The relevance of images in user-generated content: a mixed method study of when, and why, major brands retweet

Abstract

This paper develops unique new insight for business practitioners and academic researchers into the interaction between consumers and brands on social media platforms, principally where brands choose to interact with, and amplify, user-generated content (UGC) by retweeting it on their own brand channels. Despite increasing research into social media in general, there is a relative lack of available academic research on major brands engaging with consumer content, which may, be in part due to the pace of change and exponential growth in this emerging area. This mixed method study develops insight conducted over an 18-month period with leading social media practitioners, concluding that primarily a brand's social media team opportunistically seek out and retweet organic image-led UGC to convey specific messages across multiple platforms. Content containing imagery lends authenticity to brand storytelling; brands with tangible products are more likely to receive organic UGC which contains images than intangible brands.

Influence of brand related user-generated content through Facebook on consumer behaviour: a stimulus-organism-response framework

“…The credibility of that content is identified as the remarks of the actual users of the product or service, and this credibility leads to the decision making of the consumer about the purchase of the product. UGC is the primary means by which consumers express themselves and communicate with others (Somerfield et al, 2018). Krishnamurthy and Dou (2008) have argued that there are two major purposes that can be achieved through UGC: one is rational (e.g., informational and transactional) and the other is emotional (e.g., relationships, fantasy and likeness).…”

The Influence of Social Media Content on Intention to Recommend Through Online Engagement as a Mediating Variable on Mandarin Language Teaching Content via Instagram for Generations Y and Z in Indonesia

“…The theory of Useful Content (Perceived Usefulness) according to Javarofa (2022) emphasizes that useful content is more preferred by the public as it can be applied to their lives. Additionally, the theory of Unique Image Content Characteristics according to Somerfield & Mortimer (2018) explains that images with unique characteristics will attract the interest of the public (consumers), complementing textual narratives.…”

Twitter as the Teacher: What the Digital Afterlives of Hollywood’s Sports Films Tell Us That the Motion Pictures Don’t

“…The multimedia dimension of this social platform has also been examined. Researchers have analyzed the kind of images shared on Twitter and their relevance (Chen & Dredze, 2018;Somerfield, Mortimer, & Evans, 2018).…”