An Exploration of Satirical Internet

Memes Effect on Brand Image

Course: 2FE21E

Semester: VT-20

Examinator: Åsa Devine

Tutor: Viktor Magnusson

Group: C3

Christopher Kontio Klara Gradin Melker Pripp

Acknowledgments We would like to thank our tutor Viktor Magnusson for his guidance, time, and support throughout the writing process of this thesis.

As well as Dan Halvarsson for assisting us with the methodological aspects of this thesis.

We would also like to thank our examiner, Åsa Devine for conducting seminars that provided us with critical but fair feedback.

Finally, we would like to express our gratitude towards all of the interview participants that volunteered and took time out of their days to be a part of this study, Thank you.

Abstract The owner(s) of a brand decide the attributes of the brand, such as name, color, shape, logotype and values. They have the power and control on what they are communicating to the consumers. However, consumers can freely interpret any information that is being communicated towards them and shape their own perception of the brand. Internet memes can be categorised as a type of satirical communication method that can be used by consumers. The purpose is to explore how satire through the medium of internet memes affect brand image. This research used a qualitative research approach with a cross sectional research design, in the form of semi-structured interviews. The sample consisted of people from the age 20-30 that had knowledge about memes to some degree. A total of 15 interviews were implemented and took approximately 30 minutes each to execute. The conducted research gave insight to how satirical memes can potentially affect consumers perception of brand image. What was discovered was that satirical memes had the potential to possibly affect certain aspects of both the cognitive and emotional components of brand image. When the participants had a neutral or negative pre-determined brand image it was possible to see a negative shift in their perception of this brand image through negative reinforcement. While on the other side, when participants had a strong and positive pre- determined brand image, the satirical memes affected them differently, as they did not make them negative towards the brand but became critical instead. These alterations showed that there was the potential to affect the participants purchase & usage situations and through the satirical memes effect on the different cognitive and emotional components, could possibly change the perception of a brand image as a whole.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.Introduction 1 1.1 Background 1 1.2 Problem Discussion 3 1.3 Purpose 7 1.4 Research Question(s) 6

2. Theoretical Framework 7 2.1 Brand Image 7 2.1.1 Brand trust 8 2.1.2 Emotional 9 2.1.3 Cognitive 10 2.2 Memes as images 11 2.2.1 Components of Imagery Memes 12 2.2.1.1 Hyper-signification 12 2.2.1.2 Prospective Photography 12 2.2.1.3 Operative signs 13 2.3 Proposed Conceptual Model 13

3. Method 14 3.1 Research Approach 14 3.1.1 Research Strategy 15 3.2 Research Design 16 3.2.1 Conduction of satirical memes 17 3.3 Data collection method 18 3.3.1 Interview Guide General Fel! Bokmärket är inte definierat.0 3.3.2 Pre-test 19 3.3.2.1 Pilot Guide 21 3.3.2.2 Our Pre Test 21 3.3.3 Interview Conduction Guideline 21 3.3.3.1 Our Interview Guide 21 3.3.3.2 Conduction of Interview 21 3.4 Operationalization 22 3.5 Sampling 25 3.5.1 Sample Frame 26 3.5.2 Sample selection 26 3.5.3 Saturation 27 3.6 Data Analysis Method 27 3.7 Research quality 28

3.7.1 Credibility 28 3.7.2 Transferability 29 3.7.3 Dependability 29 3.7.4 Confirmability 29 3.7.5 Authenticity 29 3.8 Ethical Implications of the Study 30 3.9 Societal implications of the study 31

4. Empirical 32 4.1 Pre Meme Exposure 32 4.1.1 Sony 32 4.1.2 Nike 34 4.1.3 KFC 35 4.1.4 Memes 37 4.2 Post Meme Exposure 38 4.2.1 Style & Design 38 4.2.2 Quality 39 4.2.3 Personality & Values 40 4.2.4 Purchase & Usage Situation 41 4.2.5 History & Experiences 42 4.2.6 Thought Process 42

5. Analysis 447 5.1 Analysis of Cognitive components 447 5.1.1 Quality 44 5.1.2 Style & Design 46 5.1.3 Price 47 5.2 Analysis of Emotional components 471 5.2.1 History & Experiences 48 5.2.2 Negative Reinforcement 49 5.2.3 Critical 50

6. Conclusion Fel! Bokmärket är inte definierat.6

7. Limitations & Implications for Future Research Fel! Bokmärket är inte definierat.2

Reference list: Fel! Bokmärket är inte definierat.3 Appendix 1 Fel! Bokmärket är inte definierat.3 Appendix 2 683 Appendix 3 705 Appendix 4 749 Appendix 5 80

1.Introduction

1.1 Background

Brands are a core element of building a successful business and can also be defined as the major communication tool that the company has with the consumers (Kotler and Keller, 2012). The owner(s) of a brand decide the attributes of the brand such as name, color, shape, logotype and values. They have the power and control on what they are communicating to the consumers (Kapferer, 2008). However, consumers can freely interpret any information that is being communicated towards them and shape their own perception of the brand. Thus, brand image is created. Brand image can be described as how a brand is being perceived by consumers and other stakeholders. Further explained, It is the overall picture including all attributes and therefore the personality of the brand (Balmer and Greyser, 2003). Consumers now control and conclude their own imagery in terms of sets of beliefs, ideas, and impressions regarding the brand (Kotler and Keller, 2012).

Reynolds (1965) defines brand image as “The mental construct developed by the consumer on the basis of a few selected impressions among the flood of the total impressions; it comes into being through a creative process in which these selected impressions are elaborated, embellished, and ordered” (Reynolds, 1965, p. 69). In later years, Keller (1993) regarded brand image as perceptions that consumers associate with a particular brand.While the definition of brand image has been slightly simplified over time. Brand image as a concept has been further developed and advanced.

