Today, in a world after COVID-19 the office needs to have a different meaning for employees, the office has to compete with the comfort and flexibility of working from home. Therefore this thesis paper researched the topic of how the interior of an office can be used to signal different things to employees. Signals are something that we humans both use and receive all day to communicate something without using words to do this. They are also used by companies to attract and share different things with both existing and potential employees. The theory that explains how signals are used is called the signaling theory and the signaling timeline model is the specific framework used. When a person goes on a job interview they will show (signal) how right they are for this job, this in regards to the way they dress, act, and how the resume looks. In regards to the timeline model, it is a way to explain how a signal ”travels” from the signaler to the receiver and then feedback returns to the signaler. For this thesis, and the signing timeline, the concept of design has been used as the signal and employer brand and brand credibility in the form of the feedback. The signaler has been the company and the receiver the employees. With this in mind two research questions were developed, how do companies work with signals when designing their offices? and are the signals sent by a company as those received by employees? To answer the questions, semi-structured interviews and observations were conducted with two different companies in different countries. In order to cover both questions interviews were held with both facility managers (or equivalent) and employees. The interviews and observations gave us a result proving that there are many signals that a company sends out to employees, some intentional and some unintentional. Companies signal more with a holistic view while an employee sees more in the details. There were five signals found, team, calm and environmentally friendly that the company tried to send. Employees did not perceive the environmentally friendly but found considerate to private matters and utility to be two other important ones. Another interesting finding was that one of the companies interviewed had decided to have their new office small in order to come back to their roots and to work with their brand image. / Idag, i en värld efter COVID-19, måste kontoret ha en annan betydelse för de anställda, kontoret måste konkurrera med bekvämligheten och flexibiliteten med att arbeta hemifrån. Därför har detta examensarbete undersökt hur interiören på ett kontor kan användas för att signalera olika saker till anställda. Signaler är något som vi människor både skickar och tar emot hela dagarna för att kommunicera något utan att använda ord. De används också av företag för att attrahera och kommunicera olika saker med både befintliga och potentiella medarbetare. Den teori som förklarar hur signaler används kallas för ”signaling theory” och “signaling timeline model” är det specifika ramverk som används. När en person går på en anställningsintervju kommer de att visa (signalera) hur rätt de är för det här jobbet, detta med avseende på hur de klär sig, agerar och hur CV:t ser ut. När det gäller “timeline model” är det ett sätt att förklara hur en signal "färdas" från signalisten till mottagaren och sedan återkopplas till signalisten. I den här uppsatsen, och i ”signaling timeline”, har begreppet ”design” använts som signal och ”employer branding” och “brand credibility” i form av feedback. Aktören som har skickat signalerna har varit företaget och mottagarna till dessa är anställda. Med detta i åtanke utvecklades två forskningsfrågor, hur arbetar företag med signaler när de utformar sina kontor? och är det samma signaler som skickas av ett företag som tas emot av de anställda? För att besvara frågorna genomfördes semistrukturerade intervjuer och observationer med två olika företag i olika länder. För att få svar på båda frågorna hölls intervjuer med både ”facility manager” (eller motsvarande) och anställda. Intervjuerna och observationerna gav oss resultatet att det finns många signaler som ett företag sänder till sina anställda, vissa avsiktliga och andra oavsiktliga. Företag signalerar med en mer holistisk syn medan en anställd ser mer i detaljerna, vilket påvisades i de fem signalerna som hittades. Företagen försökte skicka tre signaler: ”team”, ”calm” and ”environmentally friendly” samtidigt som de anställda inte uppfattade ”environmentally friendly” men istället tyckte att ”considerate to private matters” och ”utility” var två signaler som skickas. En annan intressant upptäckt var att ett av de intervjuade företagen hade bestämt sig för att ha sitt nya kontor litet för att komma tillbaka till sina rötter och arbeta med sin varumärkesimage.

