In regulated markets companies must comply with various rules, standards, and approval protocols to avoid expensive lack-of-compliance costs. Such regulations often limit the ability of companies to advertise and thereby reach out to consumers. This paper uses a qualitative multiple case-study approach to explore, from an industry perspective, how three different companies (a whisky producer, a microbrewery, and an alcohol importer) use digital advertising to raise brand awareness on the Swedish alcohol market. The firms are relatively similar in their approaches, unanimously preferring the use of social media advertising and conducting all activities through the lens of the regulations. However, the degree to which the firms are willing to take risks and find innovative solutions to the unique problems inherent to the regulated market in question differs. Although the study is context-specific, previous research has suggested that features and market practices in one regulated market can influence another. This thesis contributes to the literature on the broader topic of advertising on regulated markets, where research is primarily written from a public health perspective.

M.Tech (Public Relations Management, Faculty of Human Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / It is of utmost importance for non-governmental organisations not only to use social media when it suits them but also learn to incorporate social media into their communication strategy. This study is focused on the use of social media as a dialogue tool by an NGO in Gauteng province in South Africa, namely, The Teddy Bear Clinic/Foundation (TTBC/F). Data was collected through ten semi-structured interviews with the participants being six full time employees and four volunteers who work in the marketing, public relations and fundraising department and manage the online communication for the organisation. The results of the study revealed that the NGO’s social ties are of primary importance for assuring active donor and stakeholder commitment whilst guaranteeing continued stakeholder engagement, therefore social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter should be treated as an invaluable communication tool. Therefore, an NGO that incorporates social media in its communication strategy influences the participation of the stakeholders in the various support, fundraising and activities that promote its cause. The results of the study also revealed that although the NGO operates several social media platforms, (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) for dialogue and relationship building and nurturing with the stakeholders. It is significantly dependent on Facebook and Twitter. The majority of its employees also believed that the NGO was using social media strategically by sending key messages to the public thereby prioritising and greatly facilitating the exchange of ideas as well as understanding the position of others, so focusing on mutuality and relationships rather than on self-interest.

To date, the rather new phenomena known as Social Media Marketing (SMM) has caught much attention from researchers and several studies have been conducted prior to resolving how this new phenomenon can be utilized by business-to-business (B2B) organizations. However, existing literature covering SMM has been mainly focused on the business-to-consumer (B2C) perspective, therefore, there is a lack of research in the utilization of SMM in a B2B context. Hence, this bachelor thesis aims to contribute to the theoretical and empirical findings of social media in a B2B context, by uncovering marketing decision-makers point of view and how they work with social media, specifically in the international high-technological and service-oriented sector. The purpose of this research paper is to identify and describe the utilization of SMM together with the positive and negative aspects of it in the B2B context, based on empirical data collected from decision-makers working with marketing, operating in service-oriented international IT-organizations located in Sweden. In order to fulfil the purpose, a qualitative research method was chosen where 7 semi-structured interviews were conducted with marketing decision-makers from 6 international service-oriented B2B companies operating in the IT industry. The decision-makers participating in the study contributed with their experiences and perceptions of social media, concluding that they highly values SMM and emphasizes its importance as it is perceived as significant for all B2B organizations today and as the society is becoming more and more digitized, it will become of even higher importance in the upcoming years. Further, the thesis also found that the decision-makers working with SM use it for three main objectives; Brand awareness, Lead generation and Employer branding. Lastly, based on the empirical findings of this report, some similarities and controversies were discovered in regard to how theory suggests that SMM is used in the B2B environment as well as how the different participants view the usage of SMM.