Today, the components of brand image can be categorised into emotional components and cognitive components. These two dimension are distinctive yet interrelated and explain the basis of how brand image is formed and shaped. Emotional associations involve subjective feelings, such as excitement, happiness and joy. Cognitive associations reflect a consumer’s personal beliefs, thoughts and evaluations of a brand related to its product attributes (Cho and Fiore, 2015). Utilizing these dimensions in a positive manner creates trust and engagement among consumers. When using emotional branding, marketers are attempting to establish brands that are

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directly connected to consumers emotions. By doing this, a lifetime bond can be created between the brand and the consumers. This is when a consumer feels that the brand is a part of his/her identity (Solomon, 2018).

In today’s society, social media plays a big role and both applications and websites are constantly increasing, and consumers have the possibility to interact directly with brands on social media platforms (Tuten and Solomon, 2018). One example of a communication tool that can be used both by the brand and the consumers of the brand is internet memes. Internet memes are something that have become more popular in marketing, especially when it comes to reaching out to a younger audience, such as millenials (Carr, 2019).

Internet memes are typically funny and one type of internet meme is the satirical internet meme. Satirical comedy can be viewed as a classical form of comedy and it is still apparent in everyday communication (Simpson, 2003). Satire in itself is a very old form of criticism, the word stems from the Latin word “Satur” and originally meant “Well Fed”. The origins of literary Satire is accredited to the Greek Poet Aristophane, as far back as 411 BC. Since that time, it has evolved and can be seen in a variety of mediums. There are satirical books, tv shows, movies, and has been used many times in political cartoons to bring different topics to light (Masterclass, 2019).

Satire can be delivered in the form of puns, jokes, or whimsical stories etc. It is often described as a social lubricant, much like many forms of comedy, and allows critical statements to come off as non-threatening. Satire is composed of three parties, the satirist, the satiree, and the satirized. The satirist is the creator of the text, image, video, song etc. The satiree is the audience, be it the reader, listener, viewer etc. Lastly, the satirized is the target who is being criticized (Simpson, 2003). It is important to understand how the satiree’s perceive the satirised. When successfully implemented, the satirist should establish a closer bond to the satiree, while unsuccessful attempts cause the reverse desired effect and strengthen the bond between the satiree and the satirised (Simpson, 2003).

The word meme is from the beginning known from the book “The Selfish Gene” written by Richard Dawkins, a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist, and science writer. In addition to

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that Richard Dawkins describes the meme as a cultural imitation process between people (Shifman, L., 2013). While Dawkins is the founder of the word meme, it is the people within society that have created the modern internet meme. From the beginning, the word is taken from the Greek word Mimeme that means to imitate (Wiggins, 2019). Dawkins also claims that memes, just like genes, can be carried over generations, like phenomenons and cultural heritage (Dawkins, 1976). The internet meme is a phenomenon that has been around since the’90s but has become more popular in the latest years (Shifman, 2013). Internet memes can also be described as a new field within social media, where people can express their identities, political opinions and beliefs but it also adds some complexity to a person's expressed identity (Orlikowski, 2003). The contribution about memes being a form of self expression is also something that is stated by Christodoulides, Jevon, & Bonhomme (2012).

Shifman (2014) describes internet memes as digital substance that is created by online users and spread throughout different internet platforms to communicate a message. Within the modern society, Internet memes are a growing phenomenon and are being used more within the marketing sector to create publicity for companies (Bauckhage, 2011). Some companies are using memes as a marketing tool, with the advantages that memes are inexpensive and easy to create. Companies usually use memes with the expectation of reaching out to their consumers in a more humoristic and personal way (Carr, 2019)(Aswal, 2020). Today memes are mostly connected to the internet and different social media channels. Internet memes can be described as a new digital language that can consist of pictures, videos, and music (Thrillist, 2020).

1.2 Problem Discussion

Brand image is something that is considered to be highly affected by consumers interaction with the brand. Consumers can easily affect other consumers perception with different communication tools. Today’s social culture are to a high extent taking place online, this means that together with word of mouth there is a lot of new ways for consumers to communicate opinions about companies and brands. If consumers negative opinions are being communicated this can result in a negative effect for the brand image (Pfeffer, Zorbach and Carley, 2013).

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By having a positive consumer brand image this automatically increases the consumer brand value. Brand value can be referred to as, how much the consumer thinks that the brand is worth compared to other brands within the same category (Barrett, 2019). Brand image is affected and built up by both cognitive and emotional aspect makes the overall perception about a brand complex, especially when it comes to consumers affection on a brand (Keller and Swaminathan (2012). This including those communication channels that are not being controlled by the managers of the brand (Pfeffer, Zorbach and Carley, 2013). In addition to that brand image is affected based on all sorts of interactions and experiences with the brand. Recent studies suggest that approximately 45 % of all brand perception can be attributed to what and how a brand communicates themselves. Thus, the majority of brand image is affected by non-controllable communication (Barrett, 2019).

Like earlier mentioned, consumers nowadays respond to the products and services of a brand through different digital channels (Christodoulides et al, 2012). Posting reviews and content such as memes about a brand on digital channels has given consumers and companies a more equal structure where it is not only the company that has the power on the market. This means that the consumers have a possibility to affect the interpretation of a brand and its brand image (Bruce & Solomon, 2013)(Christodoulides, 2009).

Satirical humour and internet memes can be used by consumers to express something about a brand (Shifman, 2013). The problem with internet memes typically being user generated content is that a brand has no say in what type of content is created and the brand itself does not create, regulate, or moderate it (Balmer and Greyser, 2003). Internet memes can be categorised as a type of satirical communication method that can be used by consumers (Shifman, 2013).