Los fitness influencers se han convertido en el recurso publicitario más usado por la industria fitness para generar credibilidad de marca a través de Instagram; red social que se ha consolidado como el escaparate más conveniente para promover un estilo de vida saludable basado en el ejercicio y la alimentación balanceada. El objetivo de la presente investigación fue identificar el rol que cumplen los fitness influencers en la construcción de credibilidad de marca para jóvenes varones, principiantes o intermedios en alguna disciplina fitness, a través de imaginarios distorsionados de vida saludable en Instagram. La metodología empleada para este estudio fue de carácter cualitativo, tipo exploratoria. Los resultados revelaron que los fitness influencers actúan como facilitadores de credibilidad de marca a pesar de promover un imaginario social donde tener un porcentaje bajo de grasa corporal y una masa muscular prominente, impulsadas por el abuso de sustancias sintéticas, es reflejo de llevar una vida saludable. / Fitness influencers have become the most used advertising resource by the fitness industry to generate brand credibility through Instagram; social network that has established itself as the most convenient showcase to promote a healthy lifestyle based on exercise and balanced eating. The objective of this research was to identify the role that fitness influencers play in building brand credibility for young men, beginners or intermediate in some fitness discipline, through distorted imaginary of healthy life on Instagram. The methodology used for this study was qualitative, exploratory type. The results revealed that fitness influencers act as facilitators of brand credibility despite promoting a social imaginary where having a low percentage of body fat and a prominent muscle mass, driven by the abuse of synthetic substances, is a reflection of leading a healthy life. / Tesis

Yes / Luxury brands are increasingly targeting the middle class through ‘masstige marketing’ as the trendy business opportunity,' which combines luxury and mass appeal. This strategy aims to make high-end brands more accessible to a wider audience, catering to the desires and preferences of the middle class. Grounded in the Mass Prestige (Masstige) theory, this study examines the direct and indirect impact of Symbolic motivations (snob, Veblen, and bandwagon) on Masstige Purchase Intention (MPI) via Inspiration Towards Masstige (ITM) as a mediator. Moreover, the contingent impact of Brand Credibility (BC) between ITM and MPI was assessed. Two independent studies were conducted among consumers of clothing and car brands. Results supported all the hypothesized paths reflecting symbolic motivations as important predictors of MPI directly and through the underlying mechanism of ITM. However, significant differences were observed in the impact size of the Veblen and bandwagon motivations on ITM and MPI among clothing and car brand consumers. Moreover, results revealed that BC significantly interacts with ITM to augment the MPI in both studies. However, this contingent impact was stronger to enhance MPI among the consumers of car brands than clothing brands. Furthermore, study implications and future research directions are presented in detail. / The full text will be available at the end of the Publisher's embargo period: 2nd Sept 2025

El estudio tiene como objetivo explorar las relaciones entre los beneficios verdes percibidos y la credibilidad de marca frente a la intención de recompra de productos verdes en Lima. La información presentada es cuantitativa y de carácter concluyente. / The study aims to explore the relationships between green perceived benefits and brand credibility regarding repurchase intention of green products in Lima. The information presented is quantitative and conclusive. / Trabajo de investigación

Solicitud de envío manuscrito de artículo científico. / Los studygrammers son personalidades que se caracterizan por crear contenido relacionado al aprendizaje y por compartir su afición a través de Instagram. A pesar de ser una comunidad en crecimiento y con gran aceptación por su audiencia, muchas marcas desconocen de ellos y aún apuestan por los influencers para ser parte de su estrategia publicitaria. Por ello, esta investigación analiza cómo los studygrammers pueden generar credibilidad para ser parte de una estrategia digital publicitaria. La metodología es de tipo cualitativa, se analizó el caso de Luciana de la Torre Ugarte, studygrammer peruana, más conocida como studyla en Instagram. Se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas a 15 de sus seguidores, estudiantes entre los 18 y 24 años. Como resultado, el estudio demostró que un studygrammer debe crear un sentido de comunidad, mantener una comunicación horizontal y frecuente, identificarse con sus seguidores a través de su estilo de vida y crear contenido de valor sin saturar de publicidad su perfil para diferenciarse de otras personalidades y generar credibilidad para ser parte de una estrategia digital publicitaria. / Studygrammers are personalities who are characterized