With the continuing growth of consumer participation in brand activities in social media, social media marketers and researchers have sought to tap into consumer engagement and relationship building by creating interpersonal social media environments that can facilitate consumers’ sense of belonging or social relatedness. Although consumer engagement and relationship building have become mainstream research topics in social media, little is known about which marketing efforts brands should undertake in order to engage various consumers who have different motivations to engage with brands. The purpose of this research was to explore the mechanism by which consumer motivations and perceptions of social relatedness influence consumer engagement and relationship building in the context of social media. Three studies were conducted to examine whether the extent to which consumers’ experience of social relatedness in social media moderates the effects of self-determination on consumer engagement (i.e., intrinsic motivation and future intention) and relational outcomes (i.e., satisfaction, affective commitment, control mutuality, competence trust, and benevolence/integrity trust). The findings consistently showed that consumers’ perceptions of the social relatedness they experienced within social media moderated the effect of self-determination on intrinsic motivation and affective commitment. Specifically, the positive influence of social relatedness on consumers’ intrinsic motivation and affective commitment to brand activities was greater for consumers with a low level of self-determination than for those who were motivated by a high level of self-determination. Consumers with low levels of self-determination yielded greater intrinsic motivation and affective commitment when they experienced high perceived social relatedness than when they perceived low perceived relatedness. However, among brand followers in social media, the consumer self-determination × social relatedness interaction effects on the relational outcomes were greater for those who were high in self-determination than for those who were low in self-determination. Overall, this research highlights the importance of fulfilling consumers’ need for social relatedness in the context of social media, especially for those who are motivated to engage in brand activities via external factors. Further, findings of this research yield insights into segmenting consumers based on the level of consumer self-determination and consumer type. / text

Bibliografický záznam KOUNOVSKÝ, Josef. Crowdfunding v českém prostředí a jeho využití v proměňujícím se hudebním průmyslu. Praha, 2014. 94 s. Diplomová práce (Mgr.) Univerzita Karlova, Fakulta sociálních věd, Institut komunikačních studií a žurnalistiky. Katedra mediálních studií. Vedoucí diplomové práce Mgr. Jaroslav Švelch, Ph.D. Abstract This thesis addresses the issue of crowdfunding in the Czech Republic and its utilization in the changing music industry. It focuses on the specifics that the local version of crowdfunding brings with itself and the motivation of musicians to use this not very familiar method of financing. At the same time, the thesis also puts crowdfunding in the context of today's music culture and points out the mechanics behind crowdfunding that make it successful abroad. The thesis briefly outlines the changes in the music industry, which occur with the development of new media. The research part of the thesis provides a qualitative analysis of five crowdfunding campaigns that took place since autumn 2013 to the present day. The analysis is based on in-depth interviews with project creators. The analysis shows that the Czech crowdfunding is still in its infancy and can not yet be seen as a full-fledged local version of crowdfunding as we know from abroad. The major differences can...

