Mobile service operators are struggling to build strong relationship with their customers. The Saudi Market is described as a highly regulated and competitive sector. Consequently, it is essential that mobile service operators re-evaluate the level of their service quality and understand its critical factors that influence customer eWOM and switching intention through emotional and cognitive responses. According to the literature review, there is a need for studies on customer behaviour to demonstrate whether customer responses are prominent indicators of how customers feel. In addition, there is a lack of empirical study and theoretical modelling of the relationships between customers' emotional response and constructs based on other service experience. The main aim in this research is the investigating customer intentions influenced by service quality using the mediation of emotional and cognitive responses in Saudi Arabia. This research develops a theoretical framework that integrates a set of cognitive and emotional response (pleasure and arousal) to examine the influence of service quality on customer intention by using theory of reasoned action (TRA) and stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R), merged into one framework. Therefore, hypotheses are developed to test the relationship between the framework variables. This research adapts a quantitative methodology along with the positivist philosophical approach to investigate hypothetical relationships within the conceptual framework. This research used online surveys completed by mobile and social media users, including a survey with 601 responses out of 621. To analyse and validate the data, this study applies the structure equation model by using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) AMOS V. 23. The result indicates that there are significant relationships between service quality dimensions and emotional response (pleasure and arousal). Moreover, subjective norms have a significant relationship with customer intention and emotional response. In addition, emotional response has, both directly and indirectly, a significant relationship with customer intention. The overall results of this research indicate that both the effect of service quality on eWOM and switching intention were mediated by customer attitude and by the pleasure and arousal emotional responses. These research outcomes yield several theoretical and practical implications. A key limitation of this research is its data collection by using a quantitative research approach and cross-sectional methodology; consequently, the data collection was done solely in the KSA.

Viral marknadsföring är någonting som alltid har funnits på ett eller annat sätt. De senaste åren har sociala medier tagit en stor roll inom marknadsföring, framförallt för virala kampanjer. De senaste åren har något som kallas “challenges” funnits i våra flöden på olika sociala medie plattformar. Många av dessa är kopplade till dans. Många känner igen “In My Feelings-Challenge, Harlem Shake, Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) och Gangnam Style”. Idag så har många låtar fått mer uppmärksamhet och streams, tack vare en viral koreografi som spridit sig på ett eller annat sätt. Syftet med den här studien är att undersöka hur artister kan använda koreografi för att marknadsföra en låt, samt vilka faktorer som höjer potentialen till att få den viral. Vidare undersöker vi betydelsen av image hos en artist vid marknadsföring av en låt med koreografi. Hur kan en låt bli viral i samband med koreografi? Hur kan en artist sprida sin koreografi via sociala medier? Detta är frågor som vi i denna studie har besvarat efter bästa möjliga förmåga. Vår empiri är baserad på 8 kvalitativa intervjuer med personer som har en relation till ämnet, samtliga respondenter har bidragit med mycket bra tankar och åsikter. Vi kom fram till att det ligger stor betydelse i vilken image artisten har, samt målgrupp och aktiviteten på sociala medier. Vi kom också fram till att video marketing är en oerhört central faktor vid spridandet av koreografier och man kan öka potentialen av att få en viral koreografi genom att samarbeta med passande influencers, men man ska inte som artist uppmana till att starta en koreografi självmant. / Viral marketing is something that has always existed in one way or another. For the past few years, social media has taken a major part within marketing, especially for viral campaigns. In the past years, something called "challenges" has existed in our feeds on our various social media platforms. Many of these challenges are connected to dance. Many people recognize "In My Feelings Challenge, Harlem Shake, Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae) and Gangnam Style". Today, many songs has gotten more attention and streams, thanks to a viral choreography connected to the song, that has spread in one way or another. The purpose of this study is to investigate how artists can use choreography to market a song, as well as which factors increase the potential to get it viral. Furthermore, we analyze the importance of image for an artist with the cnnection to the marketing of a song with choreography. How can a song become viral with the help of choreography? How can an artist spread their choreography through social media? These are questions that we in this study have answered in the best ability as possible. Our empirical data is based on 8 qualitative interviews with people who have a relation in some way or another to the subject. All respondents have contributed with very good thoughts and opinions. Our conclution with this study is that it is a great importance in which image the artist has, as well as the target group and the artists activity on social media. We also found that video marketing is an extremely important factor in the spreading of choreographies. To increase the potential of having a viral choreography, the artist can cooperate with suitable influencers, but the artist their selfes should not encourage their fans to start a choreography independently.

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The rapid penetration of the Internet and the prevalence of various social media facilitated by new technologies provide new opportunities for how marketing techniques are developed and refined. The creation of viral marketing has been driven by technological innovations and cultural changes. Responding to marketing trends and catering to consumers’ psychological demands and behavioral changes, viral marketing represents the latest online customer-centric marketing (Shukla, 2010). Extending the advertising effects of word-of-mouth (WOM) communication and Internet marketing, viral marketing has demonstrated considerable success and utility in a promotional phase and development process of a product and/or service. This study intends to illustrate the benefits and challenges of viral marketing. The effects and concerns with the adoption of viral marketing are reinforced by previous research and findings from marketer and consumer focus groups. This thesis will contribute to building a theoretical and empirical foundation for viral marketing research and professional practice.