by creating content related to learning and by sharing their hobby through Instagram. Despite being a growing community and widely accepted by its audience, many brands are unaware of them and still rely on influencers to be part of their advertising strategy. Therefore, this research analyzes how studygrammers can generate credibility to be part of a digital advertising strategy. The methodology is qualitative, the case of Luciana de la Torre Ugarte, a Peruvian studygrammer, better known as studyla on Instagram was analyzed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 of his followers, students between 18 and 24 years old. As a result, the study showed that a studygrammer must create a sense of community, maintain horizontal and frequent communication, identify with their followers through their lifestyle and create valuable content without saturating their profile with advertising to differentiate themselves from other personalities. and generate credibility to be part of a digital advertising strategy. / Tesis

The topic of information transparency is becoming increasingly important in the online B2C (business-to-consumer) clothing industry. While both information transparency and perceived brand credibility are already known to be important for the firm, research shows that it is challenging to understand how information transparency influences brand credibility. It is because of the rapid growth of the online clothing and fashion industry that the significance of this research is rooted. Therefore, this paper set out to explore the influence of information transparency on perceived brand credibility in the online B2C clothing industry by performing a qualitative analysis. Furthermore, this research takes inspiration from existing literature that was conducted on information transparency. This research applies the same dimensions of information transparency from the existing literature by Zhou, et al., (2018) – namely product, vendor, and transaction transparency –  to act as a framework for this research and understand how they act to influence the perceptions of brand credibility. Three brand credibility dimensions put forth by Keller (2013) – perceived expertise, trustworthiness, and likeability – were used to understand what brand credibility entails. It was found that product transparency and vendor transparency influence perceptions of brand credibility through the dimensions of trustworthiness and likeability, while transaction transparency influences perceptions of brand credibility through all dimensions of brand credibility as specified by Keller, (2013).

The thesis explores advertorials, advertising made to look like editorial content, from a consumer behaviour perspective. Introduction                 Consumers are exposed to a staggering amount of advertisements each day. This so-called advertising clutter makes it difficult for marketers to reach the consumer. Therefore, in the late 1980’s marketers started to use unconventional ways of advertising. One of these was the use of advertorials, a form of advertising that borrows the appearance and other features from editorial material. Problem discussion       Since advertorials are made to look like editorial material, but is in reality an advertisement, it is of interest for researchers and practicing marketers alike to know what effects using them has on the brand. Previous research differ in the view on advertorials; some claim that it is a good way to advertise as it is seen as less intrusive and irritating, while others say that the deceptiveness makes people irritated. Purpose                        Through a quantitative case study of Aftonbladet.se, a Swedish news website, from a consumer perspective analyze the effects the level of deception of online advertorials have on 1) brand credibility, and 2) the irritation level, on both the medium and the advertiser. Also, 3) to thereafter examine if possible alterations in irritation and brand credibility trigger changes in brand attitudes towards medium and advertiser. Background                  Newspapers have long been dependent on the revenue from advertisement sales, even more so since the emergence of free newspapers and news web sites. With this in mind, the importance of advertorials stands clear. In the on-line world, where readers jump from article to article and from site to site, the advertorials play an important role in “catching” the reader and make him/her stay on the site. Moreover, advertorials is one of the formats of on-line advertising which commands the highest revenues. Frame of reference        The on-line context provides additional ways of deceiving a consumer, in comparison with print media. Therefore, the frame of reference focuses on previous research on the effects the deception can have with a consumer and the perception of the brands included; irritation, brand credibility, brand attitude, likeliness to return to site, and advertising avoidance. For later testing, 11 hypotheses were defined. Method                        The study uses a mixed method approach, with both quantitative and qualitative data. An experiment, with one control group and two different manipulations formed the basis for the data collection. 