Marketing in Media

I attended Emily Cutka's research conference on Friday. Her topic "The influence of user generated content and electronic word of mouth marketing: an application of the elaboration likelihood model and the tw0-step flow model of communication," is basically an extension of SW 213's class discussions. Cutka discussed the "millenial Generation" (ages 18-24) and their impact on user-generated content, (UGC.) Cutka claims they have "selective buying power" because this age group uses technology the most.
Cutka named two types of processors or technology users: peripheral and central. Peripheral processors are not full-time users of media. They use it infrequently and not on a regular basis with a particular goal in mind. Central processors are dedicated to producing and using new media on a regular basis. It is almost a "discipline" for central processors. Out of a study of 10 members at Butler, Cutka's research showed that none of the ten were central processors.
Her research questioned the prevalence of UGC for credibility and conditions. Much of UGC is deals with limitations such e-wom. (or "electronic word of mouth") The credibility factor comes from the type of popularity that a product might receive online. So if enough people like a product, more people are inclined to buy based on reviews. The credibility comes from the people who are promoting a product, and in this day and age, anyone can be an advocate or hindrance to a product, based on their publicized opinion using social media.
This interested me because we have been discussing this topic in class. With advertising now done online through mediums like twitter and facebook, we need to be aware of the credibility of UGC. We encounter so many different advertisements online, and we should be aware of how we are "sold" on a product. With everyone having access to these forms of media, we don't know exactly who is producing what and for what reason. The conditions for UGC according to Cutka are: research done by consumers, time, and convenience. The brand manager for a product will respond to user interaction with their online content, so everything is still being monitored. Users and producers all end up being the advertisers when it comes to marketing through social media. The world of consumers and producers is being changed every day through online content!