Since influencer marketing is a relatively new term, there is a scarce theoretical foundation investigating the subject. Previous research has mainly focused on identifying female followers' behavior and how they are persuaded, fewer studies are on male followers and the ability of male influencers to influence their followers. Therefore this master thesis aims to investigate if and how male influencers persuade their male followers.    Aim: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate if and in that case how male followers are influenced by the persuasiveness of male influencers.   Method: Based on the literature review, a theoretical framework is proposed to accomplish the aim of the thesis. For the empirical evidence, a qualitative approach was taken, with the help of ten online based interviews. Furthermore, the content analysis method was used for the analysis of the collected data.   Results & Conclusions: The results of the study provide evidence that followers of these influencers are persuaded by influencers, and they are persuaded by influencers on two main factors, authority and likeability.    Suggestions for future research: As a suggestion for future research we suggest someone to research more in depth with more interviews carried out.  Also, more research is needed on persuasion over male followers +35 years old and how persuasiveness of an influencer is influencing in different industries.     Contribution of the thesis: This research study contributes with knowledge on male influencers and male followers and especially with knowledge on how male followers are persuaded by male influencers. This research findings contributes to the theoretical framework by showing that social media influencers, influences its followers on two main factors, likability and authority. Furthermore, influencers can use this study to enhance their persuasive power and it provides a good understanding of the mechanisms that are influencing the persuasive power.

Sensory marketing is a broad concept that can be used as a marketing tool. The sensory marketing can be used in different ways and in different environments. The most common use for sensory marketing in a B2C environment where the customer can interact with their senses more.But how do B2B companies comprehend sensory marketing in a digital environment. The use of sensory marketing is a hard marketing tool to use when applying it to the digital environment. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis has been to examine how B2B companies can implicate sensory marketing in digital marketing and how it can affect their brand image.  The research questions were to be answered by using qualitative case study where eight different industries within the B2B companies participated in semi-structured interviews.  Using the qualitative method to get a more in-depth understanding of how different industries within the B2B companies use sensory marketing is the right choice for collecting correct data. Later in the thesis the collected data is going to be analyzed and discussed with the theory for the purpose to see similarities and differences.  The conclusion of this explains to those B2B companies that were interviewed for this thesis, that the use of sensory marketing is not a conscious decision. The companies use vision and hearing as a subconscious method of spreading awareness about the companies. Although the B2B companies feel it's hard to imply for the business the choice of using the other sense is not aucurrent for their business.

Digital marketing is becoming more influential for businesses and along with it so does digital marketing tools. To make digital marketing tools useful for new users and businesses, they should be easy to use and allow for a good user experience. By analysing the digital marketing tool ‘Digital Plattform’ by Digital Marknadsplan, this study examines how to make design suggestions to improve user experience by using theories in interaction design and insights from user tests that highlights common issues. It turns out there are common issues that has been highlighted trough a heuristic analysis and a thematic analysis. Some issues include a lack of feedback and information along with general inconsistencies. By providing design suggestions to these issues, they could be targeted directly and therefore improving the user experience for new potential users. The results of this study could also be argued to be applicable to other digital marketing tools in improving their user experience for new users.

