Den politiska kommunikationen har alltid varit nära kopplad till medier och i ett ständigt förändrat medielandskap har politiska partier och aktörer desto mer varit i behov av att anpassa sina strategier för att nå ut med sina budskap. Till följd av digitaliseringens stora genomslag har den visuella politiska kommunikationen blivit mer betydelsefull än någonsin tidigare där politiker kan kommunicera direkt till sina följare genom sociala plattformar. Genom den visuella sociala plattformen Instagram har därmed nya möjligheter skapats för hur den politiska kommunikationen framförs.  I linje med att sociala plattformar blir allt viktigare för den politiska kommunikationen blir också konstruktionen av det politiska personliga varumärket desto viktigare. Utifrån bakgrunden syftar studien till att undersöka hur svenska partiledare marknadsför och konstruerar ett varumärke av sig själva på det sociala mediet Instagram. Genom en kvalitativ socialsemiotisk analys med utgångspunkt i ett teoretiskt ramverk bestående av politisk kommunikation, politisk personalisering, och socialsemotik visar resultaten på att samtliga partiledare använder sig av personalisering i sina flöden. Trots att de svenska partiledarna påvisade olika omfattningar av den personliga marknadsföringen gick det att se mönster i deras flöden som tyder på liknande strategier i sitt sätt att producera och publicera innehåll på, trots deras olika placeringar på den politiska skalan. Därmed ämnar studien bidra till bredare existerande forskningsdiskussion om medialiserad politik och de sociala mediernas betydelse för den politiska kommunikationen. / Political communication has historically always been closely connected with traditional media and in a continuously changing media landscape, political parties and actors have found themselves increasingly in need of adapting their strategies to convey their message. Through the major developments caused by digitalization, visual communication has become more significant than where politicians can communicate directly to their followers through social platforms. Thus, the visual social platform Instagram has created new opportunities in how politicians communicate, and new conditions have been created for political communication.  In line with the fact that social platforms are becoming increasingly important for political communication, the construction of the political personal brand is also becoming more important. Given the background, the aim of this study is to examine how Swedish political party leaders market themselves and establish themselves as a brand on the social media platform Instagram. Through a qualitative social semiotic analysis based on a theoretical framework consisting of political communication, political personalization, and social semiotics the results of this study show that all the chosen party leaders use personalization in their Instagram-feed. Even though the results showed that the party leaders demonstrated different extents of personal marketing, it was possible to see patterns in their Instagram-feeds that indicate the use of similar strategies in their way of producing and publishing content, despite their individual political views. Thus, the study aims to contribute with further developments in the research-field of mediatized politics and the significance of social media platforms in political communication.

Knowledge about personal branding, the development and sustaining of a personal brand and the link between personal branding and career success did not exist in a scientifically structured manner. The purpose of this study was to understand what the elements of personal branding are and what it takes to develop a personal brand in the corporate environment. It was also important to identify whether personal branding is key to career success. The systematic literature review procedure was used to identify, analyse and critically evaluate both empirical studies and popular literature relating to personal branding. The current body of knowledge was ill defined and a six step model detailing how to develop and maintain a personal brand was developed as a result of a content analysis of the available