FIRM-CREATED AND USER-GENERATED CONTENT SERVE AS QUALITY SIGNALS: THE CASE OF OCOP PRODUCTS IN VIETNAM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18623/rvd.v23.n1.4407Keywords:
Firm-Generated Content, User-Generated Content, Purchase Intention, Perceived Quality, Perceived SacrificeAbstract
This article examines the role of firm-generated content and user-generated content as quality signals for Vietnam’s OCOP products. Drawing on signaling theory, planned behavior theory, and perceived risk theory, this research investigates how firm-generated content and user-generated content influence perceived quality, perceived sacrifice, and purchase intention for OCOP products. We conduct a survey of 600 university students, using Structural equation modeling (SEM) to analysis; results show that both firm-generated content and user-generated content positively affect perceived quality and purchase intention while reducing perceived sacrifice, confirming their value as effective quality indicators. Furthermore, perceived quality and perceived sacrifice partially mediate the relationships between, firm-generated content, user-generated content and purchase intention. Importantly, Female consumers place greater weight on user-generated content than male consumers. For established brands, firm-generated content has a stronger impact on purchase intention, whereas for emerging brands, user-generated content exerts a more pronounced influence. These findings help managers build effective digital marketing strategies to promote consumers' intention to purchase OCOP products.
References
Ajzen, I. (1991). The Theory of Planned Behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, March, 179–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Akerlof, G. A. (1970). The Market for “Lemons”: Quality Uncertainty and the Market Mechanism. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 84(3), 488. https://doi.org/10.2307/1879431
Aljarah, A., Sawaftah, D., Ibrahim, B., Lahuerta-Otero, E.(2024), The differential impact of user- and firm-generated content on online brand advocacy: customer engagement and brand familiarity matter. European Journal of Innovation Management, 27(4), pp. 1160–1181.
Almuraqab, N. A. S., Jasimuddin, S. M., & Saci, F. (2024). Exploring Determinants That Influence the Usage Intention of AI-Based Customer Services in the UAE. Journal of Global Information Management, 32(1). https://doi.org/10.4018/JGIM.343308
Amiri Aghdaie, S. F., Rezaei Dolatabadi, H., & Adibparsa, M. (2012). Investigating the Effects of Price and Brand Leveraging Strategy on Consumer’s Behavioral Intention (Case Study: Daily Food Products). International Journal of Business and Management, 7(22), 76–85. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v7n22p76
Bahtar, A. Z., & Muda, M. (2016). The Impact of User – Generated Content (UGC) on Product Reviews towards Online Purchasing – A Conceptual Framework. Procedia Economics and Finance, 37(16), 337–342. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2212-5671(16)30134-4
Bruhn, M., Schoenmueller, V., & Schäfer, D. B. (2012). Are social media replacing traditional media in terms of brand equity creation? Management Research Review, 35(9), 770–790. https://doi.org/10.1108/01409171211255948
Chen, X., Wang, Y., Wei, S.(2023) How does social media influence car sales: the effects of firm-, user-, and professional-generated content. Information Technology and Management. DOI: 10.1007/s10799-023-00414-x
Christodoulides, G., Jevons, C., & Bonhomme, J. (2012). Memo to marketers: Quantitative evidence for change - how user-generated content really affects brands. Journal of Advertising Research, 52(1), 53–64. https://doi.org/10.2501/JAR-52-1-053-064
Colicev, A., Kumar, A., & O’Connor, P. (2019). Modeling the relationship between firm and user generated content and the stages of the marketing funnel. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 36(1), 100–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2018.09.005
Cooper, B., Eva, N., Zarea Fazlelahi, F., Newman, A., Lee, A., & Obschonka, M. (2020). Addressing common method variance and endogeneity in vocational behavior research: A review of the literature and suggestions for future research. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 121, Article 103472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2020.103472
de Costa, F., & Aziz, N. A. (2021). The Effects of User Generated Content and Firm Generated Content on Millennials’ Purchase Intention of Shariah-Compliant Stocks. Jurnal Pengurusan, 62, 27–36. https://doi.org/10.17576/pengurusan-2021-62-03
Dodds, W. B., Monroe, K. B., & Grewal, D. (1991). Effects of Price, Brand, and Store Information on Buyers’ Product Evaluations. Journal of Marketing Research, 28(3), 307. https://doi.org/10.2307/3172866
Erdem, T., & Swait, J. (1998). Brand Equity as a Signaling Phenomen. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 7(2), 131–157.
Erdem, T., Swait, J., & Valenzuela, A. (2006). Brands as signals: A cross-country validation study. Journal of Marketing, 70(1), 34–49. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.rhu.0000200424.58122.38
Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (1975). Chapter 1: Introduction. In Belief, Attitude, Intention, and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research (pp. 1–18).
Friestad, M., & Wright, P. (1994). The People Persuasion Cope with Knowledge Persuasion Model : How Attempts. Journal of Consumer Research, 21(1), 1–31.
Geng, R., & Chen, J. (2021). The Influencing Mechanism of Interaction Quality of UGC on Consumers’ Purchase Intention – An Empirical Analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(July), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.697382
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate Data Analysis. Vectors. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2011.02.019
Hair, Joseph F;, Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2017). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). (second). SAGE.