Background: Due to the digital era and a constant increase in social media usage, new ways to interact with customers can be done through adopting Social Media Marketing Activities (SMMA). The concept SMMA is constituted by the five dimensions ‘Entertainment’, ‘Interaction’, ‘Trendiness’, ‘Customization’ and ‘Word-of-mouth’. By reviewing recent research, indications that SMMA has a relationship with other items in the form of Brand Image and Purchase intention becomes clear. Therefore, the authors attempt to examine this relationship even further in order to contribute to the already established scientific body. Furthermore, previous research declared a gap in terms of context which this study aimed to fulfill.  Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine how Social Media Marketing Activities affect consumer purchase intention through brand image as the mediator. The authors aimed to contribute to already existing research and propose implications, especially of the electronic industry context which can be further examined in the future.  Methodology: The study was of quantitative nature with a deductive approach which enabled the authors to deduce and create four hypotheses from the basis of existing literature. The research design of the thesis was cross-sectional where the authors created an online questionnaire in order to gather primary data. The sample was gathered through a non-probability sampling technique called convenience sampling which gathered 141 responses.  Findings: Of the four hypotheses stated, all of them were accepted. Therefore, the authors of this paper could argue for the findings that SMMA was shown to have a significant impact on brand image. Secondly, brand image was evident to have a significant impact on purchase intention. Thirdly, brand image was shown to mediate the relation between SMMA and purchase intention. Lastly, SMMA also showed a significant impact on purchase intention. Another finding was that none of the control variables (gender, frequency of online purchase) was shown to have a significant impact on the results.  Conclusion: The authors of this paper concludes that SMMA affects consumer purchase intention through brand image as a mediator within the context of the Swedish electronic industry.

Problembakgrund: Content Marketing är ett marknadsföringsverktyg som kan användas i syfte att skapa värde och lojalitet. Digitaliseringen har utformat tekniska konsumenter som är skeptiska till traditionella reklambudskap. Skepticismen beror på mängden information som går att hitta på internet vilket gör att det blir en utmaning för marknadsförare att nå ut med värde till sin målgrupp. Digitaliseringen har dock medfört att konsumenterna blir enklare att nå på grund av den stora användningen av sociala medier vilket kan ge varumärken fördelar gentemot sina konkurrenter. Marknadsförare kan använda Content Marketing för att skapa indirekt försäljning vilket leder till lojalitet och lönsamhet för varumärket. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att beskriva hur konsumenter upplever Content Marketing inom kosmetika, kopplat till upplevda värden och hur det kan påverka den upplevda lojaliteten. Teoretisk referensram: Den teoretiska referensramen behandlar Content Marketing, Värde och Lojalitet. Metod: Studien grundar sig i en kvalitativ metod med semistrukturerade intervjuer. Respondenter är kvinnor som är användare på Instagram och är utvalda utifrån dess användande, ålder och kön på Instagram. Resultat: Desto fler värdeaspekter som marknadsförare trycker på inom Content Marketing, desto större chans till lojalitet. Content Marketing trycker på de olika aspekterna av värde genom inspiration, interaktion, information och identifiering. Slutsats: Studiens slutsatser visar att Content Marketing kan skapa värde för konsumenterna vilket i sin tur leder till lojalitet och positiv varumärkesuppfattning. / Content Marketing on social media is a marketing tool which can be used to increase value and create brand loyalty. The emergence of digitalization has led to technical consumers who are skeptical towards traditional advertisement. Considering the skepticism, marketers get a challenge to reach out with brand messages which argues for new marketing tools. Due to the digitalization marketers can easily reach the target group through Social Media which can give them advantage towards the competing brands. Marketers can use Content Marketing to create indirect sales through value creation which leads to brand loyalty and profitability for the organization. The purpose of the study is to describe how consumers experience Content Marketing in the cosmetics industry, towards perceived value and perceived brand loyalty. A qualitative method is used to fulfill the purpose of the study, through semi-structured single interviews. The respondents were selected through suitability considering Instagram usage, cosmetics usage, age and gender. The result of the study indicates that Content Marketing is beneficial by using the different perceived value functions to create loyalty. By using Content Marketing, marketers can reach consumers perceived value by inspiration, interaction, information and identification. The conclusions of the study indicate that Content Marketing creates value to consumers which will lead to brand loyalty and positive brand perception.

