Authenticity or Illusion? Exploring the impact of user-generated content versus professional advertising on consumer trust and purchase intention

Sammanfattning

Social media marketing has become increasingly important for business growth where a shift has been observed from firm-controlled communication to the growth of user-generated content (UGC). The trend reflects a greater consumer participation in content creation where UGC is increasingly used as a marketing tool. One of the key highlighted advantages is perceived authenticity which along with trust becomes the central concepts within digital marketing.Previous research shows limited direct comparisons between UGC and professional advertising which results in an unclear understanding regarding how authenticity influences consumer responses. The relationship between authenticity, trust and purchase intention requires further investigation since previous research has mixed findings regarding the effectiveness of different advertising formats.The purpose of the study was to compare UGC and professionally produced advertising with key focus being placed on authenticity, trust and purchase intention. The relationship between these variables were examined to further explore the role of authenticity in explaining consumer responses.The study was conducted using a quantitative research approach with a survey-based research design. Respondents were exposed to two advertisements of which one was UGC while the other was professionally shot. The same brand and product was used across both conditions, designed to ensure comparability. Approximately 80 respondents participated from which data was collected using Likert-scale statements measuring authenticity, trust and purchase intention. Analysis was conducted through descriptive statistics with t-tests, correlations and regression analyses applied.The results revealed clear differences between the formats where professionally produced advertising generated higher trust along with higher purchase intention. The differences were statistically significant unlike the differences found for authenticity. UGC was not perceived as more authentic and both advertisements received similar authenticity evaluations.A strong positive relationship was found between authenticity and trust where trust was strongly associated with purchase intention. Furthermore authenticity emerged as an important predictor of trust which in turn emerged as the strongest predictor of purchase intention. The effect of authenticity primarily operating through trust suggests an indirect relationship with trust functioning as a mediating mechanism.The findings challenge assumptions within previous literature as UGC did not outperform professional advertising. The effectiveness of UGC therefore appears to be context dependent suggesting that advertising format alone is insufficient to explain consumer responses. Authenticity remains important although the importance is largely explained through its influence on trust which was identified as a key mechanism leading to purchase intention explained by the consumer responses shaped through sequential relationships.The findings contribute to research comparing UGC and professional advertising and provide insight into the role of authenticity in digital marketing. It offers practical implications for marketers and highlights the importance of trust-building communication strategies.