In a time when attention spans are shorter than ever and consumer behavior continues to evolve, brands are constantly seeking the most effective ways to reach and engage their audiences.
Traditional advertising no longer holds the same power it once did.
While it can still be effective, more and more brands are turning to influencer marketing and user-generated content as key tools to connect with their audiences and create meaningful impact. In fact, in 2024, influencer marketing propelled social media to become the world’s largest advertising channel, surpassing traditional methods.
The main difference between Influencer marketing, UGC and traditional advertising is that The main difference between influencer marketing, UGC, and traditional advertising is that the first two rely heavily on authenticity, relatability, and peer influence. Instead of brands speaking at consumers, influencer marketing and UGC allow real people—trusted voices or everyday users—to speak with them.
This shift creates a more organic form of engagement that feels less like a sales pitch and more like a recommendation from a friend. Traditional advertising, by contrast, often feels one-sided and impersonal, especially to younger generations who have grown up immersed in social media.
In this article we will examine the reach, impact, credibility and customer engagement that traditional advertising has in comparison to influencer marketing and UGC as well as give an example of brands that did both analyzing the results.
Traditional advertising refers to any advertising or outreaches activities done offline, through non-digital channels for example television, radio, billboard,newspaper and magazine adverts where brands aim to reach their target market.
There is a dependency on physical channels rather than digital, this is the main difference. Through repeated exposures brands look to build loyalty and awareness.It is said that traditional advertising has a way of being included in your routine, it can be by reading the newspaper everyday and seeing an ad there or just walking by the street and coming across a billboard.
Takeaway: Traditional advertising relies on offline channels like TV and newspapers to build brand awareness through repeated exposure.
While traditional advertising has shown incredible results in the late 20th and 21st centuries, dominating television, radio, and print media, its role in today’s form of communication is not the same. Nowadays digital channels have risen up to take their glory, as everyone is watching, listening, consuming online.
Understanding the evolution, strengths and current limitations is key to understanding what is the best way to reach your target audience. In this section, we’ll explore the actual strengths of traditional advertising in this current state of the world as well as the challenges.
Takeaway: While traditional advertising still holds value for its credibility and broad reach, its high costs, lack of flexibility, and declining engagement in today’s digital world make it a less agile option for modern marketer.
Although consumer behavior is constantly evolving and digital marketing is undoubtedly at its peak, traditional advertising still holds strong. Both brands and individuals continue to rely on it—not out of habit, but because it remains effective in specific contexts.
This is largely due to the massive and undeniable reach mentioned before. One advertising in prime time when the audience is highly engaged, allows the brand to reach millions at once. This massive exposure is difficult to duplicate in a fragmented digital environment.
Not only this but brands have gained a lot of loyal followers by just doing traditional ads that people like and are heartfelt, like Coca-Cola during Christmas. Wherever we live, wherever we are we can all expect to see a Coca-Cola TV Commercial or Billboard that brings joy to our heart and tears to our eyes. This helps build a sense of belonging within the brand's audience bringing them closer.
Lastly, differently to digital channels, there is a lower dependency on algorithms. In digital platforms, the algorithm decides what and when to show it, whereas with traditional advertising brands can have guaranteed visibility and control the message.
Takeaway: Traditional advertising continues to play a vital role by offering mass reach, emotional impact, and message control—qualities that digital channels can’t always guarantee.
In 2023, McDonal’s launched a campaign called Raise Your Arches in the UK using traditional channels such as TV, Cinema and transit advertising. The commercial didn’t show food or any store but rather different people arching their brows as if inviting the other to go to McDonald’s.
This commercial also featured a trendy and catchy song that is key for advertisements to receive exposure. While the commercial was launched on traditional channels it quickly gained the attention of the people online due to the creativity and emotional touch that every McDonald’s commercial tends to have.
Social media was quickly filled with memes and reactions demonstrating that even nowadays, traditional advertising can gain traction and raise awareness when done right, connecting with the digital world.
Takeaway: McDonald’s Raise Your Arches campaign proves that traditional advertising can still be highly effective in the digital age—when paired with strong creative concepts and emotional resonance, it not only captures attention on traditional platforms but also spills over into social media, bridging the gap between old and new media to create meaningful brand engagement.
Influencer marketing and user-generated content represent a new wave of advertising, driven by the rise of digital technology and social media, each with a different focus:
Influencer Marketing involves partnering with people who have a good following, online presence and good engagement to promote a product or service and boost brand awareness on their account.