Today, advances in the technological sector spurs invention toward new heights. What can be achieved today was just decades ago science fiction. Recent years, augmented reality has emerged which is explained by Kipper & Rampolla (2012, p. 1) as a technology that combines the real world with virtual objects which creates a supplement to reality. With its ability to strengthen the impressions of reality by weaving the physical and the digital world together, enables it to be used in various settings. The retail industry has been struggling as of late, with e-commerce flourishing on one hand but contrastingly classic brick-and-mortar stores foreclosing by the thousands. Thus, a technology that has the ability to combine these two channels would thus act as a mitigating force enabling customers to virtually try on their clothes or make furniture digitally appear in their living room. There are numerous possibilities with this technology, given that it can be used in different industries as well with examples from the marketing and gaming industries as the most prominent. What is evident is its ability to interact and engage, making it a usable tool for many activities. Thus, through this thesis we study if augmented reality can affect consumer engagement, and if so which attributes of it has significant positive relationships with the dimensions of consumer engagement. In this thesis, we first provide a framework in which to measure augmented reality in general settings quantitatively, through the use of attributes. These attributes consist of; Interactivity, Playfulness (Escapism & Enjoyment), Service Excellence, Aesthetics, Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness. We then hypothesize the attributes relationship with two dimensions of consumer engagement identified by Hollebeek et al. (2014); Affection and Cognitive Processing. However, Ease of Use and Service Excellence were not tested in this thesis, as a result of unsatisfactory loadings in the factor analysis. Through an online survey, 79 useful responses were collected and used in testing the hypotheses. Significant positive relationships were found for all tested attributes and Affection, and further significant positive relationships were found between Aesthetics and Perceived Usefulness with Cognitive Processing. It is our belief that this thesis further develops and solidify the current work with consumer engagement quantitively by validating the use of a known framework. Further, it adds to the literature by adopting a general definition of the concept of consumer engagement. This thesis also adds to quantitative work with augmented reality by creating and using a framework in which to study the attributes of augmented reality in a general setting, which has not been done previously. For practitioners, this thesis provides insight into which attributes of augmented reality systems should be emphasized in order to maximize consumer engagement. The thesis ends in suggestions for future research, where we call upon further testing on consumer engagement across different contexts with the use of Hollebeek et al.’s (2014) framework. Such work could lead to a universally accepted quantitative scale for measuring consumer engagement. Lastly, adopting the framework for augmented reality presented in this thesis and applying it to further contexts could yield valuable results, and further tests on Ease of Use and Service Excellence to validate their importance for consumer engagement would be of utmost interest.

Grounded in a constructivist paradigm, this thesis contributes to an emerging body of scholarship on the consumer engagement concept. In this research, the author conceptualises consumer engagement on social networking sites as a one-dimensional behavioural notion expressed by visible manifestations such as likes, comments and shares - referred to by scholars as consumer engagement behaviours. Although studies on consumer engagement in thecontext of social networking sites have increased over the past few years, current research often fails to provide frameworks that would adequately reflect the interactive nature of those behaviours. In particular, little knowledge exists about why consumers decide to engage with brands or branded content on these online platforms. This thesis addresses this gap by exploring key factors that influence digital natives' brand-related consumer engagement behaviours in the context of Facebook. Findings of this research are based on 25 event-based diaries that were completed by a sample of digital natives who recorded their brand-related engagement behaviours over a period of 11 weeks and from 25 follow-up semi-structured interviews. The data captured by the above-mentioned diary interview method allowed the author to gain rich insights into brand-related consumer engagement behaviours. Furthermore, the diary and interview method is used in this context for the first time which provides a unique methodological contribution. This thesis offers an original contribution to current scholarship on consumer engagement behaviours by introducing three new frameworks, namely: Categories of Effective Creative Content Practices on Facebook, an Integrated Framework of Factors Influencing Positive Brand-Related Engagement Behaviours on Facebook, and an Integrative Framework of Factors influencing Negative Brand-Related Consumer Engagement Behaviours on Facebook. Collectively, as well as individually, these frameworks enhance current theoretical knowledge on the concept by offering a more comprehensive overview of reasons behind brand-related consumer engagement behaviours on Facebook, which can also contribute to practice by assisting social media brand managers in improving current engagement strategies.

The dynamics of use and adoption of information on various online review platforms remain elusive and complex, indicating the importance of more research on electronic word of mouth (eWOM) and online consumer reviews (OCRs). Existing theoretical models do not fully explicate the role of the influential factors and their interrelations in information adoption. This research offers a more holistic model of information adoption. The Information Adoption Model (IAM) and the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) are utilised as the theoretical foundations for the conceptual model while examining the factors that influence consumers' perceptions of and information adoption decisions from Independent and E-merchants' websites. Information usefulness is employed as a mediator. This research examines various COPs (consumer opinion platforms) by categorising consumers into four groups on the basis of their engagement behaviour and investigating their information adoption decisions. The research undertook quantitative methodology and conducted a survey on 635 respondents from Thailand. All hypotheses were developed and tested using data collected via an online questionnaire and were analysed with Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), with multigroup analysis techniques. Additionally, the research used two step cluster analysis and identified four groups of consumers on the basis of their engagement behaviour Quicker, Explorer, Confidant and Passionate. The findings are 1) A positively significant relationship between information usefulness and information adoption has been approved 2) Consumer adopt different information adoption criteria for different types of COPs 3) Consumers' assessment of different factors of OCRs varies due to the difference in the level of online engagement. The results offer useful implications for marketers by identifying and analysing the criteria that consumers adopt from specific platforms and underlining the effect of the level of consumer engagement on information adoption of OCRs.

