RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The Voice of the Consumer Speaks Forcefully in Brand Identity
JF Journal of Advertising Research
JO J Advert Res
FD WARC
SP 101
OP 111
DO 10.2501/JAR-51-1-101-111
VO 51
IS 1 50th Anniversary Supplement
A1 George Christodoulides
A1 Colin Jevons
A1 Pete Blackshaw
YR 2011
UL http://www.journalofadvertisingresearch.com/content/51/1_50th_Anniversary_Supplement/101.abstract
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.