Managing user generated content in marketing campaigns : A qualitative research of key features for managing marketing campaigns based on user generated content

Abstract: The modern media landscape presents an increasingly complex and dynamic assembly of traditional and interactive media proposing many new communicative opportunities for marketers. Contemporary marketing is implied to emphasize a paradigmatic shift from a company centric view into consumer centric view. As existing research emphasizes the understanding of interactions in online communities from the user’s perspective, there is yet a research gap concerning the contemporary relevance of managerial challenges related to user involvement in social media marketing.   The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to an enlightened managerial understanding of key components for managing marketing campaigns based on user-generated content (UGC).   The research approach was deductive; using a conceptual framework based on recognized literature on UGC, content marketing and contemporary users in social media. The paper identifies and compares key features of UGC management through case studies. Being a qualitative research, in-depth interviews were used to retrieve a profound understanding of managerial challenges and implications of facilitating UGC. Empirical data was collected from 10 marketing agencies working with UGC based marketing.   The research contributes to the research field by showing how agencies facilitate theoretical knowledge for UGC management. The study provides empirical, yet practical evidence of how many UGC campaigns are strategically developed, which could help simplify the relation between user flexibility and agency control. It could help managers to facilitate resources and engagement on determining what campaign features is most suitable for a specific campaign.