Studien syftar till att undersöka vad som motiverar kreatörer att använda crowdfunding via Kickstarter för sina filmprojekt. Studien syftar även till att få en bättre förståelse för varför backare bidrar med finansiering till crowdfundingprojekt. Datan för studien är insamlad genom fem kvalitativa intervjuer med hög strukturering gällande intervjuguiden men låg standardisering av frågeföljden. Fyra filmskapare och en produktionschef på Film i Skåne har intervjuats. En kvantitativ enkät har även distribuerats till människor med erfarenhet av att bidra med finansiering till crowdfundingprojekt. Den insamlade datan tillsammans med teori inom ämnet resulterar i en diskussion kring kreatörer, backare och motivationer, samt hur de relaterar till varandra. Slutsatsen visar att det inte går att peka på enbart en faktor som motiverar filmskapande kreatörer eller backare. Kreatörer motiveras av att finansiera sina projekt, marknadsföra dem men också av att involvera backarna genom att få konstruktiv feedback och att behålla kontroll över projektet. Det har även upptäckts ett samband mellan vilken erfarenhet kreatören har inom filmbranschen sedan tidigare och vad som motiverar dem. Studien uppmärksammar att backare motiveras av prosociala motiv, donationsbelöningar och ett projekts trovärdighet, kvalitet och syfte. / This study aims to examine what motivates creators to use crowdfunding via Kickstarter for their film projects. It also aims to get a better understanding as to why backers contribute financially to crowdfunding projects. The data for this paper is collected through four qualitative interviews with filmmakers and one interview with a production manager for Film i Skåne. Additionally a quantitative survey was conducted with people who had experience of backing projects financially. The interviews were created with a form of high structuring regarding the interview guide and a low standardization regarding the questionnaire. The collected data together with theory within the field, results in a discussion about creators, backers and what motivates them. The conclusion shows that neither creators nor backers are driven by one single motivation. The study reveals that creators are motivated to use crowdfunding to gain financing and to promote their projects, but also to involve the backers by getting input from them concerning the project. Another motivation that has been discovered is that creators may want to remain in control over their project. The study also discovered a connection between the creators’ experience within the film industry, and what motivates them. The study reveals that backers are motivated to contribute to crowdfunding projects by prosocial motives, the rewards that can be collected when donating and the credibility, quality and purpose of the project.

Crowdfunding används för att samla in pengar för tänkta projekt via internet, där ett stort antal investerare bidrar med små summor. Kickstarter är en av de största crowdfundingplattformarna idag. Trots det stora intresset för crowdfunding misslyckas många kampanjer att nå sin målsumma och projekt av kategorin teknologi visar sig vara de projekt som misslyckas till högst grad. Därmed är det av intresse att kunna förutsäga vilka kampanjer som kommer att lyckas eller misslyckas. Denna forskningsansats syftar till att undersöka genomförbarheten i att uppnå en högre accuracy vid prediktion av framgången hos lanserade kickstarterprojekt med hjälp av maskininlärning genom att använda en mindre mängd kategorispecifik data. Data över 192 548 lanserade projekt på plattformen Kickstarter har samlats in via www.kaggle.com. Två modeller av typen RandomForest har sedan tränats där en modell tränades med data över samtliga projekt i uppsättningen och en tränades med data över teknologiprojekt med syftet att kunna jämföra modellernas prestation vid klassificering av teknologiprojekt. Resultatet visar att en högre accuracy uppmättes för teknologimodellen som nådde 68,37% träffsäkerhet vid klassificeringen gentemot referensmodellens uppvisade accuracy på 68,00%. / Crowdfunding is used to collect money via internet for potential projects through a large number of backers which contribute with small pledges. Kickstarter is one of the largest crowdfunding platforms today. Despite the big interest in crowdfunding a lot of launched campaigns fail to reach their goal and projects of the category technology shows the largest rate of failure on Kickstarter. Therefore, it is important to be able to predict which campaigns are likely to succeed or fail. This thesis aims to explore the possibility of reaching a higher accuracy when predicting the success of launched projects with machine learning with a smaller amount of category-specific data. The data consists om 192 548 launched projects on Kickstarter and has been collected through Kaggle.com. Two models of the type Random Forest has been developed where one model has been trained with general data over all projects and one model has been trained with category specific data over technology projects. The results show that the technology model show a higher accuracy rate with 68,37 % compared to the reference model with 68,00 %.

