Examining user- and marketer-generated content and the marketing of athletic footwear via instagram

• Main Author: Teo, Li Xin
• Other Authors: Leng Ho Keat
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: DRNTU::Science
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/70081
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Marketing scholars and practitioners recognised the importance of effective manipulation of online information cues in affecting consumer behaviour on social media. This study investigates the effects of user-generated content (online consumer reviews) and marketer-generated content (online product presentation) on consumers’ perceived product quality and purchase intention towards sports products, under different sport involvement situations, with the use of Instagram. In addition, drawing on the mental imagery perspective, this study aims to examine the effects of varying product presentation richness, via the manipulation of textual concreteness, on consumers’ product evaluation. 151 participants, aged 18 to 35, were recruited and randomly assigned into three experimental groups. Data was collected using a survey instrument. The findings suggest that user-generated content is not significantly more effective than marketer-generated content. The findings further showed that greater perceived concreteness evoked mental imagery significantly, which in turn increases consumers’ purchase intention, especially in the high sport-involvement group. The results extend current literature of auditory imagery during product marketing while offering insights for practitioners on the importance of textual content, even when the communication platform is visual-dominant.