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Abstract
This study investigates the perception of University of Benin undergraduate students ontheinfluence of user-generated content (UGC) in advertising. With the rapid growth of digital technologies and social media platforms, UGC has emerged as a powerful tool for shapingconsumer attitudes, building brand credibility, and influencing purchase decisions. Unliketraditional advertising, which is brand-controlled, UGC relies on peer-driven, authentic, andinteractive communication, making it more relatable to today’s digital-savvy audience. Theresearch adopted a survey design, using a structured questionnaire administered to a sampleof 402 undergraduate students across selected faculties. Data collected were analysedusingfrequency tables and percentages. The study was guided by the Source CredibilityTheoryand the Elaboration Likelihood Model, which explain how credibility and messageprocessing affect consumer persuasion. Findings revealed that a majority of students perceive UGC as more authentic, trustworthy, and influential compared to traditional advertising. Results also showed that UGCsignificantly impacts students’ purchase decisions, with peer reviews, social media posts, andinfluencer content being the most persuasive. Additionally, respondents indicated that brandsshould incorporate more UGC in their advertising strategies to enhance consumerengagement and trust. The study concludes that UGC plays a crucial role in shaping advertising effectivenessamong young consumers. It recommends that advertisers and marketers strategically leverageUGC to improve authenticity, foster stronger consumer-brand relationships, and increasepurchase intention
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