There is little doubt that crises have a major impact on both companies and humanity. However, the picture is less clear when it comes to what challenges small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have to overcome when facing the crisis. Regulations and recommendations of the government are influencing the challenges to conduct business for SMEs. Social media marketing and the associated communication seems to form a great opportunity to overcome the challenges of the crisis. Additionally, the formation of groups in social media and the associated communication among users can be another beneficial factor during a pandemic crisis. The purpose of this paper is to examine how companies may use social media marketing as a strategy to acquire new customers during a pandemic crisis and comply with challenges arising due to the crisis. Interview data has been gathered from eight owner-managers of SMEs in Sweden; the focus was on Restaurants in Sundsvall. They have been interviewed on aspects of their approach to the COVID-19 crisis, their usage of social media marketing as well as customer acquisition during these times. A thematic analysis was used in order to connect the findings with the theory as well as detecting themes. Themes are: Challenges of a crisis for SMEs, social media marketing, and customer acquisition. The overall picture did show that all the informants suffered from the challenges due to the crisis at some point. Nevertheless, social media is a very useful tool for SMEs like restaurants to market their activities and offers, especially during times of crisis when budgets and income are lower.

Thesis (M. A. (Media Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / Social networking became a common international trend which has spreads and reached almost every corner of the world. The use of social media platform has developed and exploded into an online platform where individuals can generate content, share it, bookmark it and network at an enormous rate. Amongst the users of social media, students and youth are the main users of social media sites. The research explored Facebook as a tool for improving marketing services at University of Limpopo. Institution of higher learning utilise Facebook for various reasons such getting more followers, maintain existing relationship between the university and its audience and also to communicate with the university audience. Social media can have a great impact on the university and its audience depending on the usage as a two-way communication platform. The main objectives of the study are to identify the manner in which institutions of higher learning use Facebook for marking purposes; examine the performance of Facebook for marketing; and establish the challenges and opportunities of using Facebook as a marking tool. The study employed Nick Couldry’s practice theory and Marketing communication mix theory which are highlighting the relationship between the media, people and organisations. The study also analysed other literature that supports the aim and objectives of the study. A qualitative method was used in the study and results obtained through the use of online observation and semi-structured interview. Content and thematic analysis was applied to analyse the data collected. The population used as a sample were marketing and communication department employees at the University of Limpopo who are working with the university social media pages. With online observation of the University of Limpopo’s Facebook page the findings show that the university’s social media portray specifically Facebook as a one-way communication which they convey messages on the platform without taking into consideration the comments, criticism and queries of the students or audience at large. The empirical findings of the study indicate that Facebook is the most used social media platform at the University of Limpopo. Moreover, participants have highlighted that the purpose of all social media platforms are used to market the institution and as platforms to convey messages to their followers, staff members and university community. v The findings expose the various opportunities and challenges in using social media. However, it is proved that the opportunities outweigh the threats. Some institutions of higher learning use more than one social media platform. However, Facebook was proven to be the most widely used social media followed by YouTube, Twitter and Instagram.

The increasing trend towards digitalization has resulted in social media marketingbecoming a common practice among companies today. This new trend has openedup new opportunities for SMEs, which typically have less resources than largercompanies. One platform which has become popular amongst businesses isTikTok, and it was therefore of interest to investigate how SMEs are currentlyusing this platform in their marketing strategy. The purpose of this thesis was toinvestigate a number of SME operations in order to understand and suggest howthey can improve their current strategy on TikTok. This thesis is based on previous research on SMEs, consumer behavior, socialmedia marketing, TikTok as a marketing tool, content marketing, viral marketing,and paid advertising. Additionally, a qualitative research approach was usedwhere semi-structured interviews were conducted with a total of elevenrespondents. The respondents consisted of a number of Swedish micro, small andmedium-sized firms from a B2C context currently operating on TikTok. The results of the study indicate that SMEs are present on TikTok due to sellingpurposes, interaction opportunities and because of its large reach. The maincharacteristics of the platform were the personal content, the short format videos,and the young audience. However, despite the growing presence of SMEs onTikTok the study suggests that few have a clear strategy on the platform,indicating a potential need for increased efforts to improve their success.

