PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - George Christodoulides
AU  - Colin Jevons
AU  - Pete Blackshaw
TI  - The Voice of the Consumer Speaks Forcefully in Brand Identity
AID  - 10.2501/JAR-51-1-101-111
DP  - 2011 Mar 01
TA  - Journal of Advertising Research
PG  - 101--111
VI  - 51
IP  - 1 50th Anniversary Supplement
4099  - http://www.journalofadvertisingresearch.com/content/51/1_50th_Anniversary_Supplement/101.short
4100  - http://www.journalofadvertisingresearch.com/content/51/1_50th_Anniversary_Supplement/101.full
SO  - J Advert Res2011 Mar 01; 51
AB  - User-generated content (UGC) is attracting a great deal of interest—some of it effective, some misguided. This article reviews the marketing-related factors that gave rise to UGC, tracing the relevant development of market orientation, social interaction, word of mouth, brand relationships, consumer creativity, co-creation, and customization, largely through the pages of the Journal of Advertising Research over the last 40 (or so) of its 50 years. The authors then discuss the characteristic features of UGC and how they differ from (and are similar to) these concepts. The insights thus gained will help practitioners and researchers understand what UGC is (and is not) and how it should (and should not) be used.