It feels more real! Impact of UGC (User-generated content) and FGC (Firm-generated content) on the purchase intention of male and female university students.

With the rise in popularity of social media platforms, companies have more options to advertise their products. For example, they can hire professionals to create their own content, or they can repost content from their consumers (such as product reviews, unboxings, etc.). These are specific examples of Firm-generated content and User-generated content, respectively. However, previous research shows that both types of content are influential on the Purchase Intention of consumers. Research also shows that this impact could differ between male and female consumers since men and women have a different purchase behavior and value different things when they buy a certain product. For this reason, the aim of this study is to answer the research question: What is the impact of UGC and FGC on the purchase intention of male and female participants? It is relevant to answer this question to contribute to the academic literature regarding this subject since the number of FGC studies is relatively small compared to UGC and findings could be relevant for marketing professionals that are interested in learning about the purchasing behavior of men and women. An experiment was conducted among 191 female and male university students between the ages of 18-25 years old. The findings of the study indicate that male and female participants did not have a significant difference in their level of purchase intention when they were exposed to UGC and FGC. Results could be explained due to the tendency to value physical and social attractiveness in advertisements, the similarities that men and female participants share in terms of their shopping behavior and the critical attitude that consumers nowadays have towards advertisements.