This study investigates the impact of trustworthiness, perceived expertise, and parasocial relationships on Swedish consumers' purchase intentions on TikTok, focusing on influencer marketing. The problem addressed in this study is the lack of understanding of consumer behavior on TikTok in the context of influencer marketing. While TikTok has become a popular platform for influencer marketing due to its high engagement rates and entertaining marketing concept, limited research exists on the factors that influence consumer purchase intentions on the platform. The study aims to understand the factors that influence consumer behavior on TikTok and its impact on purchase intentions, using the theory of persuasion. The method used in this research is a quantitative study where the authors used a survey method to collect primary data from 138 Swedish consumers. STATA was used to analyze the data, and the findings reveal that the trustworthiness and parasocial relationships of influencers significantly impact purchase intentions, while perceived expertise has no significant impact on the platform TikTok. This study's results can guide marketing professionals and influencers to develop effective influencer marketing strategies on TikTok, which offers immense marketing opportunities for brands seeking to reach younger audiences with high engagement rates.

Sammanfattning Datum: 2023-05-31 Nivå: Kandidatuppsats i Företagsekonomi, 15 hp Institution: Akademin för Ekonomi, Samhälle och Teknik, Mälardalens Universitet  Författare: Nathalie Indiketiya Hewage (01/05/11) Wilma Pasanen (01/08/31)                                Oliwer Tomczyk  (96/03/30)                             Titel: Våra plattformar och köpintentioner - En kvantitativ undersökning om Konsumenters köpintention på Facebook och Tiktok Handledare: Sara Melén Hånell Nyckelord: Social media marketing, tillit/förtroende, tekniskt förtroende, köpintention, sociala medier, riskbenägenhet, upplevd kontroll, teknisk effektivitet, Facebook och Tiktok  Forskningsfråga/or: Hur påverkar reklam konsumenters köpintention på Facebook och Tiktok beroende på kön och ålder?  Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka sambandet på reklam mellan Facebook och Tiktok samt konsumenters köpintention. Studiens resultat bidrar till en bättre förståelse för huruvida köpintentionen ändras beroende på plattform och demografiska faktorer, mer specifikt kön och ålder.  Metod: För att besvara forskningsfrågan valdes en kvantitativ forskningsmetod med en deduktiv ansats. Studien tillämpade sig av en enkät som samlade in totalt 150 svar, där svarsfrekvensen låg på 98%. Slutsats: Studien resulterar i att konsumenters köpintention på plattformen Facebook främst påverkas av teknisk effektivitet, riskbenägenhet samt tillit och förtroende. Medan konsumenters köpintention på plattformen Tiktok främst påverkas av teknisk effektivitet, riskbenägenhet, tillit och förtroende samt slutligen upplevd kontroll. / Abstract Date: 2023-05-31  Level: Bachelor thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University  Authors: Nathalie Indiketiya Hewage (01/05/11)  Wilma Pasanen (01/08/31)                               Oliwer Tomczyk (96/03/30) Title: Purchase intention and our platforms - An quantitative study of consumers purchase intentions on social media  Supervisor: Sara Melén Hånell Keywords: Social media marketing, trust/commitment, technical trustworthiness, purchase intention, social media, risk propensity, perceived control, technological efficiency, Facebook and Tiktok. Research questions: How does advertising affect consumers purchase intention on Facebook and Tiktok depending on gender and age? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between advertising on Facebook and Tiktok as well as consumers purchase intention. The study's result contributes to a better understanding of whether purchase intention changes depending on platform and demographic factors, more specifically gender and age. Method: To answer the research question, a quantitative research method was chosen with a deductive approach. The study applied a survey that collected a total of 150 responses, the response rate was 98%. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that consumers purchase intentions on  Facebook was primarily influenced by technical efficiency, risk appetite and trust and confidence. While consumers' purchase intention on the Tiktok platform is primarily influenced by technical efficiency, risk propensity, trust and confidence, and finally perceived control.