Type “user-generated content” into Google and you’ll get over 14 million hits. That’s hardly surprising. The benefits of user-generated content, or UGC, are clear in a time when consumers are looking for authenticity and relatable experiences over glossy ad campaigns. It’s real, human, and fun.

However, UGC comes with some major drawbacks, and the biggest is the uncertainty of the kind of content you’ll get. Could be great. Could be blah. And it takes time to find it, regardless of the outcome.

In fact, it can all be summed up in one word – fishing. First, you have to find your spot and hope it contains fish. Then you set up, bait your hook, spend a lot of time waiting (and hoping) and if you’re lucky, get a few great catches and a bunch of tiny fish you have to throw back.

That, in a nutshell, is user-generated content. It’s hit and hope. It’s spray and pray. And yet right now, it’s the standard.

But what if the exact fish you were looking for swam right out of the water, jumped into your cooler, and packed themselves in ice?

That’s the basis of Cinebody’s User-Directed Content™ , the natural evolution of UGC; and it’s changing the way brands large and small are connecting with audiences around the world.

Anyone who’s tried Cinebody’s User-Directed Content™ (UDC) quickly becomes a convert, and with good reason. This new way to deliver UGC software provides the familiarity of content brands already love, but with features and benefits that leave producers stunned.

First, there’s no more fishing. No more late nights and weekends scouring the web for hashtags, crossing your fingers that you get what you need. .With UDC video, you have full control and can literally call the shots. You don’t just get related content but video you can direct, and that includes orientation and camera specs. You can even provide a creative brief to users, and it’s all done through a simple app in real time. You ask, you get.

Let’s talk about those dreaded ownership rights issues. There aren’t any. With User-Directed Content™ users grant shared permissions when they join Cinebody, allowing for a purely collaborative process between contributors and the brand. Basically, the lawyers don’t have to be put on standby.

And then there’s turnaround time. Brands don’t just need good, relevant content…they need it fast. Today’s trending Twitter hashtag is tomorrow’s distant memory. The ability to jump on a topic and get great video out there when consumers are hungry for it is key, and as Cinebody’s UDC allows you to access and utilize the footage as people are filming (yes…that’s not a typo), the editing can take place simultaneously.

To say it’s the future of branded content would be something of a misnomer, because the future is already here and now. It’s happening, and brands that take advantage of UDC don’t just have the edge on their competitors…they’ve already won the battle and the war.