Dive summary: 

• User generated content (USG) is one of the most powerful marketing tools a brand has; follow the example of these five brands to help inspire UGC from brand fans. [see full list at Content Marketing Institute]
• British newspaper The Guardian garnered success and hundreds of entries with their Own the Weekend campaign, which encouraged readers to take pictures with the slogan Own the Weekend and Tweet the photo with hashtag #owntheweekend.
• Brands that are successful with UGC often employ one of the following five tactics: 1) video based "vox pop", 2) photo competitions, 3) Pinterest, 4) discussion forums, and 5) internal communications

From the article: 

"The beauty of UGC is that it provides a win-win situation for both sides: Brands get to develop a deeper engagement with their audience by creating a platform where their consumers can gather and socialize (that they can control and monitor) and, in turn, consumers get exclusive access to products and services — which they can boast about to their friends."