Författare: Hanna Eriksson, Zara Lood Lindqvist, Alexandra Uhrberg Handledare: Åsa Lindström Examinator: Bertil Hultén Kurs: Examensarbete 30 hp, Civilekonomprogrammet inriktning marknadsföring, Linnéuniversitetet Kalmar, VT 2017, 4FE63E Forskningsfråga: Hur påverkas konsumenter av influencer marketing i jämförelse med annonsering på sociala medier där influencers inte förekommer, vid köpbeslut för low involvement-produkter? Syfte: Denna studies syfte är att analysera och diskutera influencers inverkan på konsumenters köpbeslut för low involvement-produkter. Genom att ta hänsyn till kostnadsbilden för influencer marketing och övrig annonsering på sociala medier samt studera och analysera hur konsumenter uppfattar annonsering i sociala medier för low involvement-produkter med, respektive utan, influencers ämnar studiens författare att generera indikationer kring värdet av en influencer i den unika kontexten. Utöver att generera kunskap på ett nytt och snabbföränderligt teoretiskt område syftar studien till att bidra med praktiska implikationer gällande hur företag som säljer low involvement-produkter samt byråer, vilka har dessa företag som uppdragsgivare, kan förhålla sig till influencers på sociala medier i sin marknadsföringsstrategi. Metod: Detta examensarbete har en induktiv ansats, ett explorativt syfte och en kvalitativ forskningsmetod har använts. Datainsamlingen har skett genom fokusgrupper och ett kvasiexperiment med konsumenter samt semistrukturerade intervjuer med branschrepresentanter. Resultat och slutsatser: Influencer marketing väcker uppmärksamhet i större utsträckning än annan annonsering på sociala medier. Det är dock möjligt att väcka uppmärksamhet genom social medie-annonsering utan influencers för low involvement-produkter. Det är mer troligt att konsumenter påverkas av social medie-annonsering utan influencers då det rör sig om starka varumärken. Vid influencer marketing spelar varumärket inte lika stor roll. Influencer marketing och övrig annonsering i sociala medier kan upplevas som trovärdigt, av olika anledningar.  Teoretiskt bidrag och praktiska implikationer: Konsumenter bortser i vissa fall från influencer marketing för low involvement-produkter då de inte är i behov av expert-utlåtanden för den här typen av produkter. De kan dock agera på influencers rekommendationer av low involvement-produkter för att minska den kognitiva ansträngningen. Konsumenter tenderar att uppfatta annonsering i sociala medier utan influencers som positiv då low involvement-produkten framställs tydligt och på ett tilltalande sätt. Både för- och nackdelar med influencer marketing respektive annonsering i sociala medier för low involvement-produkter har identifierats. Influencer marketing kan vara fördelaktigt för mindre etablerade varumärken medan annonsering i sociala medier kan fungera bra för starka varumärken. Strategier för implementering av influencer marketing respektive annonsering i sociala medier för low involvement-produkter återfinns under avsnitt 7.3.1 samt 7.3.2. / Authors: Hanna Eriksson, Zara Lood Lindqvist, Alexandra Uhrberg Mentor: Åsa Lindström Examiner: Bertil Hultén Course: Master Thesis 30 credits, Master of Business and Economics, Marketing, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Spring 2017, 4FE63E Research question: How are consumers affected by influencer marketing compared to advertisement in social media where influencers are not present, when buying low involvement products? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze and discuss influencers impact on consumers buying decisions for low involvement products. By taking the cost of influencer marketing and residual advertisement in social media into consideration and analyze how consumers perceive advertisement in social media for low involvement products, with and without influencers, the authors of this study aim to generate indicators of the value of an influencer in the unique context. In addition to generate knowledge in a new and fast changing theoretical area this study aims to contribute with practical implications for companies that sell low involvement products and marketing agencies, that advertise this type of products, to determine if they prefer to integrate influencers in social media in their marketing strategies or not. Method: This thesis has an inductive approach, an explorative purpose and a qualitative research have been conducted. Data has been collected through focus groups and a quasi experiment with consumers as well as semi-structured interviews with representatives of the sector. Results and conclusions: Influencer marketing attracts attention to a higher extent than advertisement in social media. It is possible though, to attract attention through social media advertisement for low involvement products. It is more likely that consumers are affected by social media advertisement for strong brands. When implementing influencer marketing, the brand is not that vital. Advertisement in social media and influencer marketing can attain credibility for different reasons. Theoretical contributions and practical implications: Consumers disregard influencer marketing for low involvement products to some extent, since they are not in need of expert opinions when buying low involvement products. They can though act on influencers recommendations for this type of products to minimize the cognitive effort. Consumers perceive advertisement in social media for low involvement products in a positive way when products appears clear and in an appealing way. Advantages as well as disadvantages in using influencer marketing and advertisement in social media for low involvement products have been identified. Influencer marketing can be useful for less established brands while advertisement in social media can work well for strong brands. Strategies regarding influencer marketing and advertisement in social media for low involement products are to be find under chapter 7.3.1 and 7.3.2.

