This paper seeks to understand how social media can be employed by pharmaceutical brands as an integral component of the marketing mix. Novo Nordisk will be used as an example to demonstrate the unsuccessful use of social media marketing. Similarly, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi-Aventis and Bayer Didget will be used as examples to demonstrate the successful use of social media marketing. The framework necessary in the construction of a successful social media marketing campaign will be discussed, with each component receiving individual attention. This framework will be implemented in a hypothetical campaign for the pharmaceutical brand, Vytorin, to demonstrate the process. / text

The purpose of this thesis is to understand how brand awareness among customers is created and maintained through the use of social media as a marketing tool.The web does not only provide people to socialize and share and receive information among friends and family online, it is also a powerful marketing tool and marketing place where the customer can interact with other customers and firms. Social media has made it possible for customer to choose on their own when and where they want to receive information. The customers do not have to visit a firm's homepage; they can instead interact withother customers that have experienced a specific product or brand via the social media channels. Hence social media channels are environments where the customers set the rules and WOM makes or breaks the product.We used a mixed method approach. To gather our empirical data we used a questionnaire which we did send out to Facebookusers whom likes Husqvarna Sverige's page to answer about their perceptions of Husqvarna and their social media activity. We did also an interview with Anna Lindman, project manager at Husqvarna.Social media marketing is successful when online activities, relationship marketing and brand awareness are used in conjunction. All these parts are connected to each other and haveto be fulfilled if a firm wants to be successful in social media. This will influence the customer’s purchasing behavior andcould lead to an increase of sales (Miller & Lamas, 2010). The respondents answer from the questionnaire show that Husqvarna needs to be more active and participating online.

Background: To align with the new trend of using social media in the marketing mix, product placement has been adapted to social media platforms as one strategy to create attention. Especially on Instagram, product placements have gained popularity among companies. While scholars have focused on measuring the effectiveness of the strategy, suggesting that credibility is one component necessary for success, a gap in the research is illuminated when focusing on what makes a product placement on Instagram credible. Previous studies regarding credibility and its relation to traditional media have concluded that there are some factors essential in consumers’ credibility evaluation process. Since social media differs from traditional media, there was a need to investigate the applicability of credibility to the social media platform Instagram. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis was to examine key factors of product placement on Instagram that influence credibility. Method: To meet the purpose of this thesis a study with a mixed method research design was conducted. The qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews with the intention to discover how consumers evaluate credibility. The scales and items developed from the findings of the qualitative study were tested using a questionnaire to identify which factors that have the most influence on consumers’ credibility assessment. Conclusions: The overall findings indicate that consumers evaluate credibility based upon source, message and receiver characteristics. The empirical evidence suggests that the Expertise of influencer, Professionalism of picture, Trustworthiness of influencer, Connection to influencer and Causes of irritation are the factors that have the most influence on consumers’ credibility assessment of product placement on Instagram. The findings further implies that it is not only the factor itself that influence, credibility can additionally be transferred from one factor to another.

Given the importance of a business being able to create a positive brand image in the minds of customers and influencing customer purchasing behaviour, there is a lack of attention given to the research of the role that social media tools can play in the success of retailers. Numerous research studies have focussed on determining the advantages of and impact that social media tools can have on the success of businesses, however, the impact of social media tools on the creation of a positive brand image, and influencing customer purchasing behaviour is less evident. Thus, the primary objective of this study is to investigate the influence of social media tools on the brand image of retailers and how it affects customer purchasing behaviour. A full literature review was conducted on the retail environment and its importance, as well as on social media as a marketing communication tool. Thereafter, independent variables (Official websites, Facebook and Twitter) were identified as possibly influencing the intervening variable (Brand image) and dependent variable (Customer purchasing behaviour). Three independent variables were selected and used to construct a hypothetical model and research hypothesis. The purpose of these independent variables was to determine whether the use of social media tools could lead to a positive brand image and ultimately improve customer purchasing behaviour. An empirical investigation was undertaken to be able to establish the influence of social media tools on the brand image and customer purchasing behaviour of retail customers. The measuring instrument used for this study, a questionnaire, was constructed from secondary literature sources. The convenience sampling technique was used to identify respondents. The usable questionnaires that were gathered from respondents were examined through statistical analyses. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the calculation of Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were used to confirm the validity and reliability of the measuring instrument. Descriptive statistics, as part of the data analyses, were calculated to summarise and allow interpretation of the sample data. Furthermore, Pearson’s Product Moment Correlations were calculated to determine correlations among variables used in this study. Multiple regression analysis was the primary statistical procedure used for testing the significance of relationships hypothesised between the independent, intervening and dependent variables of this study. The empirical investigation was concluded by a the calculation of a t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), for the purpose of determining the influence of selected demographic variables on respondents’ perceptions with regard to the independent, intervening and dependent variables. In addition, post-hoc Tukey tests were conducted to determine significant differences among individual mean scores, and the degree of practical significance was determined by calculated Cohen’s d values. Based on the results of the empirical investigation, significant relationships were found among the independent variables (Official websites, Facebook and Twitter), the intervening variable (Brand image) and the dependent variable (Customer purchasing behaviour). The empirical investigation revealed that the age of respondents has a significant impact on how their image of a brand and purchasing behaviour are influenced by retailers’ use of social media tools. This study has made a contribution to the shortage of literature on the impact of social media tools on retailers. The hypothetical model developed for this study assisted in understanding the impact that retailers’ use of social media tools have on the brand image of retailers and customers’ purchasing behaviour. As a result, this study provides recommendations and suggestions for retailers to ensure a positive brand image in the minds of customers, and to ultimately use social media tools to positively influence the purchasing behaviour of customers.

