This paper examines the narratives that Ukraine is telling through their official Defence of Ukraine account on X, and what the implications of those narratives are. At the time of this study, a conflict is taking place in Ukraine after the invasion of Russia on Ukrainian territory. Both sides have communicated stories that aim to explain the conflict, but it is especially Ukraine that has succeeded in capturing the interest and approval of the rest of the world with its employment of well-crafted storytelling strategies through social media. Through an interpretative analysis of the content of the DefenceU account using a visual narrative analysis method, the study finds that the account presents an overarching narrative of moral judgments where Russia is portrayed as ‘evil’, and Ukraine as ‘good’ and destined to be victorious. The premise of the message as presented by the DefenceU account is found to essentially be an ideological and moral statement that is used to increase sentiments of approval in the public. Ukraine is enhancing its soft power through the persuasive power of the narrative that is constructed.

[pt] Os últimos dez anos foram marcados pelo nascimento de marcas que rapidamente se converteram em sinônimos de categorias, como Uber e Airbnb. Consideradas protagonistas do consumo colaborativo, tais marcas alcançaram valor de mercado superior ao de marcas tradicionais, transformando segmentos como os de transporte e hotelaria. Estima-se que, nos próximos cinco anos, a economia compartilhada gerará mais de 300 bilhões de dólares em novos negócios. Neste contexto, esta dissertação tem por objetivo explorar o significado do consumo colaborativo para o consumidor brasileiro, investigando, em especial, de que forma os consumidores interpretam as manifestações da marca Uber, utilizando a perspectiva teórico-metodológica da semiótica discursiva de linha francesa e o modelo Projeto/Manifestação de identidade de marca proposto por Semprini (2010). Os dados foram coletados por meio de quinze entrevistas individuais com consumidores e pesquisa documental. Foram utilizados como unidades de análise o discurso de consumidores acerca do consumo colaborativo e das manifestações da marca Uber, o conteúdo do site oficial da empresa e peças de campanha publicitária veiculada em 2018. Os resultados da pesquisa indicam que o conceito de consumo colaborativo diverge entre os consumidores entrevistados, ratificando a literatura sobre o tema. Através da identificação das aproximações e afastamentos entre o projeto da marca Uber e sua identidade manifesta, os achados apontam que há similaridades entre o projeto enunciado e o que é compreendido pelo público. Há também pontos dissonantes, indicando oportunidades para que os gestores da marca aperfeiçoem as manifestações em prol de uma comunicação de marca mais consistente. / [en] The last ten years have been marked by the emergence brands that quickly converted into categories such as Uber and Airbnb. Considered the protagonists of collaborative consumption, these brands reached higher market value than traditional brands, changing specifics segments like transportation and hospitality. It is estimated that, over the next five years, sharing economy will generate more than 300 billion dollars in new businesses. In this context, this research aims to explore the meaning of collaborative consumption for the Brazilian consumers, and investigate, particularly, how consumers interpret Uber brand manifestations, using the theoretical-methodological perspective of the French approach to discursivesemiotics and the Project/Manifestation model of brand identity proposed by Semprini (2010). The data were collected through 15 individual consumers interviews and documentary research, as well. Consumer s understanding about collaborative consumption and Uber brand s manifestations, in addition to the content of the company s official website and pieces of advertising campaign published in 2018 were used as units of analysis. The research results indicate that the concept of collaborative consumption is divergent among the consumers interviewed, ratifying the literature. Through the identification of the approaches and departures between the project proposed by Uber brand and its manifest identity, the findings indicate that there are similarities between the brand enunciation and what is understood by the public. However, there are also dissonant points, indicating opportunities for brand managers to optimize the manifestations for a more consistent brand communication.

Syftet med vårt examensarbete var att undersöka teorier om platsmarknadsföring i en svensk kommun och även undersöka vilken roll invånarna hade i utvecklandet av kärnvärden, som är grundläggande för platsmarknadsföringen. Vi gjorde en kvalitativ studie där vi intervjuade två respondenter och åtta invånare i den skånska kommunen Östra Göinge för att lokalisera information kring vilka kärnvärden kommunen skulle kunna grunda sin platsmarknadsförnig på. Intervjuerna jämfördes sedan med varandra och även med tidigare teoretiska studier inom platsmarknadsföring för att lokalisera tre kärnvärden som vi kunde använda som bas i en riktig marknadsföringskampanj, närmare bestämt en mässmonter. Studiens resultat visade att invånarna och respondenterna hade mycket lika åsikter kring hur Östra Göinge uppfattades och att en platsmarknadsföringskampanj måste grundas i invånarnas åsikter för att kunna lyckas optimalt. / The purpose of this essay was to investigate theories of placemarketing in Swedish municipalities and what role the residents have in the process of development core values, which are essential in placemarketing of municipalities. A qualitative study was made where we interviewed two respondents and eight residents in the Swedish municipal Östra Göinge to retrieve information about which core values the municipality could use in their placemarketing. The interviews where then compared to each other and previous studies in placemarketing to locate three core values that we then used as base in a marketing campaign, more precisely a showcase. The results of the study showed that the respondents and residents had very similar opinions and for a successful placemarketing the core values must have the residents support.