Denna studies syfte är att skapa förståelse för hur konsumenter upplever användandet av digitala produktkataloger och vad för typ av värde de ger dem. För att undersöka detta skedde en observation i kombination med intervju av tio respondenter i åldrarna 21–72 år. Respondenterna fick söka upp en av tre i förväg utvalda digitala kataloger inom kategorin sällanköpsvaror för att sedan beskriva sin upplevelse. Uppsatsförfattarna arbetade efter en intervjuguide i samband med intervjuerna som tog 15–20 minuter var. Resultatet visar att de flesta upplever någon typ av svårighet i användandet av de digitala katalogerna och fick de välja föredrog endast en av de tio respondenterna en digital katalog framför en fysisk. Dessutom hade endast tre av tio varit i kontakt med en digital katalog tidigare jämfört med den fysiska upplagan som alla någon gång hade använt. Utifrån detta resultat ser det ut som att digitaliseringen av produktkataloger tycks ha minskat användandet och konsumenterna kommer inte längre i kontakt med produktkataloger i samma utsträckning när de presenteras på digitala plattformar. Dessutom visar resultatet att de allra flesta respondenter menar att värdet de får ut av de digitala produktkatalogerna är inspiration, oavsett om de under observationen valde en katalog mer baserad på presentation av sortiment än med ett inspirerande upplägg. Oavsett upplevelse och upplevt värde föredrar dock de flesta att söka upp produkter direkt i företags webbutiker i stället för att använda digitala produktkataloger. / The purpose of this study is to create an understanding of how consumers experience the use of digital product catalogs and what kind of value they give them. To investigate this, an observation was made in combination with an interview of ten respondents aged 21–72. The respondents had to find and use one of three pre-selected digital catalogs in the category of rare goods and then describe their user experience. The researchers worked on an interview guide in connection with the interviews, which took 15–20 minutes each. The results show that most respondents experience some type of difficulty in the use of the digital catalogs and when they were given the choice, only one out of ten preferred a digital catalog over a physical one. In addition, only three of the ten respondents had been in contact with a digital catalog before compared to the physical edition that everyone had used before. Based on this result, it appears that the digitization of product catalogs seems to have reduced its use and consumers no longer come into contact with product catalogs to the same extent when they are presented on digital platforms. The result also shows that most of the respondents believe that the value they get from digital product catalogs is inspiration, regardless of whether they chose a catalog during the observation more based on presentation of assortment than with an inspiring approach. It appeared however, that even with a good experience and the inspirational value most people prefer to search for products directly in companies' online stores instead of using digital product catalogs.

Syfte: Studien syftar till att öka förståelsen för relevansen av digital marknadsföring på sociala medier för B2B-företag inom järn- och stålindustrin och öka kunskapen om betydelsen av hållbarhet i marknadsföringssyfte på sociala medier för dessa företag. Metod: Studien har utgått från en kvalitativ forskningsansats där empiriinsamlingen består av data insamlat från 11 semistrukturella intervjuer. En kvalitativ riktad innehållsanalys togs i anspråk för att vidareutveckla och bekräfta redan befintliga teorier funna inom den teoretiska referensramen. Medan en hermeneutisk ansats användes för att analysera obekräftade teorier och befintliga teoretiska gap funna inom den teoretiska referensramen. Resultat och slutsats: Resultatet av studien indikerar att marknadsföringsrelevansen på sociala medier skiljer sig mellan börsnoterade och icke-börsnoterade företag, mellan olika positioner i företaget och företagets närhet till slutprodukt. Relevansen av marknadsföring på sociala medier skilde sig inte i rekryteringssyfte ur HR- chefens perspektiv, oavsett om företaget var börsnoterat eller icke-börsnoterat. Hållbarhet har en stor betydelse i marknadsföringssyfte på sociala medier och ger företagen konkurrensfördelar. Studiens bidrag: Chefer i olika järn- och stålindustriföretag och andra tunga tillverkningsindustrier kan ta hänsyn till studiens resultat för att öka sin förståelse för relevansen av digitalmarknadsföring på sociala medier samt betydelsen av hållbarhet i marknadsföringssyfte på sociala medier. Detta för att utveckla sin kommande eller befintliga digitala marknadsföring på sociala medier. Förslag till vidare forskning: Vidare forskning föreslås inkludera fler antal intervjurespondenter och företag i studien för att undersöka resultatet i större utsträckning. / Aim: The study aims to increase the understanding of the relevance of digital marketing on social media for B2B- companies in the iron- and steel industry and increase the knowledge of the importance of sustainability in the marketing purpose on social media for these companies. Method: The study used a qualitative research approach, where the collection of empirical data consisted of data collected from 11 semi-structural interviews. A qualitative targeted content analysis method was used to further develop and confirm existing theories found within the theoretical frame of reference. While a hermeneutic approach method was used to analyse unconfirmed theories and existing theoretical gaps found within the theoretical frame of reference. Result and conclusions: The result of the study indicates that the relevance of marketing on social media differs between listed and non-listed companies, between different positions in the company, and by the company's proximity to the end product. The relevance of marketing on social media did not differ in recruitment purposes from the HR manager's perspective, whether the company was listed or non-listed. Sustainability is of great importance for marketing purposes on social media and gives companies a competitive advantage. Contributions: Managers in various iron and steel industry companies and other heavy manufacturing industries can take the findings into account to increase their understanding of the relevance of digital marketing on social media and the importance of sustainability in the marketing purpose on social media for B2B-companies. For developing their upcoming or existing digital marketing on social media. Suggestion for further research: Further research is recommended to include more interview respondents and companies in the survey to examine the results to a greater extent.

