Sociala medier är idag en stor del av många personers vardag och liv, både internet och olika medier har växt fram på senare år och utvecklas fortfarande i hög takt. Detta har resulterat i ett beteende mönster som blir mer digitalt även i vardagliga sammanhang. Företag har funnit ett sätt att marknadsföra sig och skapa en närvaro i sociala medier genom att samarbeta med kända profiler och influencers. De gör detta för att synliggöra sig samt kommunicera sina tjänster och produkter till en bred målgrupp. Detta har vidare resulterat i en föränderlig kommunikation mellan företag och konsumenter, där opinionsledare i form av influencers tagit en ny roll inom digital marknadsföring. När sociala medier har förändrats har även konsumenters beteenden utvecklats, där influencers har fått en starkare plats i samhället och de har ett stort inflytande på konsumenterna. Denna digitalisering av vardagen har lett till en större tillämpning av influencer marketing som en strategi för att marknadsföra och bibehålla trovärdigheten hos märket till slutkunden. Företagen som anlitar och når ut till de inflytelserika opinionsledarna överlåter marknadsföringen och förlitar sig på att markanföringen utförs korrekt men hur påverkar det egentligen slutkundens förtroende. Dessutom har influencernas ett förtroende till att företagen har genuina avsikter, och ett eget socialt ansvarstagande och de kan själva förlora tillit till sina följare på grund av ett samarbete. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka hur influencers sponsrade inlägg på sociala medier påverkar trovärdigheten som märket bakom reklamen, men även influencers, får av slutkunden. Detta skapar en ökad förståelse för vilka faktorer, som gör reklam på sociala medier och digital marknadsföring, trovärdig och vad som skapar tillit till företagen för en konsument inom Generation Z. Arbetet ger vidare rekommendationer till företag inom marknadsföring i frågan hur de ska skapa en transparens och genuinitet men samtidigt behålla trovärdighet i den reklam som förs vidare till unga i media. Frågeställningen lyder därför ”Hur har den ökade användningen av sponsrade inlägg på sociala medier påverkat trovärdigheten som märkena får av slutkunden?”. / Social media has become a large part of many people's everyday lives, both the internet and various media have emerged in recent years and are still developing at a high pace. This has resulted in a behavioral pattern that becomes more digital even in everyday contexts. Companies have found a way to market themselves and create a presence in social media by collaborating with well-known celebrities and influencers. They do this to make themselves visible and communicate their services and products to a broad target group. This has further resulted in a changing way to communicate between companies and consumers, where opinion leaders in the form of influencers have taken on a new role in digital marketing. As social media has changed, consumer behaviors have also developed, where influencers have gained a stronger place in society, and they have a great influence on consumers. This digitalization of everyday life has led to a greater application of influencer marketing as a strategy for marketing and maintaining the brand's credibility to the end customer. The companies that hire and reach out to the influential opinion leaders leave a part of their marketing to influencers and rely on the influencer to correctly carry the marketing, but how does this affect the end customer's reliability. In addition, the influencers have a trust in that the companies have genuine intentions, and a social responsibility of their own and the influencers can themselves lose reliability from their followers because of the partnership. The purpose of this thesis to investigate how influencers' sponsored posts on social media affect the credibility that the brand behind the advertising, but also influencers, receives from the end customer. This creates an increased understanding of the factors that make advertising on social media and digital marketing credible and creates trust in companies for a consumer within Generation Z. The thesis also provides further recommendations to companies in marketing on the question of how to create transparency and genuineness, but at the same time maintain credibility in the advertising that is passed on to young people in the media. The Problem statement is therefore "How has the increased use of sponsored posts on social media affected the credibility that the brands and influencers get from the end customer?".