19 out of the 103 participants in the quantitative study were asked to participate in the qualitative study as well. Analysis                        As the distribution of the data was found not to be normal, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to test the hypotheses. All hypotheses but one were accepted. Further, to explore the relationship between variables, hierarchical multiple regression analysis was also performed. Conclusion                   It was not possible to prove that a higher level of blend-in decreased credibility of any of the two brands, neither does induce more irritation. It was also not possible to discern a statistically significant effect on the attitude towards the brands, likeliness to return to Aftonbladet.se, or future avoidance of adverts by Volvo. However, several of the participants of the interviews expressed concern over the long-term effects the use of advertorials may have on the brand of Volvo. Further, advertorials are definitely highly deceptive, and almost half of the respondents did not realize they were reading an advert even at the lowest level of blend-in, which is currently used by Aftonbladet.se and Volvo. / Avhandlingen utforskar advertorials, reklam kommer att se ut som redaktionellt innehåll, från en konsument beteende perspektiv. Introduktion                Konsumenter exponeras dagligen för oerhörda mängder reklam. Detta gör det svårt för marknadsförare att nå konsumenten. Sedan slutet av 1980-talet har vissa marknadsförare därmed börjat använda okonventionella metoder för reklam. En av dessa är användandet av ”dolda annonser”, en form av reklam som lånar utseende och andra funktioner för att smälta in med redaktionellt material i tidningar, på webbsidor och så vidare. Problemdiskussion       Eftersom ”dolda annonser” är gjorda för att likna redaktionellt material, men i själva verket är en annonser är det av intresse för både forskare och praktiserande marknadsförare att veta effekterna användandet har på deltagande företags varumärken. Tidigare forskning skiljer sig i synen på dessa ”dolda annonser”, vissa hävdar att det är ett bra sätt att göra reklam, eftersom det ses som mindre påträngande och irriterande, medan andra säger att dess vilseledande natur faktiskt gör människor uppretade. Syfte                            Genom en kvantitativ fallstudie av Aftonbladet.se, en svensk nyhets-site, från ett konsumentperspektiv analysera effekterna på 1) varumärket trovärdighet, och 2) irritationsnivån, både på annonsorganet och annonsören, när ”dolda annonser” smälter in mer med redaktionellt innehåll. Dessutom, 3) att därefter undersöka om eventuella ändringar i irritation och varumärkestrovärdighet leder till förändringar i attityd mot annonsorganet och annonsören. Bakgrund                     Tidningar har länge varit beroende av intäkterna från annonsförsäljning. I takt med att framväxten av gratistidningar och nyhets-siter har försvårat marknaden har ”dolda annonser” blivit en allt viktigare inkomstkälla. I den elektroniska världen, där läsare kan hoppa från artikel till artikel och från plats till plats, spelar ”dolda annonser” en viktig roll i att fånga läsaren. Referensram                 Online-kontextet ger större möjligheter att vilseleda konsumenten i jämförelse med tryckta medier. Därför är den teoretiska tungdpunkten lagd på tidigare forskning om effekterna vilseledande marknadsföring kan ha på en konsuments  uppfattning av deltagande varumärken vad gäller irritationsnivå, varumärkestrovärdighet, attityd, sannolikhet att återvända till webbplats, samt reklamundvikande. Ur tidigare forskning konstruerades 11 hypoteser för senare prövning. Metod                          Studien använder en blandad metodstrategi, med både kvantitativa och kvalitativa data. Ett experiment med en kontrollgrupp och två olika manipulationer låg till grund för insamlingen av uppgifter. 19 av de 103 deltagarna i den kvantitativa delen ombads att delta i den kvalitativa studien med. Analys                          Eftersom fördelningen inte var helt normalt distribuerad användes Kruskal-Wallis test för att testa hypoteserna. Resultatet var att alla hypoteser utom en godkändes. Relationen mellan variabler undersöktes också genom hierarkisk multipel regressionsanalys. Slutsats                         Det var inte möjligt att bevisa att annonser som smälter in mer leder till minskad trovärdighet för någon av de båda varumärkena, och inte heller lockar fram mer irritation. Det var inte heller möjligt att urskilja en statistiskt signifikant effekt på attityd gentemot varumärken, sannolikheten att återvända till Aftonbladet.se, eller framtida undvikande av annonser av Volvo. Dock uttryckte flera av deltagarna i intervjuerna oro över de långsiktiga effekterna användning av ”dolda annonser” kan ha på varumärket Volvo. Vidare är definitivt annonserna mycket vilseledande, och nära hälften insåg inte de läste en annons även på nivån som används av Aftonbladet.se och Volvo idag.

