Laura Marshall

• This thesis deals with the extensively discussed but highly relevant marketing tool called User Generated Content (short UGC). This bachelor thesis provides a summary of the current state of research and its importance to the fashion industry and to all interested stakeholders. The author addresses the following questions: Which facets of UGC can be included in the marketing communication strategy and how does its use affect consumers' buying decisions? What opportunities and risks of UGC can be derived for the fashion industry? The answer to these questions shows the topicality of this work and the special relevance of the topic. The author shows that (1) by using UGC in the communication strategy, the content of the communication is perceived as more credible by consumers, which increases the likelihood of purchases being made and (2) the more a company interacts with consumers, the greater the motivation for consumers to create UGC.