Some modern day non-controllable internet memes can be compared to an older originating form of critique against capitalism and large scale corporations, referred to as culture jamming. Culture jamming is the alteration of, for example, a billboard, magazine, or any other form of media, in such a manner that it brings critique to social or political commentary. The term “Culture Jamming” is said to have been coined by Don Joyce in 1984 while he was with the band

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Negativland. Culture jammers use memes to help shift consumers perceptions of companies (Pickerel, Jorgensen and Bennett, 2002). Perhaps best known for culture jamming is the magazine company Adbusters, founded in 1989 by Kalle Lasn and Bill Schmalz (Enns et al., 2020).

Adbusters has used Absolute, the alcohol brand as a meme where they have altered the image but retained the typical type font to show the image of a foot with a toe tag laying in a morgue with the print “Absolute on ice” written below. Adbusters has also used Joe Camel of Camel Cigarettes and renamed him Joe Chemo, showing him in different hospital situations to try to stimulate social commentary about the health hazards brought on by cigarettes. (Sommer, 2012).

The reason this is mentioned is because visual critic is not something new, as satire has been around for a very long time, but the increase in internet usage and the accessibility and shareability of user generated content has increased the amount of content that is shared and seen by online users. Internet memes are a phenomenon based on the same concept as Adbusters and Culture Jamming, both presented by Dawkins. Users on different social media channels also have the possibility to react and post anything about a company and brand, which can have both negative and positive effects on the brand image (Tuten and Solomon, 2018). According to Wiggins and Bowers (2014) there is a lack of research when it comes to internet memes and that further research needs to be done within the area. This is also something that is being stressed by Huntington (2015). In addition to that, Bauckhage (2011) claims that the research and interest about the subject is increasing but there is a lack of scientific studies within the area of internet memes which is once again agreed upon by Shifman (2013). Keeping the previous statement in mind, internet memes can be used as an outlet for satirists, as user- generated content can be used as a vehicle for criticism of various topics. That being said, there have been a variety of studies that investigate the effect satirical internet memes have on different aspects of politics. One such study, examines the effects of the satirical parody of political campaigns in Greece (Piata, 2016).

Another study looks into the effect satirical internet memes have on individuals’ political views (Kulkarni, 2017), and Ross and Rivers (2017) examine how satirical memes have been used to

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delegitimize political candidates. The reason these different sources are mentioned is to help showcase where the recent focus of satirical memes has been. This leads us to believe there is a gap of knowledge as studies beyond politics have not yet been conducted. A clearer picture of how consumer generated memes can affect companies and their brands are therefore considered to be of value.

1.3 Purpose

The purpose is to explore how satire through the medium of internet memes affect brand image.

1.4 Research Question(s)

How do satirical memes affect consumers cognitive perception of brand image? How do satirical memes affect consumers emotional perception of brand image?

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2. Theoretical Framework

2.1 Brand Image

Keller and Swaminathan (2012) claim that brand image can be divided into two categories: performance and imagery. Performance can also be described as cognitive image and refers to the different attributes: price of the products, style & design of the products, significant characteristics, extra features, service effectiveness reliability, serviceability and durability. In summary, cognitive image is connected to the contact that the consumer has with the brand(Išoraitė, 2018)(Keller and Swaminathan (2012)(Creusen & Schoormans 2005). In addition to that, it is also connected to the perception that the consumer is building with the help of surrounding opinions and throughout a brands communication to the consumer. Extraordinary style and design can contribute to a brand image and give the consumers a perception about what value they will receive( Solomon & Stuart, 2002) (Creusen & Schoormans 2005)(Person et al. 2007).

Imagery can also be referred to as emotional image and consists of attributes such as user profiles, situations where the products of the brand is being used and purchased, a brands personality & values and a brands history and earlier experiences. The attributes within the emotional image or imagery section can be described as intangible (Keller and Swaminathan ,2012). If consumers feel that they can identify themself with the brand and the image that the brand wants to mediate, it is likely that the consumer will buy the products that the company is offering. A strong customer relationship is, in many cases, building a higher loyalty to the brand and in turn becomes an important part in a consumer's life, (Armstrong and Kotler, 2014)(Czellar, E. Sprott and R. Spangenberg, 2006).

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The experiences the consumer receives by interacting with the brand is being built up by emotions, perception, cognition and the consumers reaction towards the brand experience (Brakus et al., 2009). Positive experiences commonly lead to positive feelings towards a brand (Iglesias et al., 2011)(Thompson et al., 2006). According to Hendra and Lusiah (2017) product quality is one of the most significant aspects regarding consumers purchase intention. This is something that is also stated by Zeithaml, (1988), who claims that a brands product must be inline with expectations of the consumer and what is considered as quality. A brands quality is being built up by the consumers perception about the messages connected to the brand (Schiffman & Kanuk, 2010). According to Motameni and Shahrokhi (1998) and Yoo et al. (2000), perceived quality is positively related to the brand equity. Positive experiences can be measured by looking at the value the consumer thinks they receive (Solomon, 2018). In line with both emotional and cognitive marketing techniques Dirsehan and Kurtuluş (2018) claim that it is important for a consumer to find a brand or company trustworthy, this can be built by offering good customer service (Dirsehan and Kurtuluş, 2018).

A concept that relates closely to this is that of “Lovemark”. Lovemark is a concept that refers to the theory about consumers being significantly committed to a brand on an emotional level that can be described as brand love (Roberts, 2005)(Unal and Aydın, 2013). The concept of lovemark appears when a consumer has a positive cognitive, sensory and emotional experiences with a brand. Lovemark in turn leads to brand loyalty (Roberts, 2005)(Unal and Aydın, 2013). Furthermore, if a consumer is considered loyal to a brand they feel dedicated to a brand and would highly recommend it to other people in their surroundings. They are also considered to have positive thoughts and emotions towards the brand (Dick and Basu, 1994).