En starkt konkurrerande marknad har tvingat företag att hitta nya vägar att marknadsföra sig på. Att använda förpackningsdesign har visat sig vara ett starkt verktyg för företag att nå ut med sin marknadsföring till konsumenter. Förpackningen har fått en viktig roll genom att få produkten att sticka ut i butikshyllan men den är även ett sista steg att kommunicera ut varumärket. Teorier om förpackningsdesign samt konsumentbeteende har hjälpt till att skapa en överskådlig bild över vad som studerats tidigare men även ge en förförståelse för fenomenet förpackningsdesign. Detta har bidragit till valet av studiens angreppsvinkel, vilken är att undersöka förpackningsdesign ur ett konsumentperspektiv för att få möjligheten att förstå hur en konsument tänker inför ett köpbeslut, samt vad som kan ligga till grund för vad en konsument attraheras av. Vad som var högst påtagligt efter en snabb överblick var att en förpackning påverkar en konsument, men hur mycket och till vilken grad var svårare att analysera. Det är många faktorer utöver förpackningen som även dessa har betydelse för vilken produkt en konsument i slutändan väljer. Efter en mer grundlig analys av data, insamlad med hjälp av fokusgruppsintervjuer samt de tidigare framtagna teorierna kunde slutsatsen dras att konsumenten påverkas av olika faktorer tillsammans vid val av lågengagemangsvara. Dock observerades en antydan till att konsumenter inte påverkas av förpackningen i lika stor utsträckning som av tidigare preferenser, varumärke och pris. Sammantaget krävs ett samspel mellan design och utformning samt pris, positionering och innehåll för att skapa en lyckad förpackningsdesign. / A highly competitive market has forced companies to find new ways to market themselves. Using package design has proven to be a powerful tool for companies to reach out with their marketing to consumers. The package has got a major role as a last step to communicate the brand to the consumers. This study aims to examine and analyse what factors influence a consumer in the decision making process when choosing a packaged product in the FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) industry. Three focus group interviews with consumers has generated qualitative data which is presented in relation to the theoretical framework of the study. The results show that there are many factors in addition to the package that also have a bearing on what product a consumer ultimately choose. A conclusion is drawn that different factors work together to influence the consumers choice of product. However, consumers seem to be less affected by the package than by past preferences, brand and price. Overall an interaction between design and form, price, positioning and content is required to create a successful package design.

