Browsing by Author "Blakaj, Hedon"
Now showing 1 - 20 of 61
- Results Per Page
- Sort Options
- Assembling Club Cultures: Disc Jockeys as Cultural Intermediaries
School of Business | Doctoral dissertation (monograph)(2019) Blakaj, HedonCultural intermediaries have been considered as influential agents capable of influencing consumption practices. Existing research on cultural intermediaries draws extensively on works of Pierre Bourdieu to conceptualize cultural intermediaries as well as to provide a theoretical planform through which to analyze cultural intermediary practices. Empirical works drawing on Bourdieu tend to depict cultural intermediaries as a static category; as agents standing and intermediating between realms of culture and consumption. Recently, assemblage theorizing has gained traction within the cultural intermediary academic dialog as a contending approach seeking to provide a more dynamic view pertinent to cultural intermediary practices. In this dissertation, I draw on the latter to depict a dynamic view of cultural intermediary practices. This dissertation is based on an ethnographic study of the underground electronic music club scene in Helsinki, Finland. Data comprising this research comprises of field notes, in-depth interviews, photographs and netnographic data. The ethnographic endeavor lasted for about 3 years. This dissertation contributes to cultural intermediary academic dialogue in a number of ways. First, I seek to go beyond the notion of regimes of mediation and portray a picture of cultural intermediary work as a dynamic process belonging to a number of nested sets of assemblages. Secondly, I bring forth material agency as an important element in mediating how music is consumed and musical styles are qualified. And lastly, by depicting the process of assembling club cultures, I show how such a process fosters a sonic consumer subjectivity. - Assembling visual identity systems strategy at the vanguard of theory and practice: How to apply pioneering brand and design theory for business value creation
School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Master's thesis(2025) Arnould, AustenBackground: Visual identity systems (VISs) are a type of near-ubiquitous framework that successful brands employ to direct the creation of brand artifacts, from digital interfaces to advertising campaigns. (Near synonyms for VISs include style guides, brand guidelines, and design systems.) Business and design literature has long championed effective VISs strategy and resultant VISs as invaluable brand assets. However, literature synthesizing emerging consensus in leading contemporary brand and design theory that offers theoretically rigorous yet pragmatic approaches to VISs strategy formation and design appears elusive or absent. This research, then, provides a novel and needed contribution. Research Aims: Aim I: Evaluate the volume and nature of contemporary business and design literature devoted to VIS strategy and design anchored in leading 21st-century brand and design theory. Aim II: Synthesize leading brand and design theory perspectives into a lucid and reproducible approach to VIS strategy development and design. Although substantiated by Actor-Network Theory (ANT), Participatory Design (PD), and Consumer Culture Theory (CCT), this approach should be readily usable in real-world contexts. Research Questions (RQs): How much business or design scholarship, based on leading brand theory, incorporates emerging best co/participatory design practices to: (RQ1a) develop VISs strategy or (RQ1b) directly design VISs or elements governed by VISs? (RQ2) How might VISs strategy be developed if guided by emerging contemporary theoretical consensus in business and design fields? Method I: A structured quantitative literature review of 4000+ articles across leading business and design journals addressed RQ1a,b. Method II: To address research RQ2, instrumental case-based, multi-method, multi-media qualitative data was collected from nine participants through long-form interviews, probes, and a workshop, then analyzed via thematic coding for a Finnish digital platform services firm. Results: The structured literature review of over 4000 articles revealed a significant gap in existing research. Only four articles attempted even a loose synthesis of leading contemporary brand theory, co-creation/participatory design theory, and VIS theory. This is despite persistent calls for research into the interdependency of these topics. The review uncovered no articles attempting a close synthesis like the one presented here. Addressing this scarcity underscores the first main contribution of the thesis. Additional validation of the theory synthesis came from applying the methods it suggested to the case study. These methods resulted in concrete VIS strategy recommendations for the case firm. The methods framework is straightforward enough that practitioners can emulate it in their own efforts. The second contribution is a theoretically sound method sequence for everyday practice that is faithful to the implications of contemporary brand theory developments. Conclusions: The conjunction of consumer culture-oriented, assemblage theory-based approaches to contemporary participatory design of VISs is compelling and supported by cutting-edge theory. Similar past synthesis has proven fundamental to informed action by business and design practitioners, yielding significant value, financial or otherwise. The case study results demonstrate that the proposed theory synthesis can bring much-needed cogency to effective VISs strategy formation and design. - Changing the change: rebranding in a change consultancy company