2.1.1 Brand trust

Based on the ideas of Johnson and Grayson (2005), both emotional and cognitive aspects have high influence on a consumers brand trust. According to a study conducted by Delgado‐Ballester and Luis Munuera‐Alemán (2000), there is evidence that brand trust has a major effect on customer dedication. Furthermore the study shows that brand trust has an affect on customers willingness to pay, meaning the amount of money a consumer is willing to pay for a product. If a consumer feels satisfaction after having purchased a product from a brand it results in consumer

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dedication and brand trust (Delgado‐Ballester and Luis Munuera‐Alemán, 2000). Another research as conducted by Zatwarnicka-Madura, Stecko and Mentel (2016) claims that there is an important relationship between brand image and brand trust. This is also something that is being stated by Morgan & Hunt (1994). Furthermore the authors states that brand trust is significant for building relationship between the consumer and the brand (Zatwarnicka-Madura, Stecko and Mentel, 2016).

2.1.2 Emotional

According to Yun Yen, Lin and Lin (2014) emotions are an important aspect when it comes to attracting consumers to a brand. The reason for this is that emotions can be directly connected to action and therefore purchases. If the marketers can activate a consumers emotions towards a brand, it is more likely that the consumer will repeat the purchase. According to a research made within the fashion industry consumers that are experiencing satisfying and positive feelings when being in contact with a brand are more likely to be loyal to a brand (Cho and Fiore, 2015). Hwang and Kandampully (2012) claims that younger consumers are susceptible for brands especially luxury brands when emotions are an influencing aspect. Consumer feelings of brands fulfilling self-concept, some kind of emotional connection and passion towards the brand, are aspects that are increasing a consumers loyalty towards a brand (Hwang & Kandampully, 2012). Another aspect that is affecting consumers emotions and intentions of consumption are nostalgic memories (Chen, Yeh and Huan, 2014). In addition to this, Muehling and Pascal (2011) claims that if a consumer has an nostalgic memory with a brand this is considered to be a stronger relationship compared to a brand with no nostalgic memories.

In addition to that, a study made by Han and Back (2008) claims that consumption emotions are affecting customers loyalty to a brand and a company. When looking at positive and negative feelings, research has shown that negative feelings have a higher influence on consumers than positive emotions (Han & Back, 2008). In addition to that, it is of value that the consumer consider the information to be inline with the value that is being received from the brand (Johnson and Grayson, 2005). Furthermore, Creusen and Schoormans (2005) claim that depending on a person's personality and the image they want to be seen as, they may be less likely to select a product that is not inline with them. In this way we can see that while

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personality and values is an emotional aspect, it does still interact with the cognitive aspect of style and design.

2.1.3 Cognitive

Cognitive can be described as an attribute of attitudes and is connected to a person's perception and thoughts about a specific object(Solomon, Askegaard, Hogg and Bomossy, 2013). According to Keller (2001) consumers perception and opinion of a brand are being built up by different associating objects that are saved in a person's mind. All people have memories that are being used as some sort of systematic ideas, this based on a person's earlier experiences. For instance, sensory sensations directly towards a specific product and its attributes (Hultén, 2009). These ideas can be applied to different objects, such as, for example, brands or companies. The ideas and information can be connected to each other and can therefore form some sort of net in a person's consciousness. A net that, for example, connects a brand to a product(Solomon, 2018). The relationship between the brand and the consumer are being established when a consumer is interacting with the products or services that the brand is producing. When a consumer is purchasing a product or service the cognitive brand image are being compared with the already existing brand relationship. In addition to that, the relationship between the customer and the brand is a significant aspect when building cognitive loyalty(Fournier, 1998), (Veloutsou, 2007). Like mentioned earlier, consumers cognitive perception about a brand has a high influence on brand trust. Furthermore, the cognitive component is connected to how credible a consumer considers a brands communicated information to be.

A study made by Hsu and Cai (2009) has shown that the elements with cognitive characteristics within the area of brand image are lowering the risk and improving expectations of a brand. This in turn leads to increasing a consumers brand trust (Hsu and Cai, 2009). Riesenbeck and Perrey (2007) claim that the brand image guide the consumer with the help of cognitive objects, these cognitive objects are connecting a person's understanding about different products and its characteristics and connect them to their own personality (Creusen & Schoormans 2005)(Riesenbeck & Perrey, 2007). In addition to that, by distinguishing companies and organisations through the use of brands is adding advantages such as self-expression information efficiency and risk reduction to consumers (Riesenbeck & Perrey, 2007). Pitic, Brad and Pitic

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(2014) state that it is possible to link perceived fair price with perceived quality. Although the two variables are not constantly dependent on each other, is it noteworthy to acknowledge that there are a category of people who considers worth to pay much more for better quality. Creusen and Schoormans (2005) established that there are different roles a product's appearance play on consumers; Aesthetic values is of importance and is evaluated based on roundedness, size, color and specific detail. Moreover, aesthetic values is particularly centralized on durable product since they are used or displayed regularly.

Considerably intertwined with aesthetics, symbolic values are likewise of importance and evaluated based on alignment with ones personality. Aesthetic and symbolic is evaluated different in the sense that one could find a product to be aesthetically pleasing but will not purchase the product because it is not aligned with the his or her persona. Functional values are product attributes that revolves around displaying the features of a product and serves as cues to determine a product’s technical quality. The evaluation regarding functionality can be different based on the consumer’s preference. The more features a product have could indicate that the quality is of a higher standard. However, simplicity could in some cases be of more value than complexity without determining the quality (Creusen and Schoormans 2005).