This project aims to explore how to create a working concept-based flower shop visual identity, with focus on brandig, eco-branding and visual communication.My main question is:How do I create effective visual communication for an ecological flower shop?The results of this thesis are that there are things to consider when creating a visual identity with an ecological concept. The most important question is if there is any benefit for your company to go green, otherwise positioning of your company will be hard. What I realized during the design part of my project was that if I use the methods described in this thesis and consequently applying my choices after the flower shops identifying words, a working concept-based visual identity will be possible to create.

The brand is something every company must deal with whether they like it or not, and as a company grows it develops and works as a way to build recognition, trust, customer loyalty and employee branding (Jones, 2022). In the fast-paced startup environment, the resources are limited, and focus has to be split between different tasks and the most urgent problems are the ones to be dealt with - leaving the rest to be, where the unmeasurable and intangible focus areas such as branding often get deprioritized. The purpose of this study is to investigate the brand development process amongst startups, and to investigate how this aligns with the developed brand building framework for startups. The methods used are of qualitative nature, including 3 exploratory interviews, a literature review, framework development, 8 semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis of the collected data. The thesis resulted in insights on the brand understanding in startups, as well as findings concerning thresholds for startups to invest in their brand work. A varying level of understanding of brand between the startups could be seen, both in regards of what brand includes, but also which building blocks are necessary and how the brand can elevate the business. This paper is expected to contribute both toward a deeper theoretical understanding of branding frameworks for startups as well as working as a practical guide. In practice, this paper will guide startups in how to properly build their brand and keep a balanced approach to brand and how to properly build the brand and brand foundation.

Arbetet bygger på teoretiska perspektiv inom employer branding och organisationskultur, där sociologiska teorier används för att belysa och förstå respondenternas erfarenheter och upplevelser. Metoden för arbetet är kvalitativ och inkluderar semistrukturerade intervjuer med ledningsrepresentanter från fem bolag, inom samma koncern, i vatten- & avloppsbranschen. Detta möjliggör en djupgående och kontextualiserad förståelse av deras erfarenheter och perspektiv inom employer branding. Resultatet sammanfattas i nio teman. Företagen tillämpar olika externa strategier för att påverka sin image, strävar efter att bibehålla en familjär kultur trots tillväxt och hoppas framledes kunna minska beroendet av mun-till-mun-marknadsföring. Utmaningar identifieras i att förändra homogena arbetsgrupper och att attrahera en ny generation som ställer andra krav, vilket kräver ett aktivt arbete med employer branding och därpå mer medvetna rekryteringsstrategier.

Co-creation is an emerging phenomenon that occurs when two or more parties work together to create value. Co-creation, which is a key component to service dominant logic, is present in business to business, business to consumer, and consumer to consumer processes. This dissertation will focus on the business to consumer (and consumer to business) co-creation relationship. Much of the current business to consumer co-creation literature is qualitative in nature, with quantitative work just now beginning to emerge. As such, there is still much about the phenomenon of co-creation that is not understood. When looking at co-creation in the context of brand management, even less is known. In today's age of digital interaction where consumers are gaining more power on a daily basis, practitioners and academics should understand the motivations for consumers to engage brands in co-creation and what the outcomes of these co-creation partnerships are. Because of this, the dissertation contains three essays with the purpose of (1) identifying the motivations for co-creation from consumer and brand perspectives, (2) exploring each of these motivators on their individual relationship to the outcome of co-creation, and (3) understanding how the perceived ability to influence a brand impacts the outcomes of co-creation. Essay 1, titled "Co-creation of brand identities: consumer and industry influence and motivations," aims to develop an understanding of the phenomena of co-creation and how the practice is used in shaping brand identities. Two studies are undertaken to provide insight into co-creation. First, a qualitative study is used to gain insight from key decision makers with responsibility for a brand. Second, a study of millennial consumers is used to develop the antecedents of consumer motivations of co-creation of brand identities. This essay then presents a comprehensive framework that encompasses two models (industry and consumer) of brand identity co-creation. Much of the current literature on co-creation is conceptual or qualitative, and these results provide the analytical support for the building blocks of co-creation theory development. Essay 2, titled "An examination of the factors leading to consumer co-creation of brand," further explores the consumer model of co-creation proposed in Essay 1. Through a series of five studies, the factors of social, fun, brand compatibility, brand commitment, and communication appeal are analyzed individually to determine how each factor impacts the consumers' willingness to engage in co-creation. The results of this study expand the academic knowledge of co-creation, by providing information about why consumers engage with brands in co-creation. Additionally, practitioners will benefit from the descriptive results which provide insight into which motivations a brand should manipulate if it wishes to engage consumers in co-creation. Essay 3, titled "When perceived ability to influence plays a role: brand co-creation in web 2.0," examines how co-creation is impacted by consumers' attributions about a brand's ability to be influenced. Through two studies, focusing on millennial consumers, this essay seeks to understand the attributions that consumers make about brands, what kind of attributions are made, and what the outcome of these attributions are – in terms of co-creation and perceived influence. This essay enhances the current knowledge on the co-creation phenomena and provides insight into the importance of a brand being perceived as being able to be influenced, which will lead to co-creation and increased purchase intentions. In sum, the three essays contained in this dissertation specify a framework for the antecedents of co-creation, an in-depth analysis of those antecedents, and an examination of how perceived influence impacts co-creation. The resulting body of work provides academics and practitioners with a base to better understand the process of co-creation.

