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The choice to investigate UGC on food brands’ Instagram profiles as my thesis topic was inspired by my experience encountering UGC throughout the ten years I have been on Instagram. The characteristics of UGC have drastically evolved over the last decade from blurry selfies and overly used filters to high-quality pictures, witty captions, and aesthetically pleasing creative content. Since more brands have worked to improve their social media marketing within the prosperous digital landscape, I aspired to research how brands used Br-UGC to leverage their presence on social networking sites and strengthen their relationship with their consumers.
I was interested in researching food brands in particular because it is an industry that relates to everyone. Some individuals may enjoy sports or fashion or cars. But everyone likes food. We strengthen our relationships with each other over food and make memories. We bond with loved ones over family meals. We also make midnight runs to McDonald's with our best friends to hopefully get ice cream if the machine isn't broken. Therefore, I wanted to research how food brands utilize Br-UGC that resonates with a mass audience compared to niche audiences in other industries.
Additionally, I sought to analyze the food industry in particular because past studies that focused on UGC did not deeply investigate the relationship between UGC and food brands. Moreover, I wanted to contribute research dedicated to this area of focus and help provide more insight regarding the use of UGC on food brands’ social media.
Administering a content analysis that studied posts from both chains and small businesses in the food industry was very enlightening. This research was particularly fascinating since I am interested in working for a corporate company. Therefore, it was intriguing to evaluate the social media marketing strategies that chains incorporated into their marketing endeavors. It was also entertaining to engage with various types of UGC while coding, especially with those that featured adorable dogs, which made my heart happy.
This topic is specifically important to review because UGC is on the rise to becoming a vital component of social media marketing for brands who aspire to build close relationships with their consumers. Moreover, the utilization of UGC is the future of marketing on social media, and in an industry such as this, it is important to always keep studying what is next on the horizon.
Please provide any feedback, queries, or recommendations to mhale245@mail.endicott.edu.
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This study was administered in 2021-22 as a component of Endicott College's Senior Thesis requirement for undergraduate students. This research pertains to education, theories, concepts, and practices within the communication field. Please provide any feedback, queries, or recommendations to mhale245@mail.endicott.edu.
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