Stock footage is cheap, instant and licensed. It is also the reason so many Mexican ads look like they were made for a country nobody lives in.

What stock is actually good for

Establishing shots, abstract backgrounds, textures, and anything that is not making a claim about your product. If a video needs three seconds of a city skyline, buy it and move on.

What it cannot do

Show your product. Stock footage by definition shows a generic version of something, and the moment a viewer sees a product that is not the one they are about to buy, the video has stopped being evidence and started being decoration.

The recognition problem

Stock libraries are dominated by kitchens, houses, offices and street scenes that do not look Mexican. A viewer in Guadalajara watching an ad set in a house nobody they know lives in does not consciously reject it; they simply do not connect with it, and the ad underperforms without anybody understanding why.

The cost comparison is closer than it looks

A handful of stock clips with the right licence for paid advertising is not free, and a single UGC video from a real creator often costs less than the equivalent stock package while showing your actual product.

Where to use both

Stock for the frame around the message, real footage for the message itself. Brands that use stock as the backdrop and a real creator as the voice get the economy of one and the credibility of the other.

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Frequently asked questions

What is stock good for?

Establishing shots and backgrounds.

Why can it not carry the claim?

It shows a generic product, not yours.

What is the recognition problem?

Stock settings rarely look Mexican.

Is stock actually cheaper?

Often not, once ad licences are counted.