En el presente trabajo de investigación se analizó a profundidad el mercado actual y la situación de las marcas de cervezas internacionales y su desempeño en la red social Instagram. Concretamente, se analizó cuáles eran las actividades de marketing en redes sociales que se relacionaban con la intención de compra de los jóvenes limeños entre los 18 y 24 años que pertenezcan a un sector socioeconómico A y B. Estas actividades analizaron fueron el contenido, interacción, comunidad, información y personalización. En base a las actividades de marketing en Instagram y la intención de compra, se plantearon los objetivos e hipótesis de la investigación, donde se buscó confirmar si existía una relación entre cada actividad planteada y la intención de compra. Para profundizar en esta investigación se realizaron varias entrevistas, focus group y encuestas, a los consumidores y expertos. De manera que pudimos conocer más de cerca los pensamientos que tiene el público objetivo con respecto a la gestión o manejo de Instagram que tienen las diferentes marcas de cervezas internacionales que se presentan en Perú. Se concluyó, tras el análisis cualitativo y cuantitativo, que actividades como lo son el contenido, la comunidad, la interacción y la personalización tienen una relación con la intención de compra o la recompra de nuestros entrevistados y encuestados. Por el contrario, la información demostró no estar relacionada con la intención de compra. Basado en ello se hicieron algunos comentarios que podrían ayudar a que las marcas mejoren su performance en Instagram. / The current market and the status of international beer brands and their performance on the Social Network Instagram were analyzed in depth in the present research paper. Specifically, it analyzed what social media marketing activities related to the purchase intention of young limeños (people from Lima, Perú) between the ages of 18 and 24 belonging to a socio-economic sector A and B. These activities analyzed were content, interaction, community, information, and customization. Based on marketing activities on Instagram and the intention to purchase, the objectives and hypotheses of the research were raised, where it was sought to confirm whether there was a relationship between each activity raised and the intention to purchase. To deepen this research, several interviews, focus group and surveys were conducted on consumers and experts. So, we were able to know more closely the thoughts that the target audience has regarding the management or management of Instagram that have the different brands of international beers that are presented in Peru. It is concluded, after qualitative and quantitative analysis, that activities such as content, community, interaction and personalization (customization) have a relationship with the intention to purchase or re-purchase of our interviewees and respondents. On the contrary, the information proved unrelated to the intent to purchase. Based on this, some comments were made that could help brands improve their performance on Instagram. / Trabajo de investigación

