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1. Introduction
The expression user generated content (UGC) refers to various kinds of media content that are generally publicly visible and produced by computer system end-users. Such content is highly valuable to marketers ([50] Quinton and Harridge-March, 2010). Marketers use UGC web sites by selling or buying access to UGC site visitors for advertising, by providing applications to UGC platform users (such as games and applications on Facebook), for providing help to other users ([37] Mathwick et al. , 2008), and for many other tasks including generating advertising and branding ideas ([48] Pitt et al. , 2006). In today's media environment, marketing managers crave the customer engagement that goes hand in hand with UGC creation ([58] van Doorn et al. , 2010). For example, Pepsi-Cola's [6] Aquafina (2013) water brand has a Facebook page with games and other entertainment, and more than 42,000 "friends" who are connected to the brand and have discussed its merits, creating UGC in the form of Facebook comments, "liking" responses, links, and media uploads. [59] Victoria's Secret (2013) has over 23 billion friends on Facebook, and over 50,000 South Koreans made friends with Pizza Hut on Cyworld ([35] Li and Bernoff, 2008). Ford has used social media to market the Fiesta. Amazon book reviews are an example of UGC that benefits Amazon greatly. In general, UGC can be good for brand-building, learning about customer opinions, and it is further the case that UGC adds credibility to social media efforts. Clearly content building is of great benefit to marketing strategy.
Related but not identical to UGC, social media offer a space where users share thoughts, comments, photos and video, personal details and opinions; in other words digital content of all kinds. Social media offer a set of online tools to manage and present identity as expressed through content, to communicate with people, and to otherwise allow a user to be heard. Social media are also becoming a powerful marketing channel for locating potential prospects, letting those prospects find you, getting a real time picture of word-of-mouth in the market, and generating qualified sales leads. An increasing number of companies are including social media in their marketing plans ([12] Chiu et al. , 2012). One priority for marketing managers is to...