This study examines the efficacy of a novel form of consumer-generated content (CGC) digital advertising, termed “directed” consumer-generated content (DCGC), in comparison to traditional brand-created social media advertisements. The analysis focuses on performance metrics and return on ad spend (ROAS). Data were gathered from social media campaigns incorporating both DCGC and non-CGC through a field experiment, followed by a rigorous statistical analysis to identify the most effective advertising strategies. Findings indicate that DCGC typically results in significantly higher conversion rates, increased conversions, and superior ROAS. Overall, DCGC advertisements demonstrate enhanced performance relative to non-CGC campaigns, suggesting that they represent a more strategic allocation of a brand’s marketing resources, particularly when the primary objective is to drive sales and achieve elevated conversion rates. This research contributes to the academic discourse and practical implementation of social media advertising by highlighting the advantages of DCGC as a cost-effective and efficient advertising approach for brands.

Professional social networking platforms have transformed employer branding by reshaping how organizations communicate with potential applicants and by altering the perceived source of employer-related messages. While corporate-generated employer branding messages remain central to organizational communication strategies, such messages may also be interpreted as controlled, promotional and strategically managed. In contrast, employee-generated communication may function as a more socially grounded and credible signal of the employment experience. Drawing on signaling theory and source credibility theory, this study examines whether the source of LinkedIn employer branding content influences employer evaluations and intention to apply and investigates the proposed pathway underlying this relationship. A between-subjects experiment was conducted with 198 participants, who were randomly assigned to view either a corporate-generated or an employee-generated LinkedIn employer branding message. The employer branding message was held constant across conditions and only the attributed source was manipulated. The study examined perceived employer authenticity, employer brand trust, organizational attractiveness and intention to apply. Participants exposed to the employee-generated LinkedIn message reported significantly higher perceived employer authenticity, employer brand trust, organizational attractiveness and intention to apply than those exposed to the corporate-generated post. Path analysis also identified a significant serial indirect effect consistent with the proposed pathway from LinkedIn source to intention to apply through perceived employer authenticity, employer brand trust and organizational attractiveness. These findings suggest that employee source can operate as a perceived authenticity signal within platform-mediated employer branding. The study contributes to employer branding research by demonstrating that, in professional social media environments, the source of employer branding content meaningfully influences how potential applicants interpret and evaluate the employer. Practically, the findings highlight the importance of integrating credible employee-generated LinkedIn communication into employer branding strategies rather than relying exclusively on corporate-controlled communication.

On-site search has become a critical component of e-commerce platforms, shaping product discovery, navigation, and purchasing decisions. While prior research has extensively examined search algorithms and information retrieval, less attention has been given to on-site search as a navigation environment in which interface design, visual guidance, and user search behavior jointly relate to search effectiveness and commercial outcomes. This study addresses this gap through three observational analyses using real-world behavioral data from a large Greek e-commerce retailer. Studies 1 and 2 employ before-and-after comparisons to examine changes associated with Search Results Page enrichment and the introduction of visual promotional guidance, while Study 3 descriptively examines generic query use and broad-to-narrow search behavior. The observed patterns show that Search Results Page enrichment coincided with lower refinement rates and improved commercial metrics, while visual guidance coincided with higher engagement and conversion-related outcomes. The behavioral analysis further indicates a strong prevalence of short, generic queries and patterns consistent with broad-to-narrow navigation. Overall, the findings suggest that on-site search performance is associated with both interface configuration and user search behavior. The study contributes real-world evidence on search as a navigation process and offers practical implications for retailers seeking to improve search-interface performance, while acknowledging the limits of observational before-and-after data for causal inference.