2.2 Memes as images

According to Milosavljević (2019), the most common memes that are posted and shared online are memes in the form of images. It is subjective material and the meme could contain various features that is unique to one of its own.. However, one feature that is consistent and prominent in memes are that they are designed to be entertaining. Moreover, humor produced by internet memes is a trigger to discuss how texts are constituted by verbal and visual-verbal elements (Komesu, Gambarato, Tenani, 2018). According to Shifman (2014), internet memes in the form of images, can be categorized into different genres. Two meme genres that have a major presence online are reaction photoshops and Stock character macros; the first mentioned can be explained as altered images of people, characters or animals in various sorts of situations and environments. Stock character macros are images that display stereotypical captions in a particular unfavourable manner that are associated with specified social groups. Shifman (2014)

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suggests that internet memes operates in cultural logic and understanding the components of memes is a key factor to understand broader dimensions of digital culture.

2.2.1 Components of Imagery Memes

Despite the difference between the three categories of memes as images, they share the same components; hyper-signification, prospective photography and operative signs, and these are key components that structure an effective meme.

2.2.1.1 Hyper-signification

This category of memes touches upon the significance of creating an imaginary that display truthfulness in a manupalitic manner. Digital images are in a constant relation between image and the displayed truthfulness. Images can be transformed and manipulated to the extend that it becomes unnoticeable. Hyper-signification takes advantage of manipulating images or altering the original meaning. However, the manipulation or the altered message of the image is to be recognizable to the receiver and function as focus of attention. Shifman (2014) explained it as a process of meaning-making more than about meaning itself. Hyper-signification behaves differently based on if the image is a reaction photoshop or a stock-character macro. In a reaction photoshop, hypersignifaction often takes the form of highlighting the constructed part of the image and enables users to reimagine the manipulation. In stock character macros, hyper- signification relates to constructing stereotypes to the extreme. The truthfulness of the constructed assumption can be utilized for collective criticism towards a social group. However, it can also be utilized to whitewash and normalize discrimination (Shifman, 2014).

2.2.1.2 Prospective Photography

This category refers to the philosophy that memes function as raw material for future references and reimaginations. It is the concept of creating an imaginary that will spawn future adaptations that a community together shape to an established meme. Thus, the internet meme will be relevant and updated since different variations and generation of the meme will exists (Shifman, 2014).

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2.2.1.3 Operative signs

This category can be referred to as the link between hypersignification and prospective photography. It is the textual categories that are designed as invitations for creative action. To appropriately adapt an internet meme, one must acknowledge the context in which the textual category is written and thereby adgerring the rules that their own creative action is to be within the same textual category. A common tool to invite people to engage in operative signs is to have the meme feature a caption that can be altered. For instance, in stock character macros the image remains the same but the text that is displayed in the image is altered with other stereotypical statements. Operative signs are not restricted to textual categories, it could take also take the form of an image or video. However, it is of importance that the operative sign is transformable through almost automatic actions (Shifman, 2014).

2.3 Proposed Conceptual Model

The presented figure below shows the speculation that satirical memes affect both the emotional and cognitive components and all of the aspects within these components. These two components in turn, affect the brand image as a whole. It is important to note that while aspects of both cognitive components and emotional components are different, they still interact with each other to help create the entire brand image.

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Figure 1 Satirical Internet Memes Effect on the Cognitive and Emotional Components of Brand Image

3. Method

The following chapter explains the methodology approaches for this research.

3.1 Research Approach

It is important to determine a suitable research approach when conducting research because it will affect the choices one make in regards to research design and data collection. In research approach, it is fundamental to determine the deductive, inductive or abductive reasoning. A deductive approach base research on known theory which researcher will draw a hypothesis from

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that can be empirically tested. An Inductive approach base research by conducting observations in society. Thus, theories emerge from empirical investigations (Bryman and Bell, 2011). Another approach that is similar to inductive reasoning is abductive reasoning, both utilize evidence to form likely guesses. However, in abductive approach the researcher is led away from old to new theoretical insight. Furthermore, a deductive approach follows a inrpincple of rules that will be either accepted or falsified, and inductive approach starts with a collection of observations and proceeds by evaluate the result to create a rule. As of abductive approach, researcher investigate observations and evaluate the possibility that variable affect a phonmena (Timmermans and Tavory, 2012).

The aim of this study is to explore how satirical memes affect brand image. The research is based on theories on brand image and satirical memes. However, there is a lack of of research in the field of memes. However, brand image have been theorized and conceptualized by man researchers. Thus, this research will be of abductive reasoning that takes inspiration from theoretical material. Moreover, the research is abductive because the conducted study will not provide enough evidence to create its own principle rules or falsify or confirm already existing one. However, this research conclusion could provide possible causes for how satirical memes affect brand image.

3.1.1 Research Strategy

It is vital to establish if the research strategy is quantitative or qualitative because it determines how the structure of the method will be conducted. Quantitative research is conducted research that tell something about the world by providing evidence. The research utilize a large number of participants in their sample that represents the population. Its structure is very determined and the data collection is numerical and measurable (Bryman and Bell, 2011). A qualitative method is more connected to being a research theory that generates depth. This means that instead of exploring “how many” or “how much” like in quantitative research approaches, the researchers are exploring “what” and “why” the participants thinks in a certain way (Miles and Hubberman, 1994) (Bryman and Bell, 2011). The researchers of this paper have been choosing qualitative research approach because it is considered to be the most suitable research method when

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analysing how people are thinking. In connection to the researchers purpose they wants to know how the participants are thinking rather than finding out quantitative results including numbers of how much or how many. Qualitative research methods are referred to as being more descriptive and involved than the opposing research method quantitative research. Furthermore, an exploratory research is a research process that is based upon the process of examining a problem that earlier has not been made any studies about or where there are missing parts that needs to look more into depth to (Bryman and Bell, 2011). The researchers of this paper have been finding some earlier studies regarding memes and its effect on brand image but they can see a gap in that research and that a easier understanding of how this works can be explain with the help of a model.