Kedan, Z., Wenpei, F., Biao, L., & Liang, W. (2021). New product launching: The effect of firm-generated content on purchase intention. JOURNAL OF UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF CHINA, 51(12), 912–926. https://doi.org/10. 52396/ JUST-2021-0107
Kirmani, A., & Rao, A. R. (2000). No Pain, No Gain: A Critical Review of the Literature on Signaling Unobservable Product Quality. Journal of Marketing, 64(2), 66–79. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.64.2.66.18000
Lim, W. M. (2020). An equity theory perspective of online group buying. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 54, 101729. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2018.12.013
Mayrhofer, M., Matthes, J., Einwiller, S., & Naderer, B. (2020). User generated content presenting brands on social media increases young adults’ purchase intention. International Journal of Advertising, 39(1), 166–186. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2019.1596447
Mir, I. A., & Rehman, K. U. (2013). FACTORS AFFECTING CONSUMER ATTITUDES USER-GENERATED PRODUCT CONTENT ON YOUTUBE Imran Anwar MIR Kashif Ur REHMAN. Management & Marketing, 8(4), 637–654. http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.uq.edu.au/docview/1503088220?pq-origsite=summon
Piotrowicz, Wojciech and Richard Cuthbertson (2014), “Introduction to the Special Issue Information Technology in Retail: Toward Omnichannel Retailing,” International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 18 (4), 5–16. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.1480088.
Rachna, & Khajuria, I. (2017). A Study of User-Generated Content on Social Networking Sitesand its Impact on Consumer-Based Brand Equity Constructs. Global Journal of Management and Business Research, 17(1), 1–8.
Saleem, B. A., Ghafar, A., Ibrahim, M., Yousuf, M., & Ahmed, N. (2015). Product Perceived Quality and Purchase Intention withConsumer Satisfaction. Global Journal of Management and Business Research: E Marketing, 15(1), p21-28. https://globaljournals.org/GJMBR_Volume15/3-Product-Perceived-Quality.pdf
Sandunima, K. C., & Jayasuriya, N. (2024). Impact of firm-created and user-generated social media marketing on customers’ purchase intention in the fashionwear industry: evidence from Sri Lanka. South Asian Journal of Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1108/sajm-04-2023-0029
Shiu, E. ., Walsh, G., Hassan, L. M., & Shaw, D. (2010). Consumer uncertainty, Revisited. Psychology & Marketing, 30(6), 461–469. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar
Smith, A. N., Fischer, E., & Yongjian, C. (2012). How Does Brand-related User-generated Content Differ across YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter? Journal of Interactive Marketing, 26(2), 102–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2012.01.002
Spence, M. (1973). Job Market Signaling. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 87(3), 355. https://doi.org/10.2307/1882010
Stephen, Andrew T. and Jeff Galak (2012), “The Effects of Traditional and Social Earned Media on Sales: A Study of a Microlending Marketplace,” Journal of Marketing Research, 49 (5), 624–39. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.1480088
Sussman, S. W., & Siegal, W. S. (2003). Informational influence in organizations: An integrated approach to knowledge adoption. Information Systems Research, 14(1), 47–65. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.14.1.47.14767
Taylor, S. A., & Baker, T. L. (1994). An assessment of the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction in the formation of consumers’ purchase intentions. Journal of Retailing, 70(2), 163–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-4359(94)90013-2
Thielemann, V. M., Ottenbacher, M. C., & Harrington, R. J. (2018). Antecedents and consequences of perceived customer value in the restaurant industry. International Hospitality Review, 32(1), 26–45. https://doi.org/10.1108/ihr-06-2018-0002
Tung, N. T., Bao, N. Q., Thao, N. T. P., & Anh, N. Van. (2023). the Impact of Group Facebook User-Generated Content on Consumer Purchase Intention – a Case in Tourism Industry. Geojournal of Tourism and Geosites , 49(3), 1176–1184. https://doi.org/10.30892/gtg.49332-1116
Tyrväinen, O., Karjaluoto, H., & Ukpabi, D. (2023). Understanding the Role of Social Media Content in Brand Loyalty: A Meta-Analysis of User-Generated Content Versus Firm-Generated Content. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 58(4), 400–413. https://doi.org/10.1177/10949968231157281
Wang, F. J., Hsiao, C. H., Shih, W. H., & Chiu, W. (2023). Impacts of Price and Quality Perceptions on Individuals’ Intention to Participate in Marathon Events: Mediating Role of Perceived Value. SAGE Open, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231181431
Zeithaml, V. A. (1988). Consumer perceptions of price, quality, and value. Journal of Marketing, 52(3), 2–22. https://doi.org/10.2307/1251446
Bauer, R. A (1960). Consumer behavior as risk-taking. In R. S. Hancock (Ed.), Dynamic marketing for a changing world. Chicago: American Marketing Association, 1960. Pp. 389-398. Cited from D. F. Cox (Ed.), Risk-taking and information-handling in consumer behavior. Boston: Harvard University Press, 1967. Pp. 23-33. Cited from “Ross, I., 1975. Perceived risk and consumer behavior: A critical review. Advances in consumer research, 2: 1-20”.
Ross, I. (1975). Perceived Risk and Consumer Behavior: a Critical Review. Advances in Consumer Research, 2, 1–20. Retrieved from http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/display.asp?id=5741
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
I (we) submit this article which is original and unpublished, of my (our) own authorship, to the evaluation of the Veredas do Direito Journal, and agree that the related copyrights will become exclusive property of the Journal, being prohibited any partial or total copy in any other part or other printed or online communication vehicle dissociated from the Veredas do Direito Journal, without the necessary and prior authorization that should be requested in writing to Editor in Chief. I (we) also declare that there is no conflict of interest between the articles theme, the author (s) and enterprises, institutions or individuals.
I (we) recognize that the Veredas do Direito Journal is licensed under a CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE.
Licença Creative Commons Attribution 3.0