Yes / Brands that do good for the society as well as for themselves are motivated by the core values they espouse, which necessitates a better understanding of what qualities a true core value must possess. The inherent tension within brands that do good, between commercial interests to increase competitiveness, and societal interests that are closely linked to the brand’s authenticity, has largely been overlooked. Hence, we develop and demonstrate a relatively easy-to-apply visual tool for evaluating core values based on a set of ‘goodness’ criteria derived from extant theory. The Core Value Compass adopts a paradox-based, evolutionary perspective by incorporating the inherent tensions within true core values, and classifying them according to their temporal orientation. Thus, we contribute towards a better understanding of underlying tensions of core values and provide a practical tool that paves the way for improved, and indeed ethical, corporate branding strategies. Furthermore, we demonstrate the Compass’ application using the case of a public sector brand, which is a quintessential brand that does good. Therefore, we also contribute to the nascent theoretical discourse on public sector branding. This paper therefore adds to the notable attempts to bridge the gap between theory and practice in core values-based corporate branding.

History and heritage can have a considerable impact when designing a visual identity for a brand. This study aims to analyse the visual identity of The Swedish Handicraft Association, Hemslöjden, an organisation with a long and sometimes conflict-ridden past. Using a semiotic analysis method and theories of cultural branding, heritage branding and myth-building, the study seeks to examine how heritage, history and future relevance is tackled visually. The study shows that even though Hemslöjden could be considered a cultural and heritage brand, there is an ambivalent use of history and heritage in the organisation’s visual identity. The study theorises that the ambivalence and avoidance of history is partially due to a fear of being irrelevant for younger audiences but also to avoid acknowledging problematic aspects of the organisation's history. The latter could suggest a stewardship of the brand to avoid negative use from external, nationalist groups but could also via mythbuilding purify a conflicted history.

Titel: Employer branding i matchningsprocesser - En kvalitativ studie om vilken påverkan employer branding har på matchningsprocessen mellan arbetssökande och arbetsgivare Syfte: Studien syftar till att inventera och beskriva vilken påverkan employer branding har på matchningsprocessen mellan arbetssökande och arbetsgivare vid rekrytering, med utgångspunkt i vad arbetssökande värderar hos arbetsgivare samt vad arbetsgivare värderar hos arbetssökande. Metod: Studien är baserad på en deduktiv forskningsansats med en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi. Vidare tillämpar studien en tvärsnittsdesign med semistrukturerade intervjuer som datainsamlingsmetod. Studien tar avstamp i en etablerad teoretisk grund, vilket har resulterat i identifiering av fyra huvudområden: employer branding, rekrytering, matchningsprocess och arbetssökandes förväntningar på arbetsgivare. De fyra huvudområdena har sedan legat till grund vid utformningen av intervjuguiden. Slutsats: Studiens resultat visar att employer branding har en betydande roll för att uppnå en precis matchning mellan arbetsgivare och arbetssökande. Genom att tydligt kommunicera organisationens identitet kan arbetsgivare attrahera och behålla högkvalificerade talanger. Studien har även resulterat i att en kontinuerlig anpassning av organisationens strategier kring employer branding är nödvändig för att möta förändrade förväntningar på arbetsmarknaden. Ett starkt employer brand differentierar organisationer och bidrar till att säkerställa en optimal matchning mellan arbetsgivare och arbetssökande. / Title: Employer Branding in Matchmaking Processes - A qualitative study on the impact of employer branding on the matching process between job applicants and employers Purpose: This study endeavors to inventory and describe the influence of employer branding on the matchmaking process between job applicants and employers during recruitment, with a focus on the attributes valued by job applicants and employers alike. Method: Employing a deductive research approach and a qualitative research strategy, this study employs a cross-sectional design utilizing semi-structured interviews as the primary data collection method. Rooted in an established theoretical framework, the study identifies four principal domains: employer branding, recruitment, matchmaking processes, and job applicants' expectations of employers. These domains underpin the construction of the interview guide. Conclusion: The findings underscore the pivotal role of employer branding in facilitating precise alignment between employers and job applicants. By articulating the organization's identity, employers can effectively attract and retain highly skilled talents. Additionally, the study underscores the imperative of continually adapting organizational employer branding strategies to address evolving expectations in the labor market. A robust employer brand serves to differentiate organizations and fosters optimal alignment between employers and job applicants.