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Strategic Marketing, Johannesburg, 2016 / This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the influence electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) engagement and brand image have on purchase intention. The study was based on understanding factors influencing football fans’ consumption behaviour in relation to sports, specifically football. The study involved different aspects, including the impact of social media and branding on consumer behaviour. The literature consulted assisted with conceptual model and hypotheses development, around which the study was centred. Data for this study was collected from 260 Orlando Pirates FC fans at the Sebokeng branch, where participants were all supporters of the football club which was the subject of the study. Data was collected through a self-administered survey. Using the SPSS 22 and AMOS 22 packages to analyses the data, all the hypotheses were confirmed at 99% confidence level. E-WOM proved to be the most influential factor on fans’ consumer behaviour towards purchase intention while engagement showed the least. The conclusion and recommendation section was informed by the results following the data analyses. Recommendations which emanated from the findings were split between marketing practitioners and academic researchers. Maintaining a positive brand perception proved to be beneficial for brands based on the outcomes of the study. The outcomes also proved that the participant ranked engagement on the club’s Facebook page as the lowest factor t influence their consumer behaviour. As there are few studies on fans’ consumption behaviour in the sports environment, let alone football in South Africa, it would be interesting to see more studies done in this field in future. / GR2018

O grande crescimento da comunicação boca a boca, principalmente após a popularização da internet e redes sociais, aumentou a circulação de opiniões sem que o indivíduo tenha consumido, utilizado ou até mesmo tido algum tipo de contato com o produto. Por isso, é necessário que as empresas entendam melhor quais características devem promover em suas marcas para aumentar o valor percebido pelo cliente, proteger-se do boca-a-boca negativo e estimular o positivo. Assim, o objetivo do trabalho é analisar as inter-relações entre personalidade de marca, valor percebido e atitude e seus efeitos preditivos sobre o boca-a-boca entre os consumidores antes da compra. Neste estudo descritivo foram obtidas 1.156 respostas on-line para a utilização de modelagem de equações estruturais. Foram aplicadas ferramentas estatísticas preparatórias, que validaram os dados para aplicação do método PLS, permitindo estimar uma série de relações de dependência entre variáveis latentes. Foi confirmado que uma cadeia de eventos anterior à compra, formada pelos construtos sob análise e moderada pela familiaridade com a marca e envolvimento com o produto, resulta na intenção do consumidor realizar o boca-a-boca, especialmente o positivo. Quando percebidos, a competência da marca e os atributos emocionais do produto tendem a se sobressair ao preço e influenciar com maior relevância a atitude do consumidor para estímulo ao boca-a-boca. / As internet and social media usage expands, significant growth in word-of-mouth communication has increased consumers\' opinion-sharing about products and brands, regardless they ever having used, consumed, or been in contact with such products. For this reason, it is crucial for companies to better understand the cognitive and emotional aspects of such consumer behavior in order to protect their brands from negative word-of-mouth and stimulate positive mentions. Therefore, this work aims at analyzing the interrelations between brand personality, perceived value and attitude, as well as their predictive effects in word-of-mouth communications between customers before the purchase. In this descriptive study, 1,156 self-administered questionnaires data was subjected to Structural Equation Modeling analysis. Statistical analysis validated the data for PLS path modeling which, in turn, allowed estimation of several dependent interrelationships between latent variables in a model developed from literature. Results suggest that a chain of events, comprised by the analyzed constructs and moderated by brand familiarity and product involvement, results in customer\'s intention to engage in predominantly positive word-of-mouth prior to the purchase. When actually perceived, brand competence and emotional attributes overweight price perception in influencing customer\'s attitude toward word-of-mouth behavior.

Social Network Sites have rapidly become intertwined with people’s core habits of daily life, and are often subliminal inputs during decision making processes when it comes to the area of Tourism. With this rapid shift in consumer opportunities, both in availability and exposure to information, people are faced with the challenge of accurately assessing current trends in order to best predict future outcomes for businesses and consumers alike. Although there is existing literature examining current tendencies for Social Network Sites and Tourism, the extrapolation of this data in a feasible way for the emerging Millennial generation is lacking. This is integral to forming a proper understanding of the future trends of global tourist communication as dictated by the usage of Social Network Sites. Through the use of interview discussions centered on two focus groups of an all Millennial composition, the semi-structured interview approach was used. This to sought at a fundamental level to provide a better understanding of how Social Network Sites are used by tourists. Of particular focus within the research process was the specifics of tourist utilization of Social Network Sites. Further addressed, is the concept of the usage of electronic Word of Mouth and how this has allowed for a modification to the experience of tourism. The spoken word has been updated to an electronic Word of Mouth, and with it the Millennial generation has been raised into a world of information opportunity like none ever before. Understanding these trends allows for continued progression for both the consumer and business alike within the tourist business.