3.2 Research Design

The research design refers to being the framework of the research and should help the researcher to build an overall structure that makes it easier to answer the research questions(Bryman and Bell, 2011). The research design should also be well stated of why the specific research methods have been chosen (Saunders et al. 2016) According to Bryman and Bell (2011), there are different types of research designs that can be used by the researcher: Experimental, Cross-sectional, Longitudinal, Case study and Comparative. Another aspect that needs to be considered by the researchers is whether a qualitative or quantitative strategy should be used when collecting data. Research methods that are usually being used within Qualitative research process are focus groups, in-depth interviews and participant observations, the information that are being gathered throughout this methods are usually being generated with the help of notes, audio, filming and transcripts. The research process of qualitative are being referred to as exploring, the question-formats are most commonly open-ended and conducted in the format as text(Mack and Woodsong, 2005).

The research method that the authors of this paper are going to be using are semi-structured interview with a cross sectional design, the data that are being gathered and the process of open

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coding are going to create codes that structures the result of the interviews. The interviews are going to have a cross-sectional structure, this because 3 brands are going to be questioned about, together with appurtenant memes. Because of the current situation of Covid-19 it is not possible to meet up with the participants and given the allotted time span for this thesis the interviews are carried out throughout the duration of 2 weeks.

The data acquisition process is that of deep dive semi-structured interviews. When using an exploratory research approach, the researchers are instead of using closed questions with closed optional options, using open ended questions to obtain a broader and deeper understanding of the desired research area. This makes it easier for participants to express in their own words their personal perception about an object. This also makes the answers to the research questions more colourful and varying. Exploratory research approach also give the research more detailed answers (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2009).

3.2.1 Conduction of satirical memes

In order to explore how satirical memes affect consumers brand image, three brands had to be chosen that were of exploratorial satisfaction and range. Three different brands were selected based on the researchers pre-assumptions and knowledge of what consumers tend to have generalized perceptions of these brands. The authors of the paper thought that it would be preferable to choose brands that are within different areas on the market, this because they wanted to create a broader exploratory study. Therefore, Nike, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Sony were selected as suitable brands. Nike, is one of the most recognizable brands in western society with strong equity. KFC, is a relatively new fast food chain in Sweden that presumably many people have little experience and thoughts about. Sony is a multi-tech company that were highly successful in the cellphone industry in the the 2000s but have since declined. The researchers were dependent on MemeGenerator as an instrument to create the memes. MemeGenerator is a free digital tool that is used to create and customize memes by editing images and texts. Its features allowed the researchers to construct their own memes that emphasize critical humor

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towards the chosen brands. Nine internet memes were constructed based on known theories about meme categories, meme components and satire to portray the memesin a certain satirical manner. All the images of the internet memes were based of previous meme formats and follow its principle rules. See Appendix 5 for a visualized description.

3.3 Data collection method

Semi-structured interviews are interviews conducted with the aid of select questions and themes to help maintain the focus throughout an interview, so that the discussions remain relevant to the research questions. In this form of interview, the order of the questions is not necessarily important, as they are meant to assist the flow of conversation and generate discussions. In some interviews, the predetermined themes and questions may not be enough to acquire enough information from the interview participants and during such scenarios additional questions must be asked. These interviews should be recorded either through written transcripts or with the use of audio recording devices (Saunders et al. 2016). Semi-structured interviews are flexible as they allow for a large spectrum of information to be divulged to the interviewers by the interviewees. The free flowing nature of dialogue should not be hindered when the focus may go off topic in relation to the research questions, but rather that, when the conversation shifts towards topics of key relevance, they should be encouraged to explain more (Bryman and Bell, 2011).

As previously mentioned, the data was collected from semi-structured interviews. In order for the data to be accurate and valid for the research, the interviewee had transcribers present during the entire interviewing process. However, due to Coronavirus 2019, the interviews were held via the online services Messenger and Discord. It was therefore essential for every party to have a stable internet connection and working microphones. The spoken language from the participants was transcribed into text as faithfully as possible. In order to minimize human error, two transcribers

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were used for the interviews. The transcribers were also given the interview guide and could thereby be prepared for when certain questions were asked.

3.3.1 Interview Guide General

An interview guide is a tool that assists in the interviewing process. It can consist of specific words, themes, prompts, general questions, or even imagery. The use of an interview guide helps provide consistency and allows for greater replicability of an interview (Bryman and Bell, 2011)(Saunders et al. 2016). Interview guides also help provide focus in terms of what is actually being researched (Bryman and Bell, 2011). According to Bryman and Bell (2011), there are some general components of an interview guide. Questions should be formulated in such a manner that they are easy to understand but are not leading nor too specific. They should also be present in a way that they generate an easy and good flow but can still be asked during different times of an interview as to allow a general form of freedom in the ongoing dialogue. General background questions should also be asked as it might provide relevance in understanding a participant's answers. These baseline background questions are typically; Age, Sex, Name, etc (Bryman and Bell, 2011).

3.3.2 Pre-test

Pre-testing or piloting a research can be crucial for researchers to make sure that their questions within a research are being well formulated and covering up the right areas. The technique of pre- testing a research methods can be valuable during interviews. After doing some pilot interviews, the researchers can than see if there are some changes that needs to be done. Doing a pilot interview also gives the interviewer more experience and makes them more familiar with conducting interviews. When conducting a pre-test for a study, a group of participants that are similar to those within the population of the study sound be selected. The participants of the pre-test should not consist of people that can actually be a part of the actual study. The explanation for that is that if the researchers are using probability sampling it can result in that the selected participants affecting the members of any sample that is being selected afterwards (Bryman and Bell, 2011). The authors of this paper will be conducting several pre- tests, this is to make sure that the chosen questions of the interview are connected to the research

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questions and that the questions are structured in a proper way, which makes it easier for the participants to understand what is actually being asked.

