How do you ensure your ad stands out during one of the most overcrowded advertising moment of the year? For UGC.nl, the #1 UGC marketplace in the Netherlands, relying on luck during Q4 was not a strategy. Instead of launching blind, they used Brandpulse to secure their media investment. Identifying a top-performer with a exceptional 95 score while eliminating budget-draining assets before launch.
UGC.NL is the #1 User Generated Content marketplace in the Netherlands. With a network of over 1,500 creators, they bridge the gap between brands craving authentic impact and talented makers.
Industry: Marketing & Advertising / Creator Economy
Company Size: Market Leader (Netherlands)
Role: Growth & Performance Team (Budget Holders)
Customer Type: B2B (E-commerce owners & Marketers)
Headquarters: The Netherlands
Identified a "Budget Drainer" before launch.
Replaced subjective opinions with 95% Confidence.
Data unlocked a specific asset for retargeting vs. acquisition.
35,022 real humans analyzed
For marketers globally, Q4 is the most expensive time to advertise. In the Netherlands, this peak centers around Sinterklaas, a massive gifting holiday in early December.
UGC.nl wanted to capitalize on this moment with a culturally relevant hook: a "Pete" character offering a discount. The goal was to blend natively into the festive feed while still driving hard sales.
But mixing entertainment with a sales message is risky. If it's too subtle, nobody stops. If it's too "salesy," they scroll past. The team had 6 concepts, ranging from a podcast setting to a whiteboard explanation, but no certainty on which one would survive the Q4 clutter.
"As the market leader, we need to set the standard. We didn't want to hope it worked. We needed an insurance policy for our media budget."
UGC.nl used the BrandPulse Silver Package to gain control over their campaign outcome.
The objective: find the asset with the highest Stopping Power Rating (SPR), the proportion of people who notice and engage after an asset captures their attention.
The data provided immediate clarity. Video 1 (The "Podcast" Piet) was a proven winner, while Video 4 (The Close-up) was identified as a liability.
Our analysis revealed why the winner worked, giving the team a blueprint for future assets:
1. Format Mimicry (The "Anti-Ad"): Video 1 featured the holiday character in a Podcast setting. This signaled "entertainment" rather than "sales pitch," successfully bypassing the viewer’s mental ad-blocker.
2. Eye Contact is King: The actor's direct gaze created a "Parasocial Bond," triggering an immediate biological stop response.
Video Retention Curve
The test transformed the campaign from a gamble into a calculated execution.
Join other brands using Brandpulse to create certainty on ad spend using real human behaviour insights.