School of Business | Master's thesis(2021) Kangas, Satu - Choice Overload: Identifying and Mitigating Choice Overload from a Managerial Perspective
School of Business | Bachelor's thesis(2023) Piri, IdaIs more choice always better? According to research conducted by Cornell University in 2018, the average adult is estimated to make around 35 000 decisions daily. The sheer volume of choices often leads individuals to grapple both behaviourally and emotionally with decision-making, a phenomenon commonly referred to as choice overload. This thesis aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the phenomenon of choice overload in marketing and consumer behaviour as well as suggest strategies to mitigate its adverse effects through a comprehensive bibliometric analysis and a literature review. The findings highlight the significance of recognizing and incorporating insights on choice overload into managerial decision-making. Additionally, managerial and theoretical implications are underscored while also presenting potential aspects for future research. - Consumer Bounded Rationality in Buying Processes
School of Business | Bachelor's thesis(2024) Nurmi, NikiThis bachelor thesis explores the current state of consumer bounded rationality (CBR) research and examines how CBR affects buying processes. It suggests a preliminary model for factors causing boundedly rational consumer behaviour in buying processes and gives suggestions for further modelling. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first academic work that aims to incorporate CBR into the five-stage model of consumer buying process. The thesis makes a novel albeit preliminary finding that CBR has the most relevance in evaluating alternatives and purchase decisions stages of the five-stage model. - Consumer-generated data and evolving practices in targeted marketing
School of Business | Bachelor's thesis(2024) Penttinen, LottaThis thesis explores the utilization of consumer-generated data and its impact on the evolving targeted marketing landscape. Existing literature related to the subject of consumer analytics and targeted marketing practices was studied through bibliometric analysis and a comprehensive literature review. The findings of the thesis reveal that extracting relevant information and then forming valuable, comprehensive insights from consumer generated data is a key process of consumer analytics. Finally, these insights can then be used to accurately predict changes in consumer preferences and behavioral trends. These insights, though, come with limitations as they rely on accurate analysis and interpretations and bring to light privacy-related concerns. As a result of shifting consumer behaviors and continuous technological advancements, con-temporary marketing is constantly evolving. The findings of the thesis identify potential for future theoretical directions and practical applications indicating the importance of research on the topic of marketing analytics and consumer insights. - Creating customer experiences in luxury fashion retailing
School of Business | Bachelor's thesis(2023) Kauppila, JasminThis bachelor’s thesis includes a bibliometric analysis of luxury fashion retailing and a literature review to discuss how customer experiences are created in luxury fashion retail. It focuses on both physical and online retailing, and provides understanding of the similarities and differences between these channels. Customer service and store atmosphere were found to be the key elements for creating customer experiences in both channels. In the case of online retailing, possibilities for personalization as well as utilitarian elements such as efficiency and reliability were also emphasized. Additionally, this thesis also discusses phygital solutions, a more recent phenomenon that aim to combine the elements of physical and online retailing. - Cultivating strong consumer-brand relationships as a means of amassing brand equity – The case of Pentik brand
School of Business | Master's thesis(2022) Kokkola, Lotta - The Current State of Luxury Fashion Branding
School of Business | Bachelor's thesis(2023) Vappula, AnnaThis bachelor’s thesis provides an overview of the current state of luxury fashion branding and brand management in academic literature. It has been constructed with a bibliometric analysis at its core and inspects the effects of different factors and their effects on luxury fashion brands in a literature review. The findings of this bachelor’s thesis have both theoretical and managerial implications and highlights the limitations and opportunities for future research within this topic. - Customer Experience in AI-enabled Firm-Customer Interactions
School of Business | Bachelor's thesis(2024) Lindqvist, IisaFirms are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence at customer touchpoints, bringing changes in firm-customer interactions and also raising questions about how customers perceive the increasing gathering of data. To advance understanding, the purpose of this study is to investigate how AI-enabled customer experiences are formed and whether AI applications are capable of successfully implementing firms’ marketing strategies. A literature review reveals that individual-level factors, features of AI, and context-specific elements influence the formation of AI-enabled customer experiences. While AI can improve service consistency and operational efficiency without the risk of cognitive overload, humans can build genuine relationships, have ethical understanding, as well as they possess better improvisational skills, and adapt to new situations. Therefore, AI cannot rival human-based interactions in all circumstances, although its ability to execute firms’ marketing strategies is acknowledged in the literature. By analysing and synthesizing the research findings, this thesis provides firms with a five-stage model to support the successful deployment of AI and practical guidance on leveraging the created tool. - Digital future: Digitalization and sustainability of local media outlets
