A quick search of the #America250 hashtag on TikTok quickly shows how ignoring this problem won’t make it go away; it just cedes territory to those who might not share in the inclusiveness.

A More Perfect UGC Strategy

Asking your customers to tell you about your brand is a courageous act that can lead to some amazing insights. But brands shouldn’t stop there. There’s also a stealthier way of finding the real human stories behind your brand: look for the content people are making WITHOUT YOU ASKING.

Back to the America250 example: A quick search of #Americathebeautiful on TikTok reveals some good stuff on the red, white and blue side of things. Ditto for American standbys like #littleleague and #hotdogs. What hashtags would your biggest fans use to celebrate your brand? Follow those and curate regularly and strategically. Develop a systematic approach to curating user-generated content, ensuring it aligns with the brand's values and resonates with the target audience.

Foster a sense of community by including your biggest fans in the plan. Set clear guidelines for user submissions while offering incentives to encourage engagement and ensure high-quality contributions. What’s in it for them? And make sure you always credit and tag the creator. They will do the work of encouraging other customers to actively participate and share their stories, creating a community-driven loop of engagement and dialogue.

Finally, consider using a content curation and licensing platform, like the one we’re building at Catch+Release, to efficiently manage and leverage user-generated content across marketing channels. Having one place to gather content from every platform (including new ones like Threads) will save you time and increase the effectiveness of your creative team. Just check out some of the galleries of creator content our curators have pulled together. There's some American classics in there for sure.

via Catch+Release

America, This Is You

The America250 campaign represents an unparalleled experiment that empowers everyone to shape the brand narrative of a nation. Creators should jump at this opportunity. But it's also a chance to curate from all the existing content that's already been shared about this place we call home. Who will take on this challenge? And will the haters and trolls ruin the party?

While challenges exist, we can’t wait to see the beautiful content that is made for this brief. By leveraging technology and strategic curation, content marketers can take inspiration from America250 and create authentic and inclusive brand experiences that resonate with audiences.

#America250 #UGC #ContentMarketing #BrandStorytelling #InclusiveBranding

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