La comunicación de marcas sigue proyectando a la mujer como un objeto de deseo, que tiene como fin la venta de un producto, definido autores como marketing de belleza. Sin embargo, existe un tendencia internacional llamada “Real Beauty”, Belleza Real en español, el cual demuestra que la belleza no es única y estándar, es diferente y especial por persona. Asimismo, debido a la facilidad de acceso a la información, por la evolución de medios, los consumidores se tornan más exigentes frente a las marcas. De tal manera, es que el objetivo de la investigación es identificar qué variables de las acciones de promoción digital, siendo el uso de videos y uso de influencers, presenta mayor relación frente al posicionamiento basado en imagen de marca, enfocado al Real Beauty en el sector de moda femenina. Para ello, se realizará el análisis cualitativo, realizando entrevistas a profundidad, siendo 19 preguntas divididas en 3 bloques al target y 17 preguntas divididas en 2 bloques a cada experto, y el cuantitativo, realizando una encuesta, basada en 22 anunciados, dirigida a una muestra de la población. La muestra evidenció importantes hallazgos frente al estudio cualitativo, porque efectivamente, consideran que el concepto Real Beauty debería ser mejor implementado en las marcas del sector investigado, generando un vínculo más allá de lo transaccional, buscando un vínculo emocional. Por lo cual, consideran importante y efectivo el uso de diferentes estrategias para ello, como el uso de videos o influencers, generando un buena imagen y posicionamiento en la mente del consumidor. Teniendo en cuenta que en los hallazgos cuantitativos, por medio la regresión lineal múltiple, se pudo aterrizar los resultados cualitativos, indicando que el modelo indicado de analizar comprende ambas variables, es decir, que las estrategias de promoción analizadas tienen relación frente a la imagen de marca, sin embargo, una es más relevante e influyente. Debido a ello, es que la presente investigación tiene una utilidad práctica para la industria de la moda femenina. Asimismo, resulta funcional frente a la toma de decisiones en relación a la implementación estrategias de promoción digital. / Brand communication continues to project women as an object of desire, whose purpose is to sell a product, defined by authors as beauty marketing. However, there is an international trend called "Real Beauty", which shows that beauty is not unique and standard, it’s different and special per person. Also, due to the ease of access to information, due to the evolution of media, consumers are becoming more demanding towards brands. Therefore, the objective of the research is to identify which variables of the digital promotion actions, being the use of videos and the use of influencers, have a greater relationship with the positioning based on brand image, focused on Real Beauty in the women's fashion sector. For this, the qualitative analysis will be carried out, making in-depth interviews, being 19 questions divided in 3 blocks to the target and 17 questions divided in 2 blocks to each expert, and the quantitative analysis, making a survey, based on 22 announced, directed to a sample of the population. The sample showed important findings compared to the qualitative study, because indeed, they consider that the Real Beauty concept should be better implemented in the brands of the investigated sector, generating a link beyond the transactional, looking for an emotional link. Therefore, they consider important and effective the use of different strategies for this, such as the use of videos or influencers, generating a good image and positioning in the mind of the consumer. Taking into account that in the quantitative findings, by means of the multiple linear regression, it was possible to land the qualitative results, indicating that the indicated model to analyze includes both variables, that is to say, that the analyzed promotion strategies have relation in front of the brand image, nevertheless, one is more relevant and influential. Because of this, the present research has a practical utility for the women's fashion industry. Likewise, it is functional in relation to decision making in relation to the implementation of digital promotion strategies. / Tesis

