Directed Consumer-Generated Content (DCGC) for Social Media Marketing: Analyzing Performance Metrics from a Field Experiment in the Publishing Industry

This study examines the efficacy of a novel form of consumer-generated content (CGC) digital advertising, termed “directed” consumer-generated content (DCGC), in comparison to traditional brand-created social media advertisements. The analysis focuses on performance metrics and return on ad spend (R...

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Main Authors: Eleni Ntousi, Chris Lazaris, Pavlina Katiaj, Anastasios Koukopoulos
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Systems
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-8954/13/2/124
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author Eleni Ntousi
Chris Lazaris
Pavlina Katiaj
Anastasios Koukopoulos
author_facet Eleni Ntousi
Chris Lazaris
Pavlina Katiaj
Anastasios Koukopoulos
author_sort Eleni Ntousi
collection DOAJ
description This study examines the efficacy of a novel form of consumer-generated content (CGC) digital advertising, termed “directed” consumer-generated content (DCGC), in comparison to traditional brand-created social media advertisements. The analysis focuses on performance metrics and return on ad spend (ROAS). Data were gathered from social media campaigns incorporating both DCGC and non-CGC through a field experiment, followed by a rigorous statistical analysis to identify the most effective advertising strategies. Findings indicate that DCGC typically results in significantly higher conversion rates, increased conversions, and superior ROAS. Overall, DCGC advertisements demonstrate enhanced performance relative to non-CGC campaigns, suggesting that they represent a more strategic allocation of a brand’s marketing resources, particularly when the primary objective is to drive sales and achieve elevated conversion rates. This research contributes to the academic discourse and practical implementation of social media advertising by highlighting the advantages of DCGC as a cost-effective and efficient advertising approach for brands.
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spelling doaj-art-ec3f70a92ce04005a1c21ad4576dec222025-08-20T02:03:30ZengMDPI AGSystems2079-89542025-02-0113212410.3390/systems13020124Directed Consumer-Generated Content (DCGC) for Social Media Marketing: Analyzing Performance Metrics from a Field Experiment in the Publishing IndustryEleni Ntousi0Chris Lazaris1Pavlina Katiaj2Anastasios Koukopoulos3ELTRUN, E-Business Research Center, Department of Management Science & Technology, School of Business, Athens University of Economics and Business, 104 34 Athens, GreeceELTRUN, E-Business Research Center, Department of Management Science & Technology, School of Business, Athens University of Economics and Business, 104 34 Athens, GreeceELTRUN, E-Business Research Center, Department of Management Science & Technology, School of Business, Athens University of Economics and Business, 104 34 Athens, GreeceELTRUN, E-Business Research Center, Department of Management Science & Technology, School of Business, Athens University of Economics and Business, 104 34 Athens, GreeceThis study examines the efficacy of a novel form of consumer-generated content (CGC) digital advertising, termed “directed” consumer-generated content (DCGC), in comparison to traditional brand-created social media advertisements. The analysis focuses on performance metrics and return on ad spend (ROAS). Data were gathered from social media campaigns incorporating both DCGC and non-CGC through a field experiment, followed by a rigorous statistical analysis to identify the most effective advertising strategies. Findings indicate that DCGC typically results in significantly higher conversion rates, increased conversions, and superior ROAS. Overall, DCGC advertisements demonstrate enhanced performance relative to non-CGC campaigns, suggesting that they represent a more strategic allocation of a brand’s marketing resources, particularly when the primary objective is to drive sales and achieve elevated conversion rates. This research contributes to the academic discourse and practical implementation of social media advertising by highlighting the advantages of DCGC as a cost-effective and efficient advertising approach for brands.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-8954/13/2/124user-generated contentconsumer-generated contentsocial mediadigital marketingperformance metricsmeta
spellingShingle Eleni Ntousi
Chris Lazaris
Pavlina Katiaj
Anastasios Koukopoulos
Directed Consumer-Generated Content (DCGC) for Social Media Marketing: Analyzing Performance Metrics from a Field Experiment in the Publishing Industry
Systems
user-generated content
consumer-generated content
social media
digital marketing
performance metrics
meta
title Directed Consumer-Generated Content (DCGC) for Social Media Marketing: Analyzing Performance Metrics from a Field Experiment in the Publishing Industry
title_full Directed Consumer-Generated Content (DCGC) for Social Media Marketing: Analyzing Performance Metrics from a Field Experiment in the Publishing Industry
title_fullStr Directed Consumer-Generated Content (DCGC) for Social Media Marketing: Analyzing Performance Metrics from a Field Experiment in the Publishing Industry
title_full_unstemmed Directed Consumer-Generated Content (DCGC) for Social Media Marketing: Analyzing Performance Metrics from a Field Experiment in the Publishing Industry
title_short Directed Consumer-Generated Content (DCGC) for Social Media Marketing: Analyzing Performance Metrics from a Field Experiment in the Publishing Industry
title_sort directed consumer generated content dcgc for social media marketing analyzing performance metrics from a field experiment in the publishing industry
topic user-generated content
consumer-generated content
social media
digital marketing
performance metrics
meta
url https://www.mdpi.com/2079-8954/13/2/124
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AT chrislazaris directedconsumergeneratedcontentdcgcforsocialmediamarketinganalyzingperformancemetricsfromafieldexperimentinthepublishingindustry
AT pavlinakatiaj directedconsumergeneratedcontentdcgcforsocialmediamarketinganalyzingperformancemetricsfromafieldexperimentinthepublishingindustry
AT anastasioskoukopoulos directedconsumergeneratedcontentdcgcforsocialmediamarketinganalyzingperformancemetricsfromafieldexperimentinthepublishingindustry