Submitted by William Justo Figueiro (williamjf) on 2015-07-06T23:18:29Z No. of bitstreams: 1 08a.pdf: 1546104 bytes, checksum: 91947cb60bc59adc136fd46a64431582 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-07-06T23:18:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 08a.pdf: 1546104 bytes, checksum: 91947cb60bc59adc136fd46a64431582 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-07-26 / Nenhuma / O presente trabalho teve por objetivo a proposição e teste de um modelo teórico, a fim de verificar as dimensões da confiança e seus antecedentes qualidade do site e satisfação, que afetam a lealdade e o boca a boca do consumidor online, mais especificamente a confiança na internet, confiança em terceiras partes e a confiança no site fornecedor. Para atingir os objetivos deste estudo, buscou-se identificar na literatura as relações existentes entre os construtos pesquisados. Com base nos estudos revisados foi desenvolvido um instrumento com escalas já validadas em marketing em contexto de compras online, sendo avaliado e revisado por meio de pré-teste. A técnica de coleta de dados foi realizada através de uma survey, com 270 respondentes que compraram produtos eletroeletrônicos pela internet. A técnica estatística utilizada foi Modelagem de Equações Estruturais (MEE) por meio da qual foi testado o modelo e as respectivas hipóteses. Foi verificada também a mediação dos tipos de confianças: confiança na internet, confiança no site fornecedor e confiança em terceiras partes, entre os antecedentes qualidade do site e satisfação, influenciando na lealdade e no boca a boca do consumidor online. Os resultados indicaram um bom ajustamento do modelo de acordo com o que é proposto na literatura, indicando que a qualidade do site influencia as diferentes dimensões de confiança e a satisfação, a satisfação influência mais a confiança no fornecedor e esta é a que mais influencia a lealdade. Quanto ao teste de mediação, neste foi possível constar que existe a mediação total da confiança no site fornecedor entre qualidade do site e a lealdade. Além disso, verificou-se que a confiança na internet e em terceiras partes exercem influência no comportamento de lealdade e boca a boca, mas não afetam, a confiança no site do fornecedor. / Researchers in the area of management and marketing have studied the understanding of factors such as online consumer confidence, loyalty, site quality, satisfaction and word of mouth. The present work had as objective the proposition and testing a theoretical model to verify the dimensions of trust and their antecedents which affect the loyalty and word of mouth of online consumer, more specifically the internet trust, trust in third parties and confidence in the supplier site. To achieve the objectives of this study, it sought to identify in the literature the relationship among constructs searched. On the basis of the reviewed studies, it was developed an instrument with scales already validated in the context of online shopping marketing, being evaluated and reviewed through pre-test. The data was collected through a survey with 270 respondents who bought consumer electronics products over the Internet. The statistical technique used was Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) whereby model was tested and their hypotheses. It was tested even the mediation of the types of trusts: trust on the internet, trust and confidence in third party supplier, between the background of quality of the site and satisfaction, influencing on loyalty and word of mouth of the consumer. The results indicated a good model adjustment in accordance with what is proposed in the literature, indicating that the quality of the site influences the different dimensions of trust and satisfaction, the Sat more influence trust in supplier and this is the one that influences the loyalty. As for mediation, in this test it was possible to show that there is a total of mediation confidence in supplier site between the quality of the site and loyalty. In addition, it was found that confidence in the internet and in third parties exert a certain influence on the behavior of loyalty and word of mouth, but do not affect the tust in the supplier site. The implications of these analyses, both managerial and academic are presented in this study in order to contribute to the advancement of studies in the area.