Youwin es un proyecto que busca ayudar a los microempresarios en aspectos de marketing digital. Para ello, se le ofrece un servicio integrado que abarca la creación de un logo o portada, en caso no lo tuviera, así como la planificación y ejecución de un sorteo en redes sociales. Adicional a ello, durante el proceso se dan recomendaciones que puedan ayudar a sostener esta estrategia de promoción, así como algunos detalles tributarios a tomar en cuenta que permitan crecer el negocio del microempresario. Difundirse en redes sociales en esta época de confinamiento social es clave para los pequeños negocios, pues ya no podrán ofrecer sus servicios presencialmente como lo solían hacer ni con la frecuencia de antes cuando la cuarentena termine. Con recientes estudios estadísticos y entrevistas propias realizadas se determinó que alrededor del 50% de microempresas no tienen redes o son incipientes en estas. En este contexto nace Youwin, que busca a largo plazo posicionarse como un aliado del microempresario y ser reconocidos como una ventana para ofrecer sus servicios o productos. / Youwin is a project that seeks to help microentrepreneurs in aspects of digital marketing. For this, an integrated service is offered that covers the creation of a logo or cover, in case it does not have it, as well as the planning and execution of a draw on social networks. In addition to this, during the process recommendations are given that may help sustain this promotion strategy, as well as some tax details to take into account that allow the microentrepreneur´s business to grow. Spreading on social networks in this time of social confinement is key for small businesses, since they will no longer be able to offer their services in person as they used to do or as often as before when the quarantine ends. With recent statistical studies and own interviews, it was determined that around 50% of microenterprises do not have networks or are incipient in these. In this context, Youwin was born, which seeks in the long term to position itself as an ally of the microentrepreneur and to be recognized as a window to offer its services or BLABproducts. / Trabajo de investigación

Denna studie syftar till att undersöka hur blockchain, den distribuerade ledger-tekniken, kan påverka arbetssättet för digital marknadsföring. Vårt mål är att besvara hur arbetet i digital marknadsföring ser ut idag och vilka egenskaper blockchain har som kan ändra förutsättningarna för arbetssättet inom digital marknadsföring. Genom intervjuer med tio digitala byråer har vi skapat förståelse för deras arbete och deras roll i relation till kunder och konsumenter. Resultatet från intervjuer och litteratur har visat på att de digitala byråernas arbetssätt kan förändras med blockchain genom förändrade kundrelationer och genom ett förändrat förhållande till konsumenterna. Den mest troliga adoptionen av blockchain innefattar adoption av vissa egenskaper från teknologin som kan effektivisera eller automatisera arbetet, samt ändra förutsättningarna för arbetet inom digital marknadsföring. Den stora utmaningen för adoptionen är arbetet med att flytta över tillgångar till nätverket och integrera alla användare, som både tar tid och omfattar stora kostnader. Distributionen och krypteringen av information i en blockchain skapar möjligheter för transparens, säkerhet och integritet, men ingen kan säkert veta om blockchain kommer att bli lönsamt. / This study aims to investigate how blockchain, the distributed ledger-technology, can affect the way that digital marketing operates. Our goal is to understand how the work-process in digital marketing functions today, and what characteristics blockchain has that can change the prerequisites for the digital marketing process. Through interviews with ten digital agencies, we have created an understanding of their work and their relationships with customers and consumers. The results from the interviews and literature have shown that the work of digital agencies can change the relationship with customers and consumers through blockchain. The most likely adoption of blockchain includes adoption of certain features from the technology that can streamline or automatize work, as well as change the conditions for the work in digital marketing. The major challenge for the adoption is the overall effort to move over assets to the blockchain network and integrate all users, which both takes time and includes huge costs. The distribution and encryption of information in a blockchain creates opportunities for transparency, security and integrity, but nobody knows for certain if blockchain will be profitable.

Implementing an effective social media marketing strategy campaign to engage customers and increase sales is a challenge for owners of small retail business owners The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the social media marketing strategies owners of small retail businesses used to increase sales. The conceptual framework for this study was the social media marketing strategy theory. Data were collected from 5 small retail business owners in North Carolina through semistructured, face-to-face interviews and a review of company documents, websites, and social media sites. Data analysis through Yin's 5-step process of compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, and concluding data resulted in 3 emergent themes: social media engagement strategy, outsourcing strategy, and target market strategy. Owners of small retail businesses might benefit from the findings of this study to increase sales by understanding how to integrate a mix of social media marketing platforms, improve customer engagement, use third-party social media experts to improve advertising, and target customers using social media. The implications of this study for positive social change include the potential for small business owners to increase job opportunities, lower local unemployment rates, and improve local economic growth and stability.