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So Whaddya Think? Consumers Create Ads and Other Consumers Critique Them

Burçak Ertimur and Mary C. Gilly

Journal of Interactive Marketing, 2012, vol. 26, issue 3, 115-130

Abstract: With the availability of online creative tools, consumers create ad-like communications on their own or in response to company contests. These consumer-generated ads (CGA) are like word-of-mouth (WOM) in that they are consumer-to-consumer communications, yet they have the look and feel of traditional advertising. We examine consumer responses to both contest and unsolicited CGA and company ads using data gathered from consumers via netnography and depth interviews. Content analysis is used to compare the three ad types and reveals that the contest rules frame CGA so that they resemble company ads while unsolicited CGA differ from both ad types. Findings show that consumers respond to both types of CGA by engaging with the ad rather than the brand, much like an ad critic, while company ads elicit brand associations. Unsolicited CGA are seen as authentic, but not credible, while contest ads are seen as credible, but not authentic, revealing a boundary condition to the conventional view that authenticity leads to credibility.

Keywords: Consumer-generated advertising; User-generated content; Credibility; Authenticity; Word-of-mouth communications (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:joinma:v:26:y:2012:i:3:p:115-130

DOI: 10.1016/j.intmar.2011.10.002

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