Q: "Do scrappy UGC-style ads actually outperform polished ones, or is that just an excuse to be lazy?"

Q: "Do scrappy UGC-style ads actually outperform polished ones, or is that just an excuse to be lazy?"

Great question. Short answer: scrappy won, but only on cost-per-acquisition.

The case: a DTC brand ran $8k split between a $4k polished studio ad and three phone-shot UGC clips. The polished ad had a lower cost-per-click but a 2.1% conversion rate. The UGC clips converted at 3.8% and cut cost-per-acquisition by 44%. Total signups from the same spend: nearly double.

Longer answer: polished builds trust for high-ticket; UGC wins on relatability for impulse buys. Verdict: for sub-$100 products, shoot on a phone. Save the studio budget.