The rapid penetration of the Internet and the prevalence of various social media facilitated by new technologies provide new opportunities for how marketing techniques are developed and refined. The creation of viral marketing has been driven by technological innovations and cultural changes. Responding to marketing trends and catering to consumers’ psychological demands and behavioral changes, viral marketing represents the latest online customer-centric marketing (Shukla, 2010). Extending the advertising effects of word-of-mouth (WOM) communication and Internet marketing, viral marketing has demonstrated considerable success and utility in a promotional phase and development process of a product and/or service. This study intends to illustrate the benefits and challenges of viral marketing. The effects and concerns with the adoption of viral marketing are reinforced by previous research and findings from marketer and consumer focus groups. This thesis will contribute to building a theoretical and empirical foundation for viral marketing research and professional practice.

The rise of social media has brought an increasingly open and transparent environment, where everyone can share thoughts and opinions with other people. This new transparent world creates new challenges in many fields. One of these is in the field of crisis management. The question is how companies should handle a crisis in social media. The thesis starts by investigating theory regarding areas affecting crisis management in social media. From this theory; a quantitative survey, qualitative interviews and investigation of secondary data are conducted. This resulted in findings, regarding what is important for companies, concerning crisis management in social media. It is important for companies to monitor social media, to be quick in replying in social media and to reply in a human, non corporate, voice. It is as well important to have a crisis plan, a crisis response team and a main responsible for crisis management in social media. We have seen that it seems like larger companies generally are more prepared for crisis management in social media and that they consequently are better in handling a crisis in social media.

This study follows the theoretical les of Deutsch and Gerrard¡¦s dual-process theory to determine the informational and normative factors that influence credibility judgments of on-line consumer recommendation by readers. In addition, this study also discusses how impulse traits and disposition of Trust play as a moderator on the influence of Electronic Word-of-Mouth on sender¡¦s WOM on the receiver¡¦s purchase decision. This study¡¦s main purpose as follows: ¤@¡B How world informational and normative determinants affect a user¡¦s credibility evaluation of on- line consumer recommendations? ¤G¡B How would this perceived credibility of eWOM influence its sender¡¦s WOM on the receiver¡¦s purchase decision? ¤T¡B Receiver of consumer recommendations¡¦ impulse traits and disposition of trust whether influence the relationship between perceived credibility of eWOM and sender¡¦s WOM on the receiver¡¦s purchase decision. This study has some finding as following: ¤@¡B Informational determinant-argument strength, confirmation with receiver¡¦s prior belief, expertise - significantly influenced perceived eWOM credibility. ¤G¡B normative determinant- - significantly influenced perceived eWOM credibility ¤T¡B perceived eWOM credibility significantly influenced sender¡¦s WOM on the receiver¡¦s purchase decision. ¥|¡B impulse traits and disposition of Trust could strengthen the relationship between perceived credibility of eWOM and sender¡¦s WOM on the receiver¡¦s purchase decision.

The Two-Step Flow of Communication suggests that opinion leaders have a greater impact on consumers' product choices and decisions than marketers. With the advent of the Internet and e-commerce, many consumer researchers expanded the study of opinion leadership to incorporate electronic Word-of-Mouth behavior (eWOM) into the Two-Step Flow of Communication. Yet, with the recent and increasing prominence of social media, there appears to be a gap within the opinion leadership literature. Several studies have examined how the Internet and social media empower opinion leaders to instantaneously influence large crowds with eWOM. Marginally few studies, however, have considered how the production of user-generated content (UGC) among opinion leaders can further expand their peer influence. Furthermore, emergent research illustrates that social media is transforming into an enclave for celebrity culture, wherein celebrities use social media to invoke gossip and fantasy in consumers. These technological and cultural shifts within the Internet and social media necessitate an understanding of how UGC, social media and celebrity culture fit within the Two-Step Flow of Communication. In order to address these gaps, the current study probed the relationships amongst parasocial interaction, opinion leadership and willingness to participate in UGC and eWOM. Specifically, parasocial interaction is a history of interactions between a consumer and celebrity that manifest into a fantasized, personal relationship. Relevant hypotheses were developed and used to construct a theoretical model. Data were collected from a nationally representative sample (n = 555) and a Structural Equation Model was subsequently run to test the hypotheses. The findings suggest that social values, knowledge and parasocial interaction are positively related to opinion leadership. In turn, opinion leadership is positively related to willingness to participate in UGC and eWOM. Parasocial interaction, too, is positively related to willingness to participate in UGC and eWOM. A mediation effect was supported whereby opinion leadership significantly mediates the relationship between parasocial interaction and UGC, but not eWOM. The production of UGC is shown to be dependent upon parasocial interaction and opinion leadership. Nonetheless, eWOM does not seem to necessitate opinion leadership and can be produced directly from parasocial interactions.

Idag marknadsförs mängder av produkter vars funktionella värde, av olika anledningar, är svårt för konsumenterna att konkret utvärdera. De Value Propositions som tillverkare och återförsäljare av dessa produkter förmedlar skiljer sig potentiellt från de Value Propositions som konsumenterna faktiskt använder sig av vid sina köpbeslut. Dessa produkters natur medför att konsumenterna tar aktörer, andra än producenterna och återförsäljarna, till sin hjälp för att vidareutveckla ursprungligt Value Proposition. Denna process utgörs av interaktion med exempelvis andra konsumenter i samma fysiska och/eller virtuella sociala nätverk. Nätverket blir då ett system för utformning och vidareutveckling av Value Propositions. Uppsatsen undersöker hur nätverket av och omkring styrketräningsutövare som använder kosttillskottsprodukter, formar de Value Propositions som associeras med produkterna. Studien finner att dessa Value Propositions formas av aktörer andra än producenterna/återförsäljarna via word-of-mouth samt electronic word-of-mouth. Studien identifierar vidare faktorer som påverkar det inflytande aktörerna har i utformningen.