Both of these last strategies, rely on digital channels mostly on social media and have gained more and more traction as the digital landscape continues to evolve and audiences increasingly seek authentic and relatable content online, while staying easily influenced by what they see.
Nowadays people relate and consume products based on the recommendations of users or influencers as they feel a sense of loyalty and trust their opinions whereas simply seeing a billboard, no matter how persuasive, may not be enough to drive engagement.
The critical role of influencer collaborations and user-generated content in regards to today’s social commerce is undeniable. The combination of both these strategies will undoubtedly result in the growth and recognition of your business while also building a strong, authentic community around your brand. In addition, by fostering these types of relationships and implementing these tactics, brands can improve their reach, conversion, customer engagement, and credibility.
Takeaway: Influencer marketing and user-generated content leverage digital platforms and real user experiences to engage audiences more personally and authentically.
Takeaway: Influencer marketing can significantly boost trust, engagement, and reach when well-aligned, but its impact depends heavily on authenticity and strategic partnerships to avoid audience fatigue and credibility loss.
In 2018, VisitScotland which is the national office of tourism in Scotland launched a campaign called #ScotlandIsNow with the goal to help position the country as an ideal destination, with the help of influencer marketing.
They manage to work with influencers who dedicate their content to international travel as photographers, videographers or lifestyle bloggers, making recommendations and sharing the places they have visited. These creators shared authentic content of their experience in Scotland, from its beautiful views to their food and local culture, gaining the love and attention of their followers.
The results were amazing, they managed to reach millions of followers without traditional methods of advertising and their costs as well as generating tons of high quality content for the brand which they were able to reuse. Lastly, they managed to raise the interest and boost tourism which helped Scotland and its inhabitants largely.
This continued on and in 2024, influential TikTokers like Bryan Millar Walker and Millie Graham have become prominent voices showcasing Scotland. By leveraging trusted voices in the travel space, VisitScotland successfully reframed the country’s image for a new generation of traveler.
They went as far as set up Scottish Influencer Award based on categories where they choose the influencer that made a positive contribution towards the image and appeal of brands, people and places in Scotland, and beyond.
Click here to explore more successful influencer marketing case studies.
Takeaway: The #ScotlandIsNow campaign shows how influencer marketing can humanize a destination, attract new demographics, and replace or complement traditional advertising with high-impact, low-barrier storytelling.
There are different ways to acquire the content done by users so brands can reuse them in their own channels. These can be:
Takeaway: UGC can be sourced in multiple ways—from organic posts and branded hashtags to contests, reviews, influencer partnerships, and dedicated platforms.
For a complete guide on the use of UGC check here.
Takeaway: User-generated content offers brands an authentic, cost-effective way to build trust and reach through real customer voices, but requires careful curation to avoid reputational risks, inconsistent messaging, and quality issues.
This campaign is a prime example on how UGC can be a great marketing strategy for your brand. With the initiative “Photo of the Day”, GoPro encourages their followers to post photos and videos captured with their GoPro camera using the hashtag #GoPro.
Each day, the brand chooses the best one and posts it on their official channels (Instagram, Twitter, website, etc). Winners of the Photo of the Day challenge receive social media exposure, GoPro gear, and cash prizes.
By doing this, the brand is exposed to a massive audience organically and at the same time gains the attention and a loyal following in an entertaining and interactive way.
Also, they get new content without the necessity to shoot it themselves, saving time, money and effort. Not only this but the engagement and the brand exposure gained from this campaign was amazing.
Takeaway: GoPro demonstrates how UGC can be a scalable, cost-effective marketing engine. By empowering users to tell their own stories, the brand builds trust, authenticity, and a continuous stream of engaging content that feels more relatable than traditional ads.
When talking about return of investment (ROI), influencer marketing and user-generated content (UGC) are known for offering a more lasting and authentic impact for brands in comparison to traditional advertising.
While traditional advertising tends to center on short term results, influencer centered campaigns are likely to generate a bigger impact in terms of engagement and improve the conversion rate at a lower cost per impression (CPM). In addition to this, user-generated content not only boosts brand visibility quickly but also contributes to building stronger audience relationships and loyalty which is harder to achieve through traditional advertising channels.
In relation to metrics, it is clear that collaborations with micro and nano influencers are more cost-efficient as results are proven especially in niche industries where trust and relevance is key.
To sum up, influencer marketing and UGC are not only more cost-friendly strategies but also sustainable in the long term.
