Today's perpetually connected consumers have taken control of the marketers' message. They decide where, when, and how they want to engage with brands. They widely share their experiences-good, bad, and in between-on the products they use and the brands they love. These communications are highly influential because they are more trusted than typical brand messaging. But many marketers have yet to
... [Show full abstract] realize the brand building power of this immature but influential marketing discipline. To fulfill user-generated content's brand building potential, marketing leaders must solicit authentic, value-added content from their customers and measure results to build maturity. Regardless of the perceived level of confidence in a product choice, there always exists some level of insecurity in that decision among consumers. For many consumers, User generated content provides that final litmus test to feeling that a right choice was made or the wrong one avoided. Younger consumers are significantly more likely than older consumers to mention that User generated content is "Extremely/Very" influential when making a purchasing decision. Conversely, older consumers rely more on word of mouth and consumers/industrial reports than younger consumers.