The aim of this research is to explore the interconnected relationships between cocreation, NPD and social media. Examining co-creation as a competence enhancing approach to NPD projects, and social media as an enabler of co-creation. The research provides a practical framework guiding the design of social media enabled co-creation experiences, to deliver a high-level impact on NPD competences. The exploratory study conducts an empirical investigation into the consumer goods market (non-durables and semi-durables). It maintains a focus on the metatheoretical principles of co-creation, providing a mid-range perspective of how to implement these principles in practice. The methodology involves a single case study with the perspectives of brands and consumers included as embedded units. Data are collected through qualitative interviews and document analysis, and analysed using a combination of content analysis and morphological analysis principles. The key findings guide the design of effective co-creation experiences. This is achieved through an in-depth knowledge of the fundamental driving and inhibiting factors both brands and consumers face; the specific characteristics of social media that enable co-creation; and several contextual contributions. Additionally, the findings contribute a deep understanding of the high-level relationship between cocreation and NPD competences, and categorise the role of social media in enabling co-creation. The results enrich the existing literature and provide practical contributions to guide the implementation of a co-creation approach in NPD. Despite the proliferation of the term co-creation since its emergence over a decade ago, a large portion of prior research deviates from the meta-theoretical principles of co-creation. Moreover, there remains a lack of frameworks guiding the implementation of co-creation in a real-life NPD scenario. This study makes an original contribution by exploring the meta-theoretical principles of co-creation in context, contributing a deep understanding of the interconnected relationships between co-creation, NPD and social media, and providing a practical framework to guide the implementation of social media enabled co-creation experiences.

Good communication is an important factor for a firm to think about when wanting to engage their consumers. Recently there has been an interest over the concept of consumer engagement within the context of social media by business practitioners. Social media today is used in most aspects of life and it is important to understand how to use it in order to enhance business strategies when approaching consumers. Consumer engagement has been defined through existing research in different ways, having no clear model for practitioners to follow when attempting to engage consumers. This is one of the main problems within existing research, as well as each focusing on different social media triggers. It is important to understand which triggers are more relevant when trying to attain consumer engagement. As well as bringing up the benefits that comes from utilizing such a concept. Research regarding consumer engagement within social media is required within a different context, in order to determine the triggers relevancy to the concept of engagement. Therefore, the purpose of this study is about attaining consumer engagement through the use of social media in the luxury fashion segment, which was done through the use of Brodie et al conceptual model of consumer engagement. The research that was conducted was of a quantitative nature, utilizing a cross-section research design. To gather primary data a questionnaire was created and distributed through social media, where 101 respondents out of a desired 90 were used for the analysis. The data gathered through the questionnaire was then analysed through the statistical program of SPSS, where descriptive statistics, a correlation analysis and a regression analysis were conducted. This was done in order to ensure the validity and reliability, as well as getting results to accept or rejected the presented hypotheses. The findings of this paper show that each of the five independent variables has a significant effect on the dependent variable of consumer engagement when tested on their own. However, when all the variables were tested together three out of the five hypotheses presented were rejected, these being the independent variables of co-developing, advocating and socializing. This does not mean that the variables for which hypotheses got rejected should be disregarded according to the results obtained from the regression analysis, according to the data gathered these triggers are still individually relevant to the attainment of consumer engagement within the luxury fashion segment via social media.