La thèse sur papiers analyse les impacts des faux avis en ligne sur les relations sur le marché. Une séquence structurée des études qualitatives et quantitatives explore les perceptions des consommateurs et leur comportement relativement aux faux avis et étudie les solutions possibles pour détecter la communication trompeuse. La recherche confirme l'importance du phénomène des faux avis en ligne pour le marché et la nécessité de mesures opportunes anti-tromperie; des solutions pratiques et un agenda de recherche sont suggérés. / The paper-based thesis analyses the impacts of fake online reviews on marketplace relationships. A structured sequence of qualitative and quantitative studies explores customer perceptions and behavior with regard to fake reviews and investigates possible solutions to detect deceptive communication. The research supports the importance of the phenomenon of fake online reviews for the market and the necessity of timely anti-deception measures; both practical solutions and research agenda are suggested.

Les avis de consommateurs en ligne (ACL) constituent une forme spécifique de bouche-À-Oreille en ligne, regroupant l’ensemble des informations positives ou négatives, numériques (notes) et textuelles (commentaires), déposées par des consommateurs sur des plateformes Internet de type marchande ou communautaire. Dans cette thèse, nous étudions l'impact des ACL sur les décisions d'achat. Nous considérons deux types d'information (ACL numériques et textuels), deux métriques principales des ACL (la valence ou note moyenne, le volume ou nombre d'avis) et deux niveaux d'analyse (les intentions d'achat, et les décisions d'achat effectives). Quatre études empiriques sur données individuelles et agrégées montrent que: (1) les ACL jouent le rôle d'un signal de qualité permettant de réduire le risque d'achat pour des biens d'expérience, (2) le volume ainsi que la valence des ACL expliquent significativement les décisions d'achat, (3) l'effet des ACL sur les décisions d'achat peut être plus ou moins fort selon certaines circonstances que nous mettons en avant. Nous discutons dans un dernier temps des implications pour la stratégie marketing en ligne des entreprises de e-Commerce. / Online consumer reviews (OCR) are conceptualized as a specific form of online word-Of-Mouth, gathering both positive and negative information, numerical (ratings) and textual (comments) information, and which are driven by consumers for consumers on Internet plateforms. In this dissertation, we study the impact of OCR on purchase decisions. We consider two kind of information (numerical and textual OCR), two main metrics of OCR (the valence or average rating, and the volume or number of reviews) as well as two levels of analysis (purchase intentions and actual purchase decisions). The results from four empirical studies on both individual and aggregated data show that: (1) OCR may efficiently signal quality and reduce perceived risk for experience goods, (2) OCR volume and valence have a significant influence on purchase decisions, (3) the effects of OCR on purchase decisions may be lower or stronger according to different moderating factors that we take into account. Last, we discuss managerial implications about firms' online marketing strategies.

Den här studien behandlar fenomenet sociala medier med inriktning på att öka trafik till detaljhandelns webbaserade sidor för att skapa relationer, bygga varumärke och öka försäljning.Idag står företag inför en ny utmaning när det gäller marknadsföring. På några få år har internethandeln exploderat och med det företagens sätt att marknadsföra sig virtuellt. Sedan början av 2000-talet har en ny kanal för att sända ut marknadsföringsmässiga budskap till kunderna uppstått, de sociala medierna. Ett exempel på en av dessa är Facebook vars användarantal bara stiger år för år och i dagsläget har fler än 6 av 10 svenskar en personprofil på Facebook.Varje kanal för kommunikation har sina egenskaper och med det givna referensramar för företagen att arbeta med och skapa verktyg för. Då sociala medier fortfarande är ett ganska nytt fenomen anser vi att problematiken ligger i att många företag inte har hittat det ultimata användningssättet för kanalen. Exempelvis finns många företag representerade på Facebook, men att bara ha en profil gör varken till eller från om de inte fyller sitt budskap till kunderna med innehåll. De måste vara aktiva med sitt sociala företagande för att kunna nå fram i bruset.Med den nya tekniken uppstår både möjligheter och komplikationer i hur företagen bättre kan skapa en relation till sina kunder. Klassiska modeller som kommunikationsmodellen, relationsmarknadsföring och word of mouth är fungerande teorier för det nya fältet då det grundar sig på ett uråldrigt fenomen – kommunikation. Tillsammans bildar de här tre teorierna vår teoretiska referensram.En social media kännetecknas av sin förmåga att skapa interaktiv kommunikation. Förr sände företagen ut ett budskap till en tänkt målgrupp och hoppades att den skulle nå fram och tolkas rätt