Takeaway: Influencer marketing and UGC offer a more engaging, cost-effective, and long-term sustainable ROI compared to traditional advertising. With lower CPM, higher engagement, and stronger audience trust, these strategies help brands build lasting connections beyond short-term visibility.
Based on GoodFirms survey, we can understand that nowadays 59.9% of the businesses have devoted less than 25% of their marketing budget to traditional advertising, while 33.8% of the businesses designate between 51% to 75% of the budget to digital advertising.
Even as the budget for traditional advertising has lessened,there is a small percentage of businesses that still trust that it helps boost business credibility and awareness and is key when local targeting, even though it is not ideal as it does not help when segmenting the audience, is harder to track results and has higher costs. The majority of them are favoring digital advertising as it has proven benefits in today’s digital age when talking about reach, velocity, enhanced visibility, targeting, insights, among others.
According to the survey, 66.5% of businesses are willing to increase their investment in digital advertising and 94.5% of the survey participants opt for social media ads to promote their products. However, 78.5% of the surveyed businesses, rapidly changing trends are a drawback of digital advertising.
These figures reflect a strong shift toward digital, but also highlight the value in combining approaches. Here’s when to use each:
Takeaway: While digital advertising dominates for its reach, targeting, and insights, traditional ads still hold value for credibility and local impact. Many brands combine both, but success depends on aligning the strategy with your goals, audience, and budget.
So far in 2025, one of the most effective and successful trends is influencer-created content.
Brands are putting their faith more and more in collaborations with micro and nano influencers, which offers a more authentic and direct connection with their audiences. Not only this, but the focus it’s not limited to only one platform, content creators are present in every used platform nowadays.
If you are an engaging content creator there is no doubt that your social media presence is not limited to Instagram but also TikTok and even Youtube. Youtube has Youtube Short now that allows creators to post shorter content and reach the attention of those who look to watch shorter content, similar to TikTok.
Each channel has their own format that works for them, so it’s key for a brand to ally with those content creators that know what works for their audience and have a loyal following already. This has proven useful to generate a sense of community as well as focusing on engagement.
Takeaway: In 2025, brands succeed by partnering with micro and nano influencers who create platform-specific, authentic content that drives engagement and community.
Influencer Hero offers an extensive and complete end-to-end management platform that allows for campaign management with Influencers and enables users to take full advantage of user-generated content.
Whether you’re launching a one-time campaign or building long-term ambassador programs, Influencer Hero gives you the tools to manage everything in one place — making your influencer marketing and UGC efforts more effective and scalable.
Takeaway: Influencer Hero simplifies and centralizes every step of your influencer marketing and UGC strategy, from finding the right creators and tracking performance in real time, to managing approvals, payments, and repurposing top content, all in one powerful platform.
As consumer expectations evolve, the shift toward trust-based, content-rich marketing strategies is clear. While traditional advertising still plays a role in brand awareness, modern consumers crave authenticity, engagement, and transparency—all of which influencer marketing and UGC deliver in spades.
Platforms like Influencer Hero are essential in this new era, providing brands with the tools to discover the right creators, manage partnerships, and scale content creation without sacrificing authenticity. The key is no longer about pushing ads—it’s about starting conversations, building community, and co-creating value with your audience
Yes, influencer marketing is a subset of digital marketing. It involves collaborating with social media personalities or content creators to promote products online, typically through platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube. It complements strategies like SEO, PPC, and email marketing by adding a layer of human connection and authenticity.
Influencer marketing often delivers a higher ROI than traditional advertising. Studies have shown that businesses earn an average of $5.78 for every $1 spent on influencer campaigns, whereas traditional ads tend to have a broader reach but lower engagement and conversion rates. Influencer campaigns also benefit from precise tracking and performance analytics.
Consumers trust influencers more because they often share personal, relatable experiences with products, creating a sense of authenticity. Traditional ads, on the other hand, are seen as paid, scripted, and less credible. Influencers build long-term relationships with their audiences, making their recommendations feel like trusted advice.
While effective, influencer marketing carries risks like fake followers, brand misalignment, or non-compliance with advertising regulations (e.g., lack of #ad disclosure). Traditional advertising is more regulated and offers brand control, but lacks the flexibility and agility of influencer-driven campaigns.
UGC complements influencer marketing by providing scalable, authentic content from real customers that brands can repurpose across campaigns. It builds social proof, increases credibility, and can fill gaps in content production, making influencer efforts feel even more grounded and community-driven.
Schedule a Demo with one of our media experts below.
