In the digital marketing arena, two schools of thought are waging a battle that is as silent as it is intense. On the one hand, there are the branded ads, polished, coherent and perfectly mastered. On the other, creative advertising, which can be recognized by the spontaneous videos shot on a smartphone, full of life and authenticity.
Since the rise of UGC advertising, the same question has been asked again and again: should we still invest in “institutional” ads when creators generate more engagement, faster, and often at lower cost?
To answer this question, our experts have carried out a comprehensive comparison between designer and brand advertising.
Designer advertising and brand advertising: opposing philosophies
The DNA of brand advertising: mastery above all else
Brand advertising is “classic” communication. It’s a message perfectly aligned with the graphic charter, tone of voice and institutional codes. It tells a story, but according to the rules of traditional marketing.
The objective of this type of advertising campaign?
But this mastery has a downside. By dint of control, the brand sometimes loses its authenticity. Today’s consumers, saturated with advertising messages, are quick to perceive a tone that is too “perfect”. They’re looking for the real, the lived, the human.
The spirit of designer advertising: authenticity and proximity
On the other hand, designer ads plunge us into everyday life.
Shot by influencers, micro-creators or simple users, they capture attention through their spontaneity. There’s no TV set, no static spot. The tone is natural, the words sincere, the demonstration real.
These are known as UGC Ads. These are ads created from creator content that brands can then sponsor (via whitelisting, Spark Ads or Meta Ads).
The result? An ad that looks more like a recommendation than an advertisement.
And it works! Audiences believe it more, because they see a face, an emotion, an experience. We’re moving from institutional discourse to social proof.
Performance, ROI and engagement: what do the figures say?
More engaging designer ads
One of the most striking points is that designer ads often generate up to 30% more engagement than traditional brand ads (source: Meta).
Why ? Because they fit naturally into the flow of social networks. The tone, the codes, the narrative… everything seems organic.
On TikTok, for example, UGC Ads take up users’ codes: humor, sincerity, everyday storytelling. The boundary between “content” and “advertising” is disappearing.
The result? Ads based on user-generated content (UGC) achieve click-through rates up to 4 times higher than traditional ads.
On the other hand, this performance is based on a delicate balance. If the creator seems “too sponsored”, the audience turns away.
Brand advertising, more effective in the long term
While UGCs shine on spontaneity, brand advertising ensures stability.
As mentioned above, brand advertising builds brand awareness over time. A visual signature, a consistent tone, controlled repetition: this is how strong brands are forged.
These ads work particularly well in brand recall and remarketing campaigns. They anchor a message in the consumer’s mind, even after several weeks.
Another advantage? Their performance is
Control, data and measurement: which strategy really masters performance?
The brand, queen of tracking and structured data
A brand campaign is a well-oiled machine: pixel tracking, dashboards, precise KPIs and clear attribution. Advertising tools (Meta, Google Ads, TikTok for Business) also make it easy to track every conversion, every click and every euro invested.
This methodical framework gives total control over performance. The brand steers, adjusts and optimizes. But this rigor has its limits. It mainly measures “cold” results (clicks, impressions, ROAS) without always capturing the emotional dimension.
The designer, king of human feedback and digital word-of-mouth
Creative content, on the other hand, provides a different kind of data: living insights.
By reading the comments under a sponsored UGC, a brand can understand what its customers really think of the product: their objections, their obstacles, their expectations.
This direct, almost instantaneous feedback feeds marketing strategy far beyond the numbers.
It’s also a mine of ideas for adapting brand communications, rethinking product pitches or refining advertising targeting.
Another advantage of designer advertising? Digital word-of-mouth! Successful creative content can generate
Costs, production and rights: two distinct business models
Brand advertising: control, but high fixed costs
Creating brand advertising is an investment.
Between production, agency, filming, editing and media budget, the bill quickly climbs.
But the cost is understandable. Here, we produce content that is sustainable, reusable over time, and aligned with a global strategy.
On the other hand, this type of content requires planning. It requires several weeks (or even months) of preparation, validation and distribution. Obviously, this leaves little room for improvisation.
Creative advertising: flexibility and better ROI
Designer ads, on the other hand, shine with their agility.
A shoot can be completed in 24 hours, with a rendering that’s perfectly in tune with current trends.
Production costs are lower, as the creator himself manages staging, lighting and editing.
When it comes to remuneration, there are several models to choose from: fixed-price, performance-based (CPC, CPA) or whitelisting.
Advertising ROI, on the other hand, is often better, as costs are variable and adjusted to actual performance.
Beware, however, of the question of usage rights. Distributing the creator’s content as paid advertising requires a clear agreement on the duration, territory and format of exploitation.
Towards an intelligent mix: the winning duo of brand + designer
After this comparison, you might think that brand advertising is losing ground to creative advertising. And yet…
The most successful brands don’t choose between the two approaches. On the contrary, they intelligently combine them.
They build campaigns where the brand sets the framework, and the designer brings his or her authenticity.
The winning pattern?
- Step 1: Brand advertising establishes the universe and brand awareness.
- Step 2: a designer ad to humanize the message and prove the product’s value.
- Step 3: Retargeting combines the two to build trust and trigger conversion.
The advantage of this mix? Capitalize on each other’s strengths: the coherence of the brand and the credibility of the designer.
So, designer ads or brand ads? The answer is neither black nor white. The two complement, respond to and nourish each other. By combining the two, you can build more human, more effective and more sustainable influencer marketing strategies.
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