Frågeställning: På vilket sätt kan existentiellt engagemang påverka konsumenters upplevelse av varumärkens värde? Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att bygga vidare på tidigare forskning om konsumenters interaktioner med varumärken. Uppsatsen ämnar implementera existentiellt engagemang som en faktor i analysen av konsumentbeteede genom att kvantifiera och operationalisera grundläggande koncept av existentialism i syfte att ge bidrag till den teoretiska utvecklingen av konsumentbeteende. Slutligen är syftet med undersökningen att explorativt generera indikativa insikter av vilken påverkan existentiellt engagemang har på konsumenters upplevda värde av varumärken. Metod: Kandidatuppsatsen är explorativ och bygger på en deduktiv forskningsansats med kvantitativ forskningsstrategi. Empiriska data har insamlats med hjälp av webbenkät via Google formulär. Slutsats: Uppsatsen genererar ett bidrag till forskningen genom att explorativt kvantifiera och operationalisera grundläggande koncept av existentialism. Spiritualitet och autenticitet har i undersökningen använts för att mäta existentiellt engagemang och de operationaliserade påståendena har visat reliabilitet. Resultatet ger indikativa svar att existentiellt engagemang positivt påverkar målorienterat värde i störst utsträckning, följt av socialorienterat värde och sedan självorienterat värde.

The world is now digitized with an increased use of different social media platforms and infinite new ways for marketers to engage consumers. With the increased use of online marketing and the tough competition in an online environment, a challenge for companies is to differentiate their brand and stand out. What type of message strategy and content that companies use in their marketing will affect the behavior of the consumers and can help them reach their target audience. The purpose of this study was to investigate how companies use different message strategies in their designing of content for social media to drive the most engagement from consumers. The research was made with a qualitative methodology with a deductive approach by gathering theories and conducting three semi-structured interviews which were then analyzed to help answer the research questions. The qualitative interviews showed the importance of using different strategies and adapting the content for social media to fit the target audience. The research indicates that it can be difficult to pin down one specific message strategy for companies to consistently follow over time, but instead need to focus on building customer relationships and the importance of interacting with customers since this can make them feel more engaged. / Världen är nu digitaliserad med en ökad användning av olika sociala medieplattformar och nya sätt för marknadsförare att engagera konsumenter. Den ökade användningen av marknadsföring online och den hårda konkurrensen medför en utmaning för företag att differentiera sitt varumärke och sticka ut. Vilka typer av strategier som företag använder i sin marknadsföring påverkar konsumentbeteende och kan hjälpa företagen att nå sin målgrupp. Syftet med den här studien var att undersöka hur företag använder olika strategier i sin utformning av innehåll för sociala medier för att driva konsumentengagemang. Forskningen genomfördes med en kvalitativ forskningsdesign med en deduktiv ansats genom att samla in teorier och genomföra tre semistrukturerade intervjuer. Datan analyserades sedan för att besvara forskningsfrågorna. De kvalitativa intervjuerna visade vikten av att använda olika strategier och anpassa innehållet för sociala medier för att passa målgruppen. Forskningen antyder att det kan vara svårt för företag att hålla fast vid en specifik strategi att konsekvent följa över tid, utan istället måste fokusera på att bygga kundrelationer och interagera med kunder eftersom detta kan främja engagemanget.

In the spring of 2015 this study began and it had the goal of answering questions regarding the importance of consumer engagement for a VOD service provider, the TV4-group.  The goal was to get answers to guide them in the building of a new VOD service for the latter half of 2015. The questions were: what role does consumer engagement play in creating social media presence for a VOD provider? How do consumers behave surrounding social media engagement for VOD-service? And lastly: what effect does social media presence and consumer engagement have for a VOD provider?    To answer these questions two sets of quantitative methods were used. A survey answered by 970 individuals and a tracker put on the main VOD sites owned and run by the TV4-group gave insights that led to answering the questions. Consumer engagement plays a large role in expanding the reach of VOD services, in the case of the TV4-group it was shown that consumer engagement made up a reach gain equivalent to 55,7% of average TV4 Play views, 17,3% of average Facebook upload views and 172% of tv4.se views. Consumers also evaluated their own: usage, sharing habits and sharing types giving insight to their behaviour. The effects of all this stretches from more views as a result of reach to consumer loyalty making consumer engagement a cornerstone in planning a VOD providers social media strategy.