School of Business | Master's thesis(2022) Paakkola, Olli - DIGITAL FUTURE: PROFITABILITY OF MEDIA OUTLETS AND ONLINE CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
School of Business | Bachelor's thesis(2020) Paakkola, Olli - Enhancing Customer-Brand Relationships In The Sports Industry
School of Business | Bachelor's thesis(2024) Harakka, DanielThis bachelor's thesis studies customer-brand relationships in the context of sports, commonly referred to as fan-team relationships. The research methods exploited during the process are bibliometric analysis and manual literature review. This thesis identifies several special characteristics of the sports industry. It recognizes three dimensions of fan-team relationships, fan engagement, team identification and fan loyalty, that all influence each other. Furthermore, team performance is an independent variable that can significantly affect these relationships. This thesis also provides practical implications for sports managers and suggests future research avenues in the sports marketing field. - Examining the Effects of Digitalization on Fashion Brands
School of Business | Bachelor's thesis(2022) Karesniemi, Tero - Exploring the Dynamics of Identity and Subcultures
School of Business | Bachelor's thesis(2024) Määttä, JoonasThis thesis studies the relationship between self and subcultures. Through a bibliometric analysis and qualitative review of the literature, the aim of this thesis is to review the previous research made on the construction of identity and subcultural identity formation. Additionally, the thesis aims to highlight research gaps and future research needs. The thesis analyses various aspects of self and group dynamics and reveals the fluid nature of identity negotiation within subcultural contexts. Insights from the research showcase the significance of understanding these dynamics for both academia and marketing, providing valuable insights into consumer behavior and strategies for engaging diverse consumer communities. Furthermore, the research uncovers the role of authenticity in subcultures of consumption, emphasizing its influence on individual identity construction and group identity. - From Creation to Consumption: Understanding the Components of Memorable Tourism Experiences
School of Business | Bachelor's thesis(2024) Huovila, KonstaThis bachelor’s thesis explores the multifaceted concept of customer experience (CX) within the tourism industry, integrating co-creation and social media to enrich understanding and practical applications. Drawing on the Total Customer Experience model (Godovykh & Tasci, 2020), the study explains the cognitive, affective, sensory, and conative dimensions of CX across pre-, during-, and post-consumption phases. The paper reviews existing literature on customer experience in tourism, utilizing bibliometric analysis to identify and synthesize relevant studies. Theoretical contributions lie in the incorporation of co-creation and social media dynamics into the TCX model, emphasizing their pivotal roles in shaping tourist behaviour and perceptions. Practical implications offer actionable strategies for tourism practitioners to enhance CX through collaborative co-creation processes, strategic social media engagement, and sensory-rich experiences. - From cultural intermediaries to social media influencers: algorithms and taste in social media platforms
School of Business | Bachelor's thesis(2021) Mertaniemi, TeaSocial media and digital environments have shaped the consumer consumption habits and the world of marketing for good. This literature review studies how has the phenomena of social media influencers emerged from the origins of cultural intermediaries in the context of fashion. We aim to understand how are these two phenomenon connected and what are the major similarities and differences between the two based on the current academic literature. Additionally, we aim to form an understanding how do the social media influencers relate to algorithms and what new understanding can we gain by studying this type of relationship in terms of taste exercising activities. The review is carried out concentrating on peer-reviewed academic articles that focus on cultural intermediaries in the context of fashion, social media influencers in the context of fashion and their relationship with algorithms. As social media is evolving rapidly, the review will concentrate on as recent academic articles as possible. The findings of this literature review showed that even though the gap between cultural intermediaries and social media influencers in the field of fashion is narrowing, there are still some distinguishing differences between the two. Being considered a cultural intermediary requires certain level of cultural capital to be able to act as taste attributor in the field and mediating events such as fashion shows. Social media influencers have the opportunity, created by the online environment and social media platforms, to act as taste leaders if they manage to gain large audiences and be perceived as having good taste by them even without any prior cultural capital. The review also showed that the algorithms do have an affect on the behavior of social media influencers. To be able to gain the desired level of visibility for their content, the social media influencers need to understand and obey the algorithmic rules of the social media platforms. Algorithms can be seen as gatekeepers of the taste making activities as they filter what content reaches the consumers on social media platforms. - From Product Placement to Branded Entertainment: A Case of the Entertainment Industry
