A Review of Changes in Consumer Perceptions of PGC and UGC Visual Marketing for Luxury Brands with AIGC Intervention

Abstract

The rapid popularization of artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC) is reshaping the communication of social visual content for luxury brands. This paper takes professionally generated content (PGC) and user-generated content (UGC) as research objects and explores changes in consumer perceptions of luxury brand visual marketing before and after AIGC intervention. Based on consumer perception theory and luxury marketing theory, the paper defines core concepts such as luxury brand visual marketing, PGC, UGC, AIGC, perceived luxury, perceived craftsmanship, and perceived trust. Taking existing studies on human-produced PGC and human-produced UGC before the popularization of AIGC as a reference, it analyzes the mechanisms and practical limitations of traditional official materials and native user content in three perceptual dimensions, and further discusses the perceptual changes brought by AIGC-assisted brand PGC, AIGC-involved user UGC, and AIGC-led visual marketing materials. The study finds that the influence of AIGC has a dual nature. It improves content production efficiency and visual expressiveness, while also affecting the human craftsmanship narrative and brand authenticity of luxury goods. Its underlying logic follows the mechanism of “production mode-value perception isomorphism” and perceptual spillover: de-humanization on the production side is regarded by consumers as a signal for judging brand value, and this signal spills over from the communication stage to the product level. While empowering communication, it continuously dilutes perceptions of the human craftsmanship value and authenticity of luxury goods. This paper clarifies the logic of perceptual evolution in luxury brand visual marketing under the AIGC environment and provides theoretical reference for brand digital communication practice and subsequent academic research.