7 successful UGC ad types for TikTok: Meme Animation Format
Most people open TikTok to relax and be entertained. That’s why brands use meme-style animation to create fun, low-pressure video ads that feel native to the feed. These short clips use simple drawings, quick jokes, or trending music to hold attention without feeling like ads. It is one of the easiest ways to build best-performing UGC ads that still feel personal and light.
In this guide, we break down how meme animation works, why it fits so well with TikTok ads, and how brands use it to shape better UGC video ads that help viewers stay engaged.
This article is one of seven in our series where we break down the best-performing UGC ad styles on TikTok. Start from the beginning of the series with our blog on Podcasts here.
Summary
Meme animation UGC ads use simple drawings, quick jokes, and familiar meme formats to create videos that blend into the TikTok feed. Their rough, playful style lowers viewer resistance, making the content feel fun instead of salesy.
This format drives strong engagement because it delivers a clear setup, a fast payoff, and a relatable moment viewers instantly recognize. With AI tools making production faster, brands can scale these videos and test different ideas with ease.
When done well, meme animation becomes one of the best-performing UGC ads for grabbing attention and turning laughs into clicks.
Key takeaways
Meme Animation Format: Uses simple drawings and quick humor to create fun, low-pressure videos that feel native on TikTok.
Why It Works: The low-effort look lowers viewer resistance and keeps attention without feeling like an ad.
Engagement Driver: Highlights relatable moments or problems, making the payoff and product tie-in easier to understand.
Top Styles: Drawing animations and trend hijack animations are the easiest starting points for strong performance.
Creative Approach: Focus on a fast setup, quick payoff, simple visuals, bold hooks, and clean pacing to hold attention.
What is a UGC video ad?
Before we get into the weeds on the best TikTok ad strategy and TikTok advertising, let’s make sure we’re on the same page. A UGC (user-generated content) style ad is one that looks like a regular, everyday person created and posted the video, not a brand with a production crew.
No one’s excited to watch paid ads on TikTok during their morning commute or when they are trying to learn the newest viral dance. If they spot an ad, they’re likely to swipe right past it.
Glazing over at the sight of advertisements is fairly normal. The best-performing UGC ads avoid that problem by making the ad feel native, real, and entertaining. This approach gets more eyes and ears on your products/services, leading to more conversions.
What Are Meme Animation UGC Ads?
Meme animation UGC ads are short videos that use simple, low-effort drawings to tell a quick story, usually fifteen to twenty seconds long. The characters often look messy or exaggerated on purpose, which makes the content feel playful and easy to watch. This rough style mirrors the meme videos people already enjoy on TikTok.
Many teams pair this format with UGC video ads or build it into larger AI UGC content plans. When done well, it blends into the feed and keeps viewers watching from the first second to the last.
Why Meme Animation UGC Ad Formats Drive High Engagement
Meme animation works well on TikTok because it feels light, familiar, and easy to follow. Viewers are used to quick jokes and simple storytelling, so this format fits right into their normal scrolling habits. It also hooks people fast. Big text, playful characters, and bold reactions help the message land before they leave the video.
The low-effort look plays an important part too. These clips feel casual, and their short duration makes viewers more willing to watch to the end. When a video makes viewers laugh, they are much more likely to click or learn more about the product.
What truly boosts engagement is how these clips highlight a clear moment or problem people recognize. The joke sets the stage, the reveal lands fast, and the payoff feels earned. This rhythm is what helps many meme animations perform at the level of best-performing UGC ads and keeps viewers curious until the final frame.
How Brands Use AI to Scale Meme Animation UGC Ads
Many brands now use AI video makers to speed up the work behind meme animation UGC ads. Instead of drawing each frame by hand, teams can build scenes in minutes with simple prompts, templates, voiceovers, and basic character presets. This makes it easier to test new ideas and keep up with fast content cycles on TikTok. AI also helps these ads stay consistent, since AI UGC video generators can match the same style across clips.
As more brands explore AI UGC ads and broader AI UGC content, scaling this playful animation style becomes much easier without losing its native feel.
2 Meme Animation Styles That Deliver the Best-Performing UGC Ads
Meme animation can take many shapes, but these two styles are the best UGC ad examples for brands to start with. They are easy to make, easy to understand, fit naturally into the TikTok feed, and can convert the audience well.
Drawing Animations
This style uses simple drawings to show a quick before-and-after moment with the product. The characters present the target audience. The story often starts with a related problem, like bad style, financial stress, or low confidence, then jumps into a fun transformation.
The rough drawings help the joke land fast. And the story is visual, so viewers understand it right away, even without sound. These drawing animations create clean, memorable moments that are easy to connect to a product.
Trend Hijack Animations
These clips borrow the structure of a trending meme and sound. The humor hits quickly, then the product shows up as the easy fix in the story.
Since the format already feels familiar, viewers are more likely to watch to the end. This is why many trend hijack animations turn into best-performing ads and drive strong watch time.
Creative Tips for Making Your Meme Animation UGC Ads Actually Convert
Getting a laugh is great, but conversion comes from clarity, pacing, and a smooth tie-in to your product. Your meme animation should feel fun while still guiding viewers toward the next step, just like other best-performing UGC ads do.
Here are simple tips to help your animation convert:
Clear setup: Start with a relatable problem, so viewers connect right away.
Fast payoff: Reveal the solution early to match short TikTok attention spans.
Simple visuals: Stick figures, messy shapes, or emojis keep focus on the story, not the art.
Text cues: Use large overlays and quick visuals to make the message clear without sound.
Strong first second: Shape the best hooks with bold lines or dramatic reactions.
Short runtime: Aim for clips under twenty seconds to keep retention high.
Product moment: Highlight one main benefit so the message stays sharp.
Smooth CTA: End with a friendly nudge that feels natural after the joke lands.
With the right rhythm and message, this format can sit among the best-performing UGC ads and drive real interest.
Conclusion
Meme animation offers a simple, playful way to share your message while blending naturally into the TikTok feed. The mix of humor, clear pacing, and quick storytelling makes it one of the easiest formats for making the best-performing UGC ads.
As brands continue exploring new tools and styles, formats powered by AI UGC video generator platforms and other creative tools will only grow. Try testing a few styles to see how they help you shape stronger UGC video ads that keep viewers watching.
For more authentic ways to drive conversions on TikTok using UGC ads, check out our detailed guides on 3 Reasons Why, Reddit Post, Native Q&A, Interviews on the street, Stitch incoming, and Podcasts. These are some of the best UGC ad examples in our dataset.
Want to make Meme Animation ads that actually convert? At Creative AdBundance, we help brands turn simple animated stories into high-performing UGC video ads.
From simple drawings to trending concepts, our team knows how to make meme animation content feel scroll-stopping, humorous, and results-driven. Let’s create the next best-performing UGC ad for your brand that’s authentic, data-backed, and built to convert.
Drop us a line here to get started.