Background: Crowdfunding is a new form of financing that has gained popularity among entrepreneurs seeking to fund innovative and creative projects. It involves collecting small amounts of money from a large number of potential backers through specialised websites. Crowdfunding has the potential to democratize access to capital, facilitate market validation, foster community engagement, and drive social impact, making it a powerful tool for innovation, economic growth, and positive change. The success of a crowdfunding campaign is influenced by the number of backers, the degree of interaction and engagement between creators and backers, as well as effective communication and engagement strategies. This study focuses on Customer Engagement, Service-Dominant (S-D) logic, and Value Co-Creation in the context of tabletop Kickstarter campaigns, since the platform has become a popular destination for game designers to fund their projects. Research Purpose: The development of an in-depth understanding of the role of customer engagement and co-creation of value in crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter.  Research Problem: The existing literature on crowdfunding success has explored various factors, but there is a lack of understanding regarding the evolving nature of customer engagement. While the concepts of value co-creation and interactive experiences in marketing relationships offer a foundation, further research is required to gain a comprehensive understanding of how customer engagement and co-creation affect both successful and less-studied unsuccessful campaigns. Further exploration of this topic is necessary due to the challenges faced in crowdfunding entrepreneurial development, such as engaging communities in co-creation activities in dynamic online environments.  Research Question:  How do customer engagement and co-creation impact crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter?  Method: Research Philosophy – Constructivism Paradigm; Methodology – Multiple-case Study Approach; Data Collection – 6 Semi-structured Interviews (with the inclusion of both successful and unsuccessful campaigns); Data Analysis – Thematic Analysis (using Abductive Approach with Cross-case Analysis);  Conclusion: To increase the likelihood of success, creators must carefully plan and execute their campaigns while taking into account the principles of Service-Dominant logic. This involves co-creating value with customers, engaging with them through feedback efforts, and demonstrating organizational competence. By following these principles, creators can increase the likelihood of success and create a positive experience for their backers.

Crowdfunding is a transformative service innovation, a novel and revolutionary way for entrepreneurs to obtain funding for their start-up ventures. This study explores the phenomenon of reward-based crowdfunding in relation to entrepreneurial behaviour and decision-making, as well as the relationship between the entrepreneur and the community. Following a case-study approach, the phenomenon is described based on existing literature and collected empirics from five qualitative in-depth interviews with entrepreneurs performing on Kickstarter. The findings of this study reveal, that reward-based crowdfunding reveals several mechanisms, which attract entrepreneurs to execute their activities and deal with uncertainty in a safer way. These activities refer to (1) independency from traditional investors, (2) creative and effectual reasoning at affordable loss, (3) extending the entrepreneur’s social network via the internet, and (4) utilizing web-based platforms for co-creation of marketing, communication, product design, and brand development. This may lead to adapted forms of entrepreneurship in the future.

Background: In today’s world, human attention has become a valuable resource that every entity wants to utilize and compete for. Attention together with funding have become two essential factors that start-ups are trying to acquire. Recently, crowdfunding has become a popular way for start-ups to obtain funding from investors, more specifically backers. However, crowdfunding can be utilized not only for gaining capital but also for interacting with backers, presenting an idea and as a marketing tool. Therefore, it is important to understand how start-ups can effectively grab and retain attention through crowdfunding.    Purpose: Only a certain number of studies researched the relationship between crowdfunding and the marketing aspect that it possesses. Additionally, there is a lack of studies that delved into the project presentations and communications aspects of reward-based crowdfunding platforms utilized for Generation Z and the attention span. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to discuss the role of project presentation and types of communication in grabbing and retaining Gen Z backers' attention on Kickstarter.    Method: To achieve the purpose of this study, qualitative research methods have been selected as preferred. Mainly deductive reasoning was followed, with some inductive elements adding precision to this angle from already established theories. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with backers of a Kickstarter campaign who belong to the Generation Z cohort. Thematic analysis was further employed to structure the data which involves coding, analyzing, and interpreting it.    Conclusion: Project & founder characteristics, as well as project presentation and its quality, are the main elements that need to be communicated through one of the communication types. Whether forms of visual content, copywriting or verbal and nonverbal communication, they all have their role and an impact on the attention being either grabbed, retained or both. Through these communication types, trust and credibility factors need to be gained, both visually and in the details of the campaign presentation. Additionally, the mediating and engagement factors have an impact on the grabbed and retained attention. Finally, signs of caught and retained attention of Generation Z backers on a Kickstarter campaign, do not necessarily translate into their donations.