Title: The importance of electronic word-of-mouth on consumer perception of content marketing

Authors: Benedikt Hirschfelder; Joel Mugove Chigada

Addresses: School of Management Studies, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa ' School of Management Studies, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa

Abstract: Content marketing is a new trend that is highly recognisable in online marketing strategies. The nexus of commercial communication of content is to enable the brand to give something valuable and gain something valuable in return. Indeed, research on firm-generated content (FGC) and user-generated content (UGC) exists, but possible connections are left in the dark. This study explored the commercial value added chain of content marketing by focusing on possible coherences of commercially driven content generating constructs and their online communication channels, using content marketing as an umbrella term for any commercially generated content. This study provides insights into commercial B2C online content generation. After a data cleaning, elimination of incomplete questionnaires, the data was analysed with structural equation modelling. The results illustrate content marketing's ability to impact UGC commercially and thus provide a solid base for future research.

Keywords: content marketing; social media; electronic word-of-mouth.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEMR.2020.106844

International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing, 2020 Vol.11 No.2, pp.184 - 198

Received: 28 Feb 2018
Accepted: 02 Jun 2018
Published online: 23 Apr 2020 *

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