popular literature. A measure of a complete personal brand within the workplace was subsequently developed. In this study, the hypotheses of a possible relationship between personal branding and career success (performance appraisal score, 360 leadership evaluation and talent board placement) were tested. It was found that talent board placement was statistically significant and practically related to personal branding. The study was the first to provide a measurement tool as well as empirical evidence on the relationship between personal branding and career success and, as such contributed significantly to the body of knowledge. This study also opened avenues for further research. / Daar was min kennis oor ’n persoonlike handelsmerk, die ontwikkeling en handhawing van ’n persoonlike handelsmerk, en die verband tussen ’n persoonlike handelsmerk en loopbaansukses in die wetenskaplike domein beskikbaar. Die doel van hierdie studie was om die elemente van ’n persoonlike handelsmerk te begryp, asook om te bepaal wat dit behels om ’n persoonlike handelsmerk in die korporatiewe omgewing te ontwikkel. Dit was ook belangrik om te bepaal of ’n persoonlike handelsmerk deurslaggewend is tot loopbaansukses. ‘n Sistematiese literatuuroorsig is gedoen om empiriese studies asook gewilde literatuur oor ’n persoonlike handelsmerk te identifiseer, te ontleed en krities te evalueer. Gegewe beperkte akademiese kennismateriaal, en na aanleiding van die inhoudsontleding van die beskikbare gewilde literatuur, is ’n sesstapmodel ontwikkel om aan te dui hoe ’n persoonlike handelsmerk ontwikkel en gehandhaaf kan word. Na aanleiding hiervan is ’n instrument ontwikkel om ’n person se handelsmerk omvattend in die werkplek te meet. Dit is gevolg deur hipoteses van ’n moontlike verband tussen ’n persoonlike handelsmerk en loopbaansukses (prestasiebeoordelingtelling, 360-leierskapevaluasie en talentplasing) te toets. Die studie het bevind dat ’n persoonlike handelsmerk statisties beduidend en prakties relevant is tot talentplasing. Hierdie navorsing lewer ’n omvattende meetinstrument vir die meting van ’n persoonlike handelsmerk, asook empiriese bewyse rakende die verhouding tussen ’n persoonlike handelsmerk en loopbaansukses. Die studie maak in dié opsig ‘n beduidende bydrae tot die gebrekkige akademiese kennismateriaal wat oor hierdie onderwerp beskikbaar is. / Ulwazi nge-branding yomuntu siqu, ukuthuthukiswa kanye nokuqhubekela phambili kwe-brand yomuntu siqu kanye nokuxhumana phakathi kwe-brand yomuntu siqu kanye nokuphumelela emsebenzini bekuyizinto ebezingahlelekile ngendlela yesisayense. Inhloso yalolu cwaningo bekuwukuqondisisa ukuthi ngabe iyini imikhakha ye-branding yomuntu siqu kanye nokuthi yini okudingekayo ukwenza ibrand yomuntu siqu emkhakheni wezamabhizinisi. Bekubalulekile nokubheka ukuthi ngabe i-branding yomuntu siqu isemqoka kangakanani ekuphumeleleni emisebenzini. Inqubo yokubuyekeza imibhalo ngendlela ehlelekile iye yasetshenziswa ukuphawula, ukuhlaziya kanye nokuhlola izifundo ezinobufakazi ezenziwe kanye nemibhalo edumile maqondana ne-branding yomuntu siqu. Imikhakha yolwazi ekhona ibingachazekile kahle, kanti kuye kwalandelwa imodeli yezinyathalo eziyisithupha echaza imininingwane ngokwenza kanye nokugcina i-brand yomuntu siqu, iye yenziwa ngakho-ke kwase kuhlaziywa ingqikithi yemibhalo edumile ekhona. Kwenziwe i-brand yomuntu siqu ephelele emkhakheni wezemisebenzi. Kulolu cwaningo, kuhlolwe i-hypotheses yobudlelwane phakathi kwe-branding yomuntu siqu kanye nokuphumelela emsebenzini (amaphuzu ohlolo lokusebenza ngendlela efanele, uhlolo lobuholi obungu 360, kanye nokubekwa kwebhodi yamathalente endaweni efanele) kuye kwahlolwa. Kutholakale ukuthi ukubekwa kwebhodi yamathalente endaweni efanele yinto esemqoka ngokwamastatistiki kanti futhi kuhambisana ne-branding yomuntu siqu. Ucwaningo belungolokuqala ukuhlinzeka ngethuluzi lokukala kanye nocwaningo obunobufakazi obubambekayo ngobudlelwane phakathi kwe-branding yomuntu siqu kanye nokuphumelela emsebenzini, kanti-ke, lokhu yikho okuye kwaba nomthelela obabalukile kulwazi. Lolu cwaningo luvule imikhakha lapho okungenziwa khona ezinye izinhlobo nemikhakha yocwaningo. / Business Management / DBL