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3.3.2.1 Pilot Guide

See Appendix 3

3.3.2.2 Our Pre Test

For this exploratory study, two pilot interviews were conducted and they resulted in crucial insight in how the interview should be focused and structured in order to receive appropriate data. The interview was based on a case study that focused on one brand which gave a narrow scope to the overall study. To ensure that the interview represented a more exploratory research the focus shifted to three distinctive brands. McDonalds was the original chosen a brand that the meme based their satirical creative imagination of. However, the Mcdonalds was not suitable when the focus shifted to involve three different brands.Furthermore, the researcher discovered that the original questions were too many and also too specific. This constricted the descriptive discussion and flow. To counter this, the question guide were designed as an interview guide that contained more open-ended questions.

3.3.3 Interview Conduction Guideline

See Appendix 1

3.3.3.1 Our Interview Guide

See Appendix 2 & Appendix 4

3.3.3.2 Conduction of Interview

The interviews were conducted on either the social media platform Facebook, via the use of its messenger program, or conducted via the online messaging platform Discord. The interviewers followed the guidelines of Bryman and Bells (2011) expansion of Kvale´s (1996) Successful Interviewer Criteria which can be seen in Appendix 1. The interview began with going through the ethical information of the interview which can be seen in Appendix 2. This was then followed by the transcriber/s beginning to write down the information that provided the baseline information of the participant; Age, Sex, Aware of internet memes, Occupation, Education, &

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Location. After the baseline information was gathered the Interviewer presented the participant with 3 brand logos, Sony, KFC, & Nike, after which they were asked to explain what they thought of these brands, their relation to them, their usage history, and just a general view of how they view the different brand images. Following this, some general questions about internet memes where asked. After this, 3 internet memes were presented that were specific to one of the brands, a discussion was carried out and then this process was repeated two more times. Afterwards a general discussion about the relation the memes had with the specific brands or brands in general was brought up then a question was asked to see if their view had changed throughout the duration of the interview had changed. Finally the interview was rounded off by asking the participants if they had anything else would like to add and if they could be contacted in the future with follow up questions. For more specific information about the questions asked throughout the interview, see Appendix 2.

3.4 Operationalization

To be able to measure theories, one could structure concepts and organize them into smaller groups in the form of items. From this, questions can be established that is suitable and relevant for the research (Bryman and Bell, 2011). The researcher of this study created an operationalization table that related each question to each separate item. However, from the pilot interviews we concluded that having too specific questions that related to each item disturbed the flow of the interview and the information that

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was given became too narrowed. By adapting a more semi-structured approach with open ended questions resulted in a more broad perspective about participants brand image and knowledge and thoughts regarding satirical memes.

Table 2. Operationalization

Concept Sub-concept Item Question (See Interview Guide)

Brand Image Cognitive Component Reliability, Serviceability, Durability - How would you Style & Design describe these Emotional Component Price brands?(KFC, SONY, Purchase and Usage Situations NIKE) Personality and Values History and experiences

Brand Image Cognitive Component Reliability, Serviceability, Durability What do you think of the Style & Design brand? Emotional Component Price Purchase and Usage Situations Personality and Values History and experiences

Brand Image Emotional Component History and experiences Name a product from each of these brands?

Brand Image Cognitive Component Style & Design How would you describe these products? Reliability, Serviceability, Durability

Brand Image Emotional Component Purchase and Usage Situations What if anything have you purchased from these Cognitive Component History and experiences Brands?

Reliability, Serviceability, Durability

Price

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Brand Image Cognitive Component Reliability, Serviceability, Durability Can you try to describe Style & Design these brands with about 5 Emotional Component Price words? Purchase and Usage Situations Personality and Values History and experiences

Meme Emotional Component History and experiences What is your experience with memes in general? Where do you usually interact/see memes?

Meme Emotional Component Personality and Values What do you think of these memes?

Meme Satire Personality and Values What do you think these memes are saying? Cognitive Component History and experiences

Emotional Component

Meme Emotional Component History and experiences Have you been exposed to any memes connected to these brands? Can you describe any of these memes? What attributes did they consist of?

Meme Emotional Component Personality and Values How informative do you find memes to be?

Meme Emotional Component Personality and Values How do these memes affect your view of the Brand Image brands?

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Meme Emotional Component Purchase and Usage Situations How does these memes Personality and Values affect your purchase Brand Image intentions?

Meme Emotional Component Reliability, Serviceability, Durability Would you use the same Style & Design 5 words? Brand Image Price Purchase and Usage Situations Personality and Values History and experiences

Meme Emotional Component Personality and Values How important are memes in today's culture? Brand Image

3.5 Sampling

When conducting a qualitative research, a sample is taken from a population, the amount and characters of the sample are selected based on the objectives of the research. The most common sampling approaches within qualitative research process are purposive sampling snowball sampling, and quota sampling. Purposive sampling can be referred to as the most frequent used sampling method within qualitative research method. The sampling method are based upon collecting information from participants that are being selected based upon objectives with the research and the research questions. Money, time and objectives with the research are three important aspects that are affecting the size of the sample .The theoretical saturation is something that usually is taken into consideration when using a purposive sampling method. It can be described as the point where it is no longer of value to collect more data because the information is not giving any new information about the researched object (Mack and Woodsong, 2005)(Bryman and Bell, 2011).

When using the Quota Sampling method the researchers are determining which participants are going to take part of the research process based upon characteristics. Example of specific characteristics that can be requested are, different demographic attributes such as, hometown,

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age, gender etc. Which characters that are needed for the specific research are decided when constructing the research. This research process allows the researchers to focus on a specific group of people that they consider to have something contributable to the chosen research object(Mack and Woodsong, 2005)(Bryman and Bell, 2011). Snowball sampling method can also be connected to purposive sampling and can be a type of chain process where the participants of the study are using their acquaintances to get other people to participate in the study. This method can be used when researchers want to get in touch with obscure groups within the population (Mack and Woodsong, 2005)(Bryman and Bell, 2011).