The increasing competition and the predicted changes in the retail sector are pressurising marketers to be more competitive in order to ensure that their brands are amongst the leading brands. Marketers need to constantly develop innovative marketing strategies to create brand awareness, as well as to stimulate demand for specific brands. An important tool in this regard is the marketing communication mix, of which sales promotion is one of the most effective elements in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. It is the responsibility of marketers to select the most appropriate sales promotion technique for a specific market segment or, more specifically, to select the most appropriate technique to effectively encourage the desired effect on the consumer buying behaviour. The South African Generation Y cohort (individuals born between 1986 and 2005) accounts for 40 percent of the total South African population and the black Generation Y portion represents 84 percent of the total South African Generation Y cohort. Those involved in attaining a tertiary qualification are likely to represent the future ‘Black Diamonds’ who represent South Africa’s growing prosperous African middle class that have experienced a 39 percent yearly growth rate in their spending power. Therefore, the black Generation Y student cohort is a very attractive market segment and it is critical to determine what sales promotion techniques are preferred by this specific market segment. The purpose of this study was to analyse the black Generation Y students’ attitudes towards different sales promotion techniques on low involvement products, since low involvement products tend to be more responsive to sales promotion techniques. For this study, the target population comprised black Generation Y students registered at the 23 South African registered public HEIs. From the sampling frame, a non-probability judgment sample of one traditional university and one university of technology in Gauteng was selected. Thereafter, a non-probability convenience sample of 600 black students from the selected HEIs aged between 18 and 24 years was drawn. A self-administered questionnaire was hand delivered to the lecturers and distributed to the respondents during one lecture period. The questionnaire requested respondents to indicate on a six-point Likert scale their attitudes towards four sales promotion techniques on 20 items as well as to provide certain demographic data. The findings of this study indicate that black Generation Y students have an overall positive attitude towards the sales promotion techniques measured in this study and that these techniques are suitable for inducing specific consumer buying behaviours concerning low involvement products. Furthermore, the findings indicate that buy one get one free and free sample offers are the most preferred sales promotion techniques and are more likely to exert an influence on consumer buying behaviours than the other sales promotion techniques. Insights gained from this study will help both marketers and retailers to understand current black Generation Y consumers’ attitudes towards sales promotion techniques, as well as to understand which sales promotion techniques are preferred and most likely to influence specific consumer buying behaviours. / Thesis (MCom (Marketing management))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

Family business research is a rapidly growing topic of interest. Nevertheless there has been little research explicitly dedicated to the connection between consumers’ and family businesses. This paper gives insight about the influence of the family business brand image and consumers’ purchase intentions. Hereby it was taken into consideration  that  low-involvement and product knowledge can influence this path. This was done by a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches. The findings showed that consumers associate family business with high quality, passion, heritage, traditions, small companies and craftsmanship. In general these associations do not influence consumers buying behavior. However, specific target groups showed different results. Implications focus on using the family business as a secondary brand image and family businesses should deal with caution when using their origin as a primary brand image.

The purpose of this study is to create an understanding of how a company selling commodity products works to create interest and loyalty among customers and how to stand out relative to competition. Based upon present theories within marketing communication, a comparison is made with actual market information to understand how well the theory can predict reality. The study is applied to the dairy industry with the company Valio as the bench mark. In total four persons have been interviewed, marketing manager and category manager at Valio Sweden, and also project manager and art director from their advertising agency. The qualitative data obtained has been compared to predications given by theory. The result shows that in order to increase interest and loyalty and to differentiate yourself from competition, there are three corner stones that have to penetrate all marketing communication. These are added value, high quality and a strong identity. The study has proven that the practical results obtained from reality have a strong correlation to predications made by the theoretical framework that has been used.