School of Business | Bachelor's thesis(2022) Pietikäinen, PyryToday brand integration can be found in media everywhere and the way it is implemented can be very complex with marketers having very specific aims for placements . However, this has not always been the case. This thesis looks at how product placement has developed as a marketing instrument in the entertainment industry from being a simplistic tool to grow brand salience to being an intricate part of greater brand equity building mechanisms. Furthermore, consumer responses in relation to product placement are observed in contemporary and modern context. - How body discourses inform a fashion brand’s advertising campaigns
School of Business | Master's thesis(2021) Ketonen, NeaThe goal of this research was to analyze body representations in advertising and the evolution of body discourses over time. There is a lot of existing literature on the topic, however, it has mainly focused on a limited number of factors, excluding some important ones, such as time. This research aimed to fill this gap by studying the evolution of both male and female body discourses over time in the context of the fashion industry, and it was led by the following research questions: 1. What kind of discourses inform body representations in advertisements between 1990-2019? 2. How does a fashion brand represent body in its advertising campaigns over time? 3. How has the conceptions of the body in advertisements changed over time? This study was conducted using discourse theory, CDA to be more exact. Fashion field was used as a context due to its long-standing reputation in setting beauty ideals, and Calvin Klein was used as a case company. Data was collected online, and it consisted of altogether 73 campaigns between the 1990s and 2010s out of which one campaign per decade was analyzed more thoroughly. The analysis was conducted using CDA tools, mainly Fairclough’s three-dimensional model. The findings support the current understanding that the relationship between bodies and advertising is strong. However, based on the analysis, the concept of body ideal is going through a redefinition, possibly resulting in a new dominant discourse. According to this research the body ideal is becoming more accepting and versatile, and the meaning of the body in advertising is getting less important. The results also emphasized the social nature of body ideals and how others’ opinions have supposedly a bigger effect on body image than a single physical feature of a body. These results can be used to better understand how and why advertising does indeed affect body discourses and their evolution over time. Giving companies data to both understand the issues of trying to force their customers to fit into one body ideal as well as showing them how changing this approach could benefit both them and their customers and could result in a more accepting world and less body issues. - How controversial advertisement affect brand equity
School of Business | Master's thesis(2024) Ketonen, EnniThis thesis aims to shed light on the phenomenon of controversial advertising. The first goal is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the term and its development, and especially to identify the encoding elements that characterize controversial advertising. The second goals is to understand the effect of controversial advertisement and public responses it has cause to brand equity. The third goal is to identity the best way to adopt controversial advertisement and foster brand equity. Therefore, the research questions go as follow: 1)How has controversial advertising evolved over time and what kinds of encoding elements characterize controversial advertising? 2)What are the effects of controversial advertising campaigns and public responses on brand equity? 3)What is the best way to adopt controversial advertisements and foster brand equity? This study was conducted using content analysis where controversial advertisements were analyzed and coded. The coding included visual elements, textual messages, and public responses. Content analysis gives valuable insight on the phenomenon, especially since controversial advertising remains to be a relatively under-researched area. The effect on brand equity was measured using a modified Keller’s Customer-Based Brand Equity pyramid. The findings show that controversial advertisement affects all brand equity dimensions identified by Keller in his pyramid. The effect is stronger in some of the dimensions. Also, the finding suggests that brand identity and how it is reflected in the controversial advertising effect how public responses to the advertisement. Advertising discipline is constantly changing and the competition to draw consumer attention is increasing. Controversial advertising is a response to this and therefore it is crucial to understand the phenomenon and utilize it in a best way possible. Controversial advertising might increase sales and brand awareness but if executed badly it can damage brand equity.