Abstract

VENTER, M; CHUCHU, T  and  PATTISON, K. An empirical investigation into the effectiveness of consumer generated content on the purchase intention of sports apparel brands. JCMAN [online]. 2016, vol.13, n.1, pp.27-54. ISSN 1815-7440.

Social media represents a revolutionary new trend that has introduced a substantial change in the way communication takes place. Marketers are therefore converting to consumer-generated content (CGC) to act as an advertising tool in creating awareness and promoting their brands. Although a number of studies have explored this subject, few studies have looked at this topic among the youth in Johannesburg with a focus on sports apparel brands. By means of a conceptual model, brand exposure (to CGC) is the predictor variable, while consumer purchase intention is the outcome variable, and the mediating variables are brand familiarity, brand preference, brand attitude and brand knowledge. The article undertook a quantitative approach in which 150 self-administered surveys were distributed among students from the University of the Witwatersrand. The findings indicated that eight of the nine hypotheses are supported. The findings from the article contribute to both academic literature by adding to theory in the field of e-marketing which is a rapidly growing field of interest. From a practical perspective, it will provide marketers with insight into the effectiveness of CGC as an advertising platform.

Keywords : consumer-generated-content; generation Y consumers; social media; social networking sites; sports apparel.

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