Abstract Scholars are interested in exploring strategies for better business-to-business (B2B) brand management because several strategic benefits of having a stronger B2B brand have been revealed. Contributing to this stream of research, this dissertation applies the concept of multiple strategic orientations for the purpose of improving B2B branding. The collective role of the brand, market and entrepreneurial orientations when used for improving brand equity, brand awareness, brand credibility and financial performance are examined in the dissertation. Examining this phenomenon for B2B small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is an important and interesting topic because (1) SMEs are known for delineating multidimensional strategic orientation and (2) B2B SMEs have shown growth with the help of a stronger brand despite being less motivated to conduct branding activities and less resourceful when doing so. The results of this study could help to develop a more cohesive and coherent branding strategy for B2B SMEs. The research question of the dissertation is addressed with the help of three articles. The first article sheds light on the theoretical framework of interaction between brand, market and entrepreneurial orientations. Findings of the first article led the selection of two perspectives on interactions for examination, which were subsequently examined in the second and third articles respectively. These two perspectives on interaction are strategic hybrid orientation and moderating interaction. The first article used the systematic literature review approach, while the second and third articles used regression analysis to examine the relationship between constructs by using the data collected from 250 Finnish B2B SMEs. The results supported the presence of strategic hybrid orientation between brand and market orientations for the purpose of improving brand awareness, brand credibility and financial performance. However, insignificant results were found which did not rule out the presence of moderating interaction between brand, market and entrepreneurial orientations in improving brand equity. Further research studies are encouraged to advance the understanding of this approach of B2B branding in SMEs. The dissertation achieves novelty by being amongst the first to provide empirical evidence to support the concept of using multiple strategic orientations for B2B branding in SMEs. This study concludes by discussing the theoretical contributions and managerial implications of these results. / Tiivistelmä Vahvan brändin on todettu tuovan monia strategisia hyötyjä myös yritystenvälisillä (B2B) markkinoilla toimiville yrityksille. Sen vuoksi tutkijat ovat kiinnostuneita löytämään strategioita, joilla pyritään parempaan B2B-brändien johtamiseen. Tämä väitöskirja kontribuoi B2B-brändi -tutkimukseen soveltamalla strategisen moni-orientaation käsitettä. Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan brändi-, markkina-, ja yrittäjyysorientaation yhteisroolia parannettaessa brändin arvoa, bränditietoisuutta, brändin uskottavuutta, sekä taloudellista tuloksellisuutta. Ilmiön tutkiminen erityisesti pienissä ja keskisuurissa B2B-yrityksissä on tärkeää, koska (1) pk-yritysten tiedetään käyttävän moniulotteisia strategisia orientaatioita ja (2) B2B pk-yritykset näyttävät kasvavan vahvan brändin avulla huolimatta mahdollisesti vähäisestä motivaatiostaan ja vähäisistä resursseistaan tehdä brändäämis-toimenpiteitä. Tutkimuksen tuloksia voidaan hyödyntää kehitettäessä B2B pk-yritysten brändistrategiaa. Tutkimuskysymykseen vastataan kolmen artikkelin avulla. Ensimmäinen artikkeli tarkastelee teoreettista taustaa brändi-, markkina-, ja yrittäjyysorientaatioiden interaktiolle eli yhdysvaikutukselle. Kyseisen artikkelin tulosten perusteella valittiin tarkasteluun kaksi näkökulmaa yhdysvaikutukseen. Nämä ovat hybridi interaktio ja moderoiva interaktio, joita käsitellään toisessa ja kolmannessa artikkelissa. Ensimmäisessä artikkelissa käytettiin systemaattisen kirjallisuusanalyysin menetelmää. Toisessa ja kolmannessa artikkelissa aineistona oli 250 suomalaisen B2B pk-yrityksen kyselyaineisto, jonka analyysissä hyödynnettiin regressioanalyysiä käsitteiden välisten suhteiden tarkasteluun. Tulokset osoittavat brändi- ja markkinaorientaation muodostaman strategisen hybridi-orientaation parantavan bränditietoisuutta, brändin uskottavuutta sekä taloudellista tuloksellisuutta. Tulokset eivät kuitenkaan sulje pois moderoivaa interaktiota brändi-, markkina- ja yrittäjyysorientaation välillä brändin arvon lisäämiseksi. Väitöskirja on ensimmäisiä tutkimuksia, joissa empiirisesti tarkastellaan strategisen moni-orientoitumisen käsitettä B2B- brändeihin liittyen. Tulokset kannustavatkin jatkotutkimuksiin tästä näkökulmasta. Tutkimuksen lopuksi keskustellaan tulosten teoreettisista kontribuutioista ja liikkeenjohdollisista päätelmistä.

