User-generated content and consumer brand engagement in the South African tourism industry

Abstract

The digital landscape has fundamentally transformed how consumers engage with brands, with User-Generated Content (UGC) becoming a dominant force in shaping perceptions and behaviours. While existing research has established a link between UGC and consumer engagement in developed markets, a significant gap remains in understanding the specific psychological mechanisms that underpin this relationship. Crucially, the role of perceived authenticity as a central mediating variable between UGC exposure and multi-dimensional Consumer Brand Engagement (CBE) has not been sufficiently empirically examined. This study investigates the impact of UGC on Cognitive, Affective/Emotional, and Behavioural Brand Engagement through the mediating lens of perceived authenticity. A quantitative, cross- sectional design was adopted, using a snowballing online survey method to collect data from 277 South African domestic tourists.. The data was analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) via SmartPLS 4 to test a comprehensive theoretical model comprising thirteen hypotheses. The results indicate that all thirteen hypothesised relationships were statistically supported. The study found that both Visual UGC and Peer-Generated UGC are significant positive antecedents of perceived authenticity. Furthermore, perceived authenticity demonstrated a strong, significant influence on all three dimensions of CBE, with its greatest impact on affective engagement. The analysis confirmed that perceived authenticity acts as a full mediator, meaning the influence of UGC types on engagement is fundamentally channelled through the consumer's assessment of its genuineness and credibility. The theoretical implications of this study contribute substantially to marketing literature by providing a validated model that expands on the critical mediating role of authenticity. It advances theories of source credibility, eWOM, and CBE by specifying the cognitive process that explains how UGC builds brand relationships. The findings underscore the imperative for marketers to prioritise authentic, peer-generated visual content and to strategise for different platforms based on their distinct roles in the consumer journey. The study concludes that in an increasingly saturated digital ecosystem, authenticity is not an enhancer but the essential mechanism through which UGC achieves its power to engage.