genom bruset på vägen. Idag erbjuds en tvåvägskommunikation där kunderna har möjlighet att sända sin feedback tillbaka till företagen. Via internetanvändarnas på klick skapas en trafik som är mätbar för hur framgångsrik till exempel en kampanj är för ett företag. Den här studien utreder de vanligast förekommande begreppen inom internettrafik för att underlätta förståelsen av fältet.Via empiriska data som behandlar några av de största sociala plattformarna i samhället idag: Facebook, bloggar och Twitter, belyser vi fältet ur användarens såväl som företagets perspektiv. Informationen är hämtad ur adekvat litteratur i ämnet samt akademiskt granskade artiklar. För att få en större tyngd i studien har vi genomfört kvalitativa intervjuer med människor som har erfarenhet från branschen.Slutsatsen vi har dragit från vår studie är att om företagen ska använda sig av sociala medier är det viktigt att ha i åtanke att den här kanalen inte skiljer såg från andra, då det gäller att nå fram med sitt budskap. Myten om att sociala medier utgör en gratis kommunikationskanal stämmer inte, då ett välgjort budskap endast kan uppnås då det ligger tid och energi bakom från företagens sida. För få spridning på budskapet och uppnå word of mouth måste företagen erbjuda användarna något som inspirerar dem att sprida informationen vidare.This study deals with the phenomenon social media with an emphasis on the increased web traffic to retail trade companies’ web pages to better create relationships to their customers, add value to their brands and enhance their sales numbers.Today’s companies are fronting a new marketing challenge. In a few years the online commerce has exploded and with it the companies’ strategies to market themselves virtually. Since the beginning of the early 21st century a new channel has arisen for advertising messages; the social media. An example of such media is the social networking page Facebook whose number of users is increasing day by day. Today 6 out of 10 Swedes have a Facebook profile of their own.Each channel for communication implies a capacity of its own in the terms of marketing tools for companies to use. Social media is however a new communication tool for many companies and the complex of problems is that they have not properly learnt how to use it. A lot of companies are represented on Facebook commercially; only the bare existing on Facebook does not contribute to the company’s development, if they do not fill their messages with meaning and content. To be able to reach their customers companies have to work actively to promote them selves through the social media channel.The new technology carries both possibilities and complications for the companies to enhance their relationship to their customers. Classic models of theory such as the communication model, relationship marketing and word of mouth are still useful to the new field of study because it is based on an ancient phenomenon – communication. Together these three theories constitute our frame of reference.A social media is described by its ability to create interactive communication. Not long ago the companies would send out their advertising message through traditional marketing channels hoping that their message would be received and understood by their group of interest through the noise. Today’s social media model offers an interactive communication that facilitates the receiving of feedback from customers. Through the business model of Internet traffic, which measures customers’ clicks and thereby their interest, the success of a social media campaign is perceived. This study investigates how the most common traffic business models are used on the Internet to better fill the reader in on the field of study.The empirical data discusses some of the most used social networking sites worldwide today. The social media platforms described, both through the eyes of the Internet user and the company, are: Facebook, Twitter and blogs. The information presented in the study has its origin from peer reviewed articles and adequate literature. To better establish the understanding of the field of study the authors have accomplished qualitative interviews with people from the line of business.Our conclusion drawn from the study is that if companies wish to present themselves on social media they have to commit to the new way of marketing that this channel of communication offers. The myth of social media being practically a free marketing channel is eliminated by the fact that success in any communication channel depends on effort, energy, time and money. To create word of mouth companies have to offer the user of social media something that inspires them and that creates something they wish to share. / Program: Textilekonomutbildningen