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar la relación entre la credibilidad del eWOM de Cinesmero mediante su canal de YouTube y los comentarios de los usuarios que interactúan con sus vídeos. Para ello, se ha revisado la literatura sobre la importancia del eWOM, así como la de los líderes de opinión, y sobre todo la de credibilidad de los mensajes de estos individuos. Se encontró que la credibilidad se puede dividir en tres grandes niveles de análisis empírico y subjetivo que sirven para hacer un trabajo de análisis de contenido más profundo sobre los objetos de estudio. Para ello se ha procedido a través del paradigma de constructivismo social, mediante una investigación descriptiva y estudio de caso a proponer varios instrumentos de análisis cualitativo que ayudan a hacer análisis de contenido y entrevistas para conseguir la mayor cantidad de precisión en la visión subjetiva de credibilidad que percibe el usuario. Los criterios de selección del contenido a analizar fueron la relevancia, la interactividad y diversidad. / The aim of this paper is to analyze the relationship between the credibility of Cinesmero's eWOM through its YouTube channel and the comments of users who interact with its videos. For this purpose, the literature on the importance of eWOM was reviewed, as well as that of opinion leaders, and especially that of credibility of the messages of these individuals. It was found that credibility can be divided into three major levels of empirical and subjective analysis that serve to make a deeper content analysis work on the objects of study. For this purpose, we proceeded through the paradigm of social constructivism, by means of a descriptive research and case study to propose several qualitative analysis instruments that help to make content analysis and interviews to achieve the greatest amount of precision in the subjective vision of credibility perceived by the user. The selection criteria of the content to be analyzed were relevance, interactivity and diversity. / Trabajo de investigación

Cette thèse étudie les représentations du passé par les marques et leur effet sur les consommateurs dans le cadre théorique de la distance temporelle. Que se passe-t-il lorsqu’une marque indique sa date de fondation sur un packaging, présente son histoire en page d’accueil du site internet ou fait de son fondateur le personnage central de ses créations publicitaires ? L’objectif de cette thèse est de qualifier ce phénomène, de mieux le comprendre et d’en mesurer les effets cognitifs et affectifs sur les consommateurs. La première partie de la thèse situe ce phénomène par rapport aux recherches sur le rôle du temps en marketing, et plus particulièrement à celles liées au passé comme le marketing rétrospectif, la nostalgie, l’authenticité et la consommation du passé. La seconde partie présente deux études qualitatives et cinq études quantitatives (chapitres 4 à 6) dont les résultats permettent de 1) proposer une nouvelle échelle pour mesurer la perception du patrimoine de marque, 2) démontrer que la mobilisation du patrimoine de marque augmente la distance temporelle entre le consommateur et la marque, 3) montrer que le patrimoine de marque est associé à des bénéfices cognitifs même si la causalité n’est pas vérifiée, et 4) prouver que le patrimoine de marque a un effet sur l’attachement à la marque, uniquement si les consommateurs en sont familiers. Ces résultats contribuent à la recherche sur la gestion de la temporalité de la marque, aux travaux sur le concept de patrimoine de marque, sur les effets cognitifs et affectifs des représentations du passé par les marques, et sur les effets de la distance temporelle dans le passé / This doctoral thesis explores brands’ representations of the past and their effect on consumers in the theoretical framework of temporal distance. What happens when a brand indicates its founding date on a packaging ? Or puts forward its history on its website ? Or uses its founder as the central character in an advertising campaign ? This thesis aims to qualify this phenomenon, to better understand it, and to measure its cognitive and affective effects on consumers. The first part of the dissertation situates this phenomenon with regards to existing research on the role of time in marketing, and most particularly, to the research relating to the past such as retrospective branding, nostalgia, authenticity and the commodification of the past. The second part details two qualitative and five quantitative empirical studies whose results : 1) suggested a new scale to measure the perception of brand heritage, 2) demonstrated that brand heritage increases temporal distance between the brand and its consumers, 3) showed that brand heritage is associated with cognitive benefits although causality is not assessed, and 4) proved the effect of brand heritage on brand attachment for familiar brands. Those results contribute to the research on temporality in brand management, on the concept of brand heritage and its measurement, on the cognitive and affective consequences of brands’ representations of the past, and on the temporal distance on the past