Using User-Generated Content as a Component of SMM Sportswear Brand Promotion

Purpose Identify popular types of user-generated content (UGC) for sportswear brands and ways to encourage Russian users to generate content, as well as develop recommendations for the Russian sportswear brand "Sport Angel". Methodology/design / approach The main method of the theoretical part is the analysis of literature relevant to the topic under study. In addition, generalization, comparison, and grouping and classification methods were used. For the empirical study, an online questionnaire was conducted (n = 106). As part of the survey, participants were asked to assess their level of involvement in the creation of UGC and their readiness to participate in the UGC promotion of an unspecified sportswear brand. The clustering method was used to determine the portrait of potential consumers of the "Sport Angel" brand. The difference in the values of the selected clusters by key variables was verified and confirmed using the Mann-Whitney U-test method. Results Based on the results of the cluster analysis, two clusters were identified (n1 = 49 and n2 = 52), the differences of which were confirmed by the Mann-Whitney U-criterion. The participants of the second cluster were selected as potential consumers due to their high involvement in content creation and readiness to participate in UGC brand promotions. Participants in the selected cluster often play sports, and more than half of them prefer to work out in sports uniforms. Contrary to expectations, members of the selected cluster trust the brand's information messages more than other users or influencers. In addition, external motivators attract the audience better than non-material ones, which may be explained by the lack of consideration of the brand image factor. Practical significance As a result of the research a portrait of a potential brand consumer was determined, and general recommendations were given for conducting marketing activities in social networks and more specific ones for using UGC. Theoretical significance A typology of UGC shares and a classification of user content types were proposed, which can be used in further research on this topic. The study expands the current literature and offers empirical data on the involvement of Russian youth in the creation of UGC. Keywords User content, Social media, Web 2.0, human Motivation, social media Marketing