The diploma thesis is about new trends in online marketing. It focuses on online marketing tools and how to realize successful online marketing activity. The thesis is the analysis of the current company state. Based on informations gathered propose new strategy of content optimalization and social media strategy. How can the company enter the social network targeted on Facebook. Main areas are on-page and off-page factors in SEO and how to build Inbound marketing.

The use of social media in nonprofit professional membership organizations affects how leaders communicate with members, consumers, the community, and other stakeholders. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the social media marketing strategies that leaders in nonprofit professional membership organizations use to keep their organizations sustainable. Data were collected from 5 social media marketing leaders representing 5 nonprofit professional membership organizations in the Chicago region. Data collection occurred through semistructured interviews, review of organizational documents pertaining to social media marketing strategies, and review of the social media sites and websites of the participants' organizations. Rogers's diffusion of innovation theory served as the conceptual framework for this study. A thematic analysis of the data yielded 4 themes: social media platforms and engagement strategies, social media content, social media challenges, and brand awareness. Leaders of nonprofit professional membership organizations who want to gain a competitive edge by using the appropriate social media platforms, creating quality content, overcoming challenges, and increasing brand awareness might choose to align with the strategies identified in this study. The findings of this study could help organizational leaders use social media marketing strategies effectively for engagement and organizational sustainability. The implications for positive social change arising from the use of social media by leaders in nonprofit professional membership organizations include opportunities to connect with and engage the public to build stronger communities through collaboration.

Today, marketers and media companies face a changed environment, affected mostly by the rise of the Internet era. The emergence of various technology applications, combined with the global change of customers is affecting the communication between marketers and consumers. Consumers and marketers are changing their roles; consumers are now media producers, programmers, and distributors, through the use of the social networking applications. The aim of the thesis is to analyze this trend, to predict its lifetime and to provide useful insights for the parties that are involved in it. Main point of evaluation are; the structure of the social media marketing ecosystem; the impact that social networking has on the business environment; the relationship of social media and the conventional media, and the legal and ethical concerns of the use of social media. Social networking is a new, experimental trend that has been accepted by many companies, as a part of their communication strategy. The trend has introduced many challenges for businesses, both positive and negative. To seize the positive challenges, marketers need to invest further in learning the rules of the new marketing trend, and in improving their social networking strategies.

Background: In today’s world mobile marketing and social media marketing are playing a significant role. The reason for this is a global digitalization that effects a lot of interactions between clients and organizations. In that situation small and medium-seized enterprises (SMEs) are challenged to exist and generate revenue. Huge corporations also observe the change in the business landscape, however it is much easier for them to adapt as they have way more resources and expertise concerning marketing in ‘digital era’. As the market becomes more competitive SMEs have to act wisely, but they do not always have necessary knowledge. Purpose: Consequently, the purpose of this thesis is to determine whether using SMM and mobile marketing brings value to the SMEs and have proven andmeasurable positive outcomes on sales of the company. Method: As the research explores the topic of SMM and mobile marketing in relationwith SMEs the decision was made that main source of data will be executives and marketing practitioners of the companies who use social media in their business activity. The research method will be exploratory, with induction as the primary research approach. Hence, semi-structured interviews were chosen as empirical data source. Finally, 12 interviews were held with companies from various business sectors from Russia and Sweden. Qualitative research gives an opportunity to investigate such a developing area find out certain business insights and vision from the companies that would be difficult to find out otherwise. Results & Contribution: First of all, the thesis has a theoretical contribution. The theoretical framework can give a deeper understanding of the subject for marketing practitioners and executives. As the theory moves forward on such a popular topic some of the instruments may have been left aside, whereas the conceptual framework can grab the attention and reveal the tools of SMM and mobile marketing that were not used by the companies. Furthermore, research has a comprehensive empirical analysis of the subject. The 12 semi-structured interviews covered all the areas that were previously examined in theoretical part. SMEs can use the practical part as a foundation to build their own marketing strategy. Such a strategy may be a complex platform for achieving results. Whereas, the participants share insights and vision on the subject.

Problematisation Previous study has indicated that social media is an effective marketing tool. Moreover, Weibo, a Chinese social network contains large potential for the companies. However little theoretical guidance exists on what are the key features of Weibo marketing. Purpose and research question The purpose of this study contributes to a better understanding of the social media by analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of Weibo for Western companies that expect to launch a successful marketing strategy. Methodology This research is done through qualitative approach and is of an abductive nature . It uses a case-study methodology and relying on empirical data and theoretical conceptions. The main empirical findings are based on collection of 13 personal  interviews. Results and conclusion The result of this paper contributed to deep understanding of Weibo marketing. Therefore, the theoretical guideline in form of model has been developed and includes 8  key features (4 advantages and 4 disadvantages) that should be considered by Western companies in order to apply successful marketing strategy on Weibo.

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences / Department of Communication