Digital platforms such as blogs and social networking sites provide new means for individuals to gather and spread information about products and services through electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM). Within those platforms, individuals have the potential to emerge to become influential actors with the power to affect the behaviours and attitudes of others. Despite the growing interest in online influence, there is still a limited understanding of how key individuals share and engage in eWOM. This study looks at tech-bloggers as an emerging actor category that create and develop consumption oriented online content such as product reviews using blogs and associated technologies. This thesis presents an in depth qualitative investigation to understand how this emerging actor category have been able to establish an influential status. Existing literature often labelled bloggers as “opinion leaders” obscuring what is new and different about them. Building a practice based discussion of these emerging actors aims to capture activities and processes in a wider, natural setting. Paired with the exploratory nature of research, this thesis draws on a conceptually grounded, qualitative research approach utilising interviews with key tech-bloggers, marketers and blog analysis. Findings show that these emerging actors engage in three distinct but interrelated practices centred on audience construction, content development and network formation. Audience construction requires emerging actors to develop quality content utilising existing networks composed of other actors within the same category and the audience. As a consequence, emerging actors are socially embedded in a multiplicity of interactions online and offline to develop their blog and their content. This study contributes to existing concepts in eWOM by showing how emerging actors develop a particular expertise, distinct from consumers, in attracting an audience. Furthermore, these emerging actors transform from being knowledge replicators to become knowledge producers developing communication content in line with a wider audience. As tech-bloggers become more established as emerging actors, tech companies are adapting their marketing to account for these practices. The result is a co-creation of product news and advice on new products between emerging actors, marketers and the audience. Thus, this work gives a more nuanced account of eWOM and the role of emerging actors shaping communication in this sector.

O grande crescimento da comunicação boca a boca, principalmente após a popularização da internet e redes sociais, aumentou a circulação de opiniões sem que o indivíduo tenha consumido, utilizado ou até mesmo tido algum tipo de contato com o produto. Por isso, é necessário que as empresas entendam melhor quais características devem promover em suas marcas para aumentar o valor percebido pelo cliente, proteger-se do boca-a-boca negativo e estimular o positivo. Assim, o objetivo do trabalho é analisar as inter-relações entre personalidade de marca, valor percebido e atitude e seus efeitos preditivos sobre o boca-a-boca entre os consumidores antes da compra. Neste estudo descritivo foram obtidas 1.156 respostas on-line para a utilização de modelagem de equações estruturais. Foram aplicadas ferramentas estatísticas preparatórias, que validaram os dados para aplicação do método PLS, permitindo estimar uma série de relações de dependência entre variáveis latentes. Foi confirmado que uma cadeia de eventos anterior à compra, formada pelos construtos sob análise e moderada pela familiaridade com a marca e envolvimento com o produto, resulta na intenção do consumidor realizar o boca-a-boca, especialmente o positivo. Quando percebidos, a competência da marca e os atributos emocionais do produto tendem a se sobressair ao preço e influenciar com maior relevância a atitude do consumidor para estímulo ao boca-a-boca. / As internet and social media usage expands, significant growth in word-of-mouth communication has increased consumers\' opinion-sharing about products and brands, regardless they ever having used, consumed, or been in contact with such products. For this reason, it is crucial for companies to better understand the cognitive and emotional aspects of such consumer behavior in order to protect their brands from negative word-of-mouth and stimulate positive mentions. Therefore, this work aims at analyzing the interrelations between brand personality, perceived value and attitude, as well as their predictive effects in word-of-mouth communications between customers before the purchase. In this descriptive study, 1,156 self-administered questionnaires data was subjected to Structural Equation Modeling analysis. Statistical analysis validated the data for PLS path modeling which, in turn, allowed estimation of several dependent interrelationships between latent variables in a model developed from literature. Results suggest that a chain of events, comprised by the analyzed constructs and moderated by brand familiarity and product involvement, results in customer\'s intention to engage in predominantly positive word-of-mouth prior to the purchase. When actually perceived, brand competence and emotional attributes overweight price perception in influencing customer\'s attitude toward word-of-mouth behavior.