UTILIZING FANDOMS AS A SEMI-CONTROLLED WORD OF MOUTH COMMUNICATION CHANNEL IN POPULAR CULTURE
Baki, Borbala (2014)
Baki, Borbala
Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulu
2014
All rights reserved
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201405229244
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201405229244
Tiivistelmä
Products of popular culture such as movies, music, television programs etc. play a very important part in our everyday lives. Unlike consumer or industrial goods, pop cultural goods are mostly present in our private lives and free time, but it does not mean that their importance is any smaller than that of the previously mentioned two. Therefore, choosing the right marketing strategy for promoting them is crucial. The aim of this thesis was to find relevant solutions for companies dealing with pop cultural goods to market their products in cooperation with fans. To be able to reach this aim, the thesis consists of two main sections: the literature review, in which the most popular B2C marketing strategies are presented from the company's point of view and the empirical study, in which the opinion of fans are asked about marketing through fandoms. In the Empirical study, a self-constructed questionnaire was published, which received all together 249 responses from all around the world. The research study used a quantitative study method, this way it was possible to gather a target number of responses and during the analysis phase the answers could be quantified and used for gaining statistical results. In conclusion, after comparing the information gathered through academic literature and the data collected with the help of the questionnaire, it became clear, that not a single - new method can be created, but the two types of approaches should be combined together in order to create marketing strategies optimal for companies and fans alike.