The increasing competition and the predicted changes in the retail sector are pressurising marketers to be more competitive in order to ensure that their brands are amongst the leading brands. Marketers need to constantly develop innovative marketing strategies to create brand awareness, as well as to stimulate demand for specific brands. An important tool in this regard is the marketing communication mix, of which sales promotion is one of the most effective elements in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. It is the responsibility of marketers to select the most appropriate sales promotion technique for a specific market segment or, more specifically, to select the most appropriate technique to effectively encourage the desired effect on the consumer buying behaviour. The South African Generation Y cohort (individuals born between 1986 and 2005) accounts for 40 percent of the total South African population and the black Generation Y portion represents 84 percent of the total South African Generation Y cohort. Those involved in attaining a tertiary qualification are likely to represent the future ‘Black Diamonds’ who represent South Africa’s growing prosperous African middle class that have experienced a 39 percent yearly growth rate in their spending power. Therefore, the black Generation Y student cohort is a very attractive market segment and it is critical to determine what sales promotion techniques are preferred by this specific market segment. The purpose of this study was to analyse the black Generation Y students’ attitudes towards different sales promotion techniques on low involvement products, since low involvement products tend to be more responsive to sales promotion techniques. For this study, the target population comprised black Generation Y students registered at the 23 South African registered public HEIs. From the sampling frame, a non-probability judgment sample of one traditional university and one university of technology in Gauteng was selected. Thereafter, a non-probability convenience sample of 600 black students from the selected HEIs aged between 18 and 24 years was drawn. A self-administered questionnaire was hand delivered to the lecturers and distributed to the respondents during one lecture period. The questionnaire requested respondents to indicate on a six-point Likert scale their attitudes towards four sales promotion techniques on 20 items as well as to provide certain demographic data. The findings of this study indicate that black Generation Y students have an overall positive attitude towards the sales promotion techniques measured in this study and that these techniques are suitable for inducing specific consumer buying behaviours concerning low involvement products. Furthermore, the findings indicate that buy one get one free and free sample offers are the most preferred sales promotion techniques and are more likely to exert an influence on consumer buying behaviours than the other sales promotion techniques. Insights gained from this study will help both marketers and retailers to understand current black Generation Y consumers’ attitudes towards sales promotion techniques, as well as to understand which sales promotion techniques are preferred and most likely to influence specific consumer buying behaviours. / Thesis (MCom (Marketing management))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

Advertising has been around for thousands of years and has proven to be a valuable asset to company revenue. The methods used in advertising have been examined closely more recently, specifically from a psychological standpoint. The human brain reacts to advertisements in different ways. Low and high involvement advertisements stimulate the brain in the subconscious and conscious state effectively. While each of these advertising methods are useful, complex messaging techniques seem to stimulate recall more effectively than simple messaging. In the age of digital advertising, sponsors look to put new resources to use to ensure paid advertisements are doing their job. With data mining and location based services available, advertisers are getting more in touch with the consumer than ever before. The bombardment of advertising is changing the consumer’s eye for low and high involvement and the advertising industry will be forced to adjust yet again.

<p>Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att genom empiri se vilka faktorer som är av central betydelse i konsumentens köpbeslutsprocess och samtidigt pröva riktigheten hos de förpackningsteorierna vi valt som teoretisk referensram.</p><p>Metod: Empirin samlades in genom en kvalitativ metod bestående av djupintervjuer med konsumenter som köper lågengagemangsprodukten spaghetti.</p><p>Teoretiska perspektiv: Teorikapitlet strävar efter att ge en bild av några marknadsföringsbegrepp och förpackningen och dess olika element. Till sist presenteras två modeller som ligger till grund för undersökningen.</p><p>Empirisk analys: Empiri består av tolv stycken djupintervjuer med konsumenter som köper spaghetti. Dessa har sedan tolkats och analyserats utifrån modellen om köpbeslutsprocessen, som är uppbyggd av teorierna.</p><p>Slutsatser: Slutsatserna är att faktorn information är av centralbetydelse för konsumenten i sitt köpbeslut och ur den teoretiska grund som finns i uppsatsen, kan inte alla teorier ges riktighet. Av undersökningen framkom det också att graden av engagemang i köpbeslutsprocessen har ökat. Enligt konsumenterna ska en optimal förpackning vara återförslutningsbar, vara större och ha refill funktion samt ha en tydlig innehållsdeklaration på svenska. Resultatet visar att producenterna måste uppdatera sig med dagens trender.</p> / <p>Purpose: The purpose with this paper is to investigate the elements which are central in the buying-decision-process and also test the validity of the packaging theories.</p><p>Methodology: The empirical research has been made through qualitative methods using depth interviews with consumers who buy pasta.</p><p>Theoretical perspective: The theoretical framework including marketing, package design, functions, elements and two conceptual models of packaging elements, involvement and buying decision.</p><p>Empirical analysis: The empirical investigation is based upon twelve in-depth interviews with consumers who buys spaghetti. These have been interpreted and analysed through our model of the buying-decsion-process.</p><p>Conclusions: The results confirm that the informational element is essential for the consumer and all theories, from the theoretical framework, can’t have correctness. The investigation also shows that consumers level of involvement has increased. An optimal package according to the consumers has to be re-sealing, bigger, have refill and contents in swedish. The study demonstrate that the manufacturers have to be up to date and follow the trends to be able to survive.</p>

Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att genom empiri se vilka faktorer som är av central betydelse i konsumentens köpbeslutsprocess och samtidigt pröva riktigheten hos de förpackningsteorierna vi valt som teoretisk referensram. Metod: Empirin samlades in genom en kvalitativ metod bestående av djupintervjuer med konsumenter som köper lågengagemangsprodukten spaghetti. Teoretiska perspektiv: Teorikapitlet strävar efter att ge en bild av några marknadsföringsbegrepp och förpackningen och dess olika element. Till sist presenteras två modeller som ligger till grund för undersökningen. Empirisk analys: Empiri består av tolv stycken djupintervjuer med konsumenter som köper spaghetti. Dessa har sedan tolkats och analyserats utifrån modellen om köpbeslutsprocessen, som är uppbyggd av teorierna. Slutsatser: Slutsatserna är att faktorn information är av centralbetydelse för konsumenten i sitt köpbeslut och ur den teoretiska grund som finns i uppsatsen, kan inte alla teorier ges riktighet. Av undersökningen framkom det också att graden av engagemang i köpbeslutsprocessen har ökat. Enligt konsumenterna ska en optimal förpackning vara återförslutningsbar, vara större och ha refill funktion samt ha en tydlig innehållsdeklaration på svenska. Resultatet visar att producenterna måste uppdatera sig med dagens trender. / Purpose: The purpose with this paper is to investigate the elements which are central in the buying-decision-process and also test the validity of the packaging theories. Methodology: The empirical research has been made through qualitative methods using depth interviews with consumers who buy pasta. Theoretical perspective: The theoretical framework including marketing, package design, functions, elements and two conceptual models of packaging elements, involvement and buying decision. Empirical analysis: The empirical investigation is based upon twelve in-depth interviews with consumers who buys spaghetti. These have been interpreted and analysed through our model of the buying-decsion-process. Conclusions: The results confirm that the informational element is essential for the consumer and all theories, from the theoretical framework, can’t have correctness. The investigation also shows that consumers level of involvement has increased. An optimal package according to the consumers has to be re-sealing, bigger, have refill and contents in swedish. The study demonstrate that the manufacturers have to be up to date and follow the trends to be able to survive.

Problem Saturated markets are known to be competitive, with a wide selection of alternatives. In a saturated market is essential to differentiate a brand to compete in a market. Therefore, innovation has become a central part of a brand’s DNA when developing strategies, such as product evolvement and marketing. Today, there is a research gap of how innovation efforts are perceived by consumers of Generation Y, and how their loyalty to a brand is influenced by the phenomenon. Purpose The purpose of this qualitative research study was to investigate how Generation Y perceives a brand’s innovation efforts. Further, how their loyalty is influenced by the innovation efforts. One research question was developed to fulfill the purpose; how does innovation influence brand loyalty in saturated markets?   Methodology This thesis was written from a qualitative perspective. To gather empirical data, semi-structured interviews were conducted. The participants were all within the age restriction of Generation Y, and the samples were chosen through the purposive sampling approach.     Findings Several findings were identified from this qualitative research study. The two main findings were of great importance. One finding showed that within the saturated market of low-involvement products, marketing innovation plays a greater role than product innovation. Marketing innovation shows to have a large impact on establishing brand loyalty within a saturated market. Both findings were identified from the viewpoint of Generation Y.