Distinguishing User Experience When Customizing in a User-Generated Content Advertising Campaign and Subsequent Effects on Product Attitudes, Reactance, and Source Credibility

Advertising campaigns with user-generated content (UGC) vary in the extent to which they guide or allow user freedom when creating content. It is possible that providing preexisting content that users must change or edit might shape attitudes toward that content and its source in ways different from those campaigns that give freedom to create content as users see fit. In this study, users created a new advertisement, customized an advertisement, or read an existing advertisement. They then rated their perceptions on interactivity, autonomy, competence, attachment, reactance, source credibility, and product liking. Results indicate that customizers had higher reactance and lower product liking compared to creators, suggesting that a guiding template or other preexisting material can significantly change attitudes despite similar tasks. Advertisers should consider the benefits of campaigns that call for creation versus customization and strongly consider impressions from preexisting content on interactive customizable interfaces.