The death of the polished Ad: How TikTok and user generated content are rewriting marketing

For decades, advertising has operated on optics. The logic was simple. Authority could be established through production quality. Bright lights and colourful productions signalled legitimacy. Carefully scripted lines and popular celebrities carried the message and that message became truth.

That formula worked in an era when brands controlled distribution and consumers had limited avenues for verification. That era is ending.

Across Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem, a different force now shapes perception and conversion. It is not the studio commercial. It is the shaky front camera video. It is the word of mouth recommendation of a vendor in the open market. It is the screen recording of a successful transaction. It is the comment section interrogation. Some would even dare say it is TikTok.

The polished ad is not disappearing because beauty no longer matters. It is fading because trust has changed shape.

So what about TikTok?

Nigeria has one of the youngest populations in the world, with a median age under 20 according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Digital adoption is equally rapid. DataReportal’s 2024 Nigeria Digital Report estimates tens of millions of active social media users, with short form video platforms recording some of the fastest growth rates. TikTok in particular has become a dominant discovery engine among younger users.

This shift matters because search behaviour has changed.

Increasingly, young Nigerians turn to TikTok not only for entertainment but for explanations of day to day needs, financial tools inclusive, crypto platforms, savings apps and cross border payment solutions. Google executives have publicly acknowledged that younger audiences often prefer TikTok and Instagram over traditional search engines for certain categories.

In recent months, I had the opportunity to examine this behavioural shift as part of an academic study on digital information seeking. The findings were instructive. Younger users trust TikTok not merely because of its short form format but because of the democratization embedded within the platform. Information is not passively consumed. It is publicly interrogated. The comment section functions as a real time validation layer.

In many cases, the comments carry more persuasive weight than the original video.

In Nigeria’s fintech space, this shift is profound. A potential user no longer begins due diligence on a company website. They search the platform name on TikTok. They scroll. They watch testimonies. They read comments. They look for complaints. They measure tone.

The platform is no longer just a distribution channel. It has become an informal review ecosystem. For serious brands in 2026, participation is no longer optional.

From broadcast authority to crowdsourced credibility

Historically, financial brands relied on broadcast logic. A brand spoke with authority. Consumers received the message. Credibility was implied through scale and production.

TikTok collapses that hierarchy.

User generated content has evolved into a form of social proof infrastructure. Robert Cialdini’s research on social influence demonstrates that people look to the behaviour of others to determine appropriate action, especially in uncertain environments. Few categories are more uncertain than finance.

In Nigeria, uncertainty is compounded by collective memory. The trauma of Ponzi schemes such as MMM, periodic regulatory crackdowns and the volatility of digital asset narratives have cultivated rational skepticism. Distrust is not paranoia. It is a lived experience.

UGC addresses that skepticism in ways traditional advertising cannot.

The most persuasive fintech content in 2026 is often not a cinematic explainer video. It is a subtitled screen recording displaying real numbers. It is a creator responding directly to fee concerns. It is a user documenting a withdrawal in real time.

This is not simply content. It is evidence.

The algorithm does not reward perfection

TikTok’s recommendation system is built around engagement signals such as watch time, completion rate and interaction. Highly polished ads often feel interruptive within that environment. Native, conversational content feels embedded.

This fundamentally alters the economics of persuasion.

A studio commercial may cost millions of naira and generate impressions. A user video filmed in a bedroom may generate higher watch time, deeper comment threads and more meaningful engagement. The latter often drives higher conversion because it resembles shared experience rather than corporate messaging.

Marketing theory has long distinguished between paid media and earned media. What we are witnessing now is the expansion of earned credibility within paid ecosystems. Audiences increasingly expect brands to show their work.

Influencers as custodians of trust

Influencer marketing has also matured.

There was a time when follower count alone justified campaign spend. Today, brands that rely solely on reach risk mistaking visibility for credibility. Audiences interrogate influencers in the comment section. They ask whether funds were truly withdrawn. They question fee transparency. They demand evidence of continued usage beyond the paid post.

Influence has become democratized. Beyond macro influencers, micro and nano creators are growing in impact because they appear closer to everyday reality.

In fintech, influence is especially fragile. A single unresolved complaint can escalate into reputational damage. Crisis can alter perception swiftly and sometimes irreversibly.

Regulatory attention reinforces this fragility. Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission has issued guidelines cautioning against misleading investment promotions. The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria has intensified scrutiny around influencer disclosures. Financial communication carries weight.

The implication is clear. Governance must evolve alongside creativity. UGC marketing cannot become a loophole for exaggerated claims or unverified promises.

The strategic imperative

Nigeria’s fintech sector continues to attract global investment and expand financial inclusion. According to reports by McKinsey and BCG on African fintech growth, long term sustainability depends on trust, retention and customer lifetime value, not just acquisition spikes.

The next phase of growth will not be driven by who can produce the most beautiful advertisement. It will be driven by who can withstand the most scrutiny.

The camera no longer belongs exclusively to the brand. It belongs to the user.

For brands operating in Nigeria’s dynamic and demanding market, this shift is not necessarily a threat. With the right strategy, it is an opportunity.

But that opportunity demands discipline. It demands transparency. It demands that marketing professionals pay closer attention to product experience itself.

Brands that are confident in optimal product experience rarely fear the comment section. They build in it.

Ojelabi is the chief marketing officer at FlashChange Limited, a fintech startup. He is curious about human behaviour and culture as his livelihood depends on it.