3.5.1 Sample Frame

The researchers of this paper will be using purposive sampling which is a sampling technique that is based upon the researchers deciding which participants they found suitable for their study. By using a strategic way of selecting participants the researcher can select those that they find most suitable for their research. One benefit with this type of sampling method is that the researchers can make sure that it is the right persons that are answering their questions . In addition to that the researchers can ensure that their sampling is having a variety among the participants. Purposive sampling method are different compared to many other sampling methods, this because the purposive sampling method is not having a population as a starting point. The method is used when trying to investigate and make sense of a social phenomenon(Bryman and Bell, 2011). The researchers of this paper have decided that they want to focus on people between the age of 20 to 30 years old. This because this is considered to be the age where people are most active within the area of memes (Cavill, 2020) Another aspect that is also considered by the authors is at which age consumers are having the most purchasing power and therefore is having a more developed perception about brands image. In summary to that the researchers of this paper have decided to use a group that is highly active within the area of memes and also having a high purchase power.

3.5.2 Sample selection

The sample selection for this exploratory was to select participants aged between 20-30 who had knowledge of internet memes. The reason behind this selection was that it was viewed by the researchers that this age group represents people that are active online and also have some

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purchasing power, which seemed relevant as brand image can affect this. The final sample group consisted of 15 participants.

3.5.3 Saturation

In this study the researches conducted 15 interviews which resulted in over 7.5 hours of discussion time. After having analyzed the transcripts it became apparent to the researchers that they could see some patterns and felt that they had acquired enough data for this study to be at theoretical saturation. Further time spent towards conducting more interviews did not feel relevant as no information was being discovered and no new trends were appearing (Mack and Woodsong, 2005)(Bryman and Bell, 2011).

3.6 Data Analysis method

The researchers of this study will be using grounded theory as a method of analysing their collected information. The researchers of this paper will be using grounded theory because it is considered to be the most discovery oriented qualitative method when creating new concepts and theories. The research is also considered to be of an exploratory nature and therefore grounded theory is considered to be a suitable research method. Grounded theory is a method that is based upon inductive reasoning that is mostly connected to qualitative research. Inductive reasoning means that the theories are being grounded in the analysis of the data. To be able to use the method of grounded theory, the study most of the time needs to begin with stating some kind of problem and throughout that problem a question needs to be stated. After that, data can be collected, this can be done through different methods. The researchers of this study will be using interviews to be able to collect their required data. After the data has been collected the researcher will conduct different types of categorizing, which can be referred to as open coding. The process of open coding is referred to as very open minded and where there are no rights or wrongs, it is therefore very much up to the researcher to interpret the given data (Bryman and Bell, 2011).

Further on in the process of open coding, is axial coding, which is an important stage within grounded theory. Different codes will be added to different attributes within the gathered data, these attributes will later on be added together and will then create concepts. The concepts will

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afterwards be summed up into different categories. This gives the researcher a perception about the overall structure of the data and what result the study is leaning towards (Bryman and Bell, 2011). There are different outcomes that grounded theory can result in but the researchers of this study is aiming for creating a better understandable conceptual model that describes how different parts of the components within brand image are affected satirical memes.

3.7 Research quality

An essential barrier that needs to be bypassed in order to conduct legitimate research is the requirements to fulfill research quality. Reliability and validity have been key factors in conducting research quality in quantitative research. However, quantitative research quality does not tranferser for a qualitative study, it has been concluded that the quality of qualitative paper has other requirements that depend on similar but nonetheless different variables to the ones of quantitative. Guba and Lincoln (1985) suggests that trustworthiness and authenticity are criterias for meeting the standards of qualitative research quality, and are considered substitutes for reliability and validity. According to Tracy (1995), there are four aspects that needs to be fulfilled by a researcher to be able to reach trustworthiness, these are credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability (Bryman and Bell, 2011)(Tracy, 1995).

3.7.1 Credibility

Credibility can be referred to as whether a research can be applied to reality. According to Guba and Lincoln (1985), credibility can be referred to as how closely related to the truth, the result of the study is. This means that the information that is being acquired from the participants of the study is being interpreted in an appropriate way that is inline with reality (Guba and Lincoln, 1985)(Bryman and Bell, 2011). Furthermore, the credibility of research is determined depending on how the research is received and accepted by others(Bryman and Bell, 2011).

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3.7.2 Transferability

Transferability entails the applicability of a researchers findings. It lies in how the result of the study are able to be interpreted and generalized to fit into other contexts, samples and time periods. The results of the study should be able to be recreated or expanded upon by others. Transferability can be achieved by utilizing a sample that is diverse in demographic attributes and comparable to the population. Moreover, thick descriptive data is a method that has been utilized to create transferability (Bryman and Bell, 2011).

3.7.3 Dependability

Dependability refers to the stability of the data over time and the conditions of the study (Connelly, 2016)(Bryman and Bell, 2011). To fulfil this criteria, researchers need to store all information that were used in conducting the research. This includes, the original transcripts, decisions and sample selection.

3.7.4 Confirmability

Confirmability is concerned with ensuring that, while recognizing that complete objectivity is impossible in business research, the researcher can be shown to have acted in good faith; in other words, it should be apparent that he or she has not overtly allowed personal values or theoretical inclinations manifestly to sway the conduct of the research and findings deriving from it (Connelly, 2016).

3.7.5 Authenticity

Authenticity is the extent to which researchers fairly and completely show a range of different realities and realistically convey participants thoughts, feeling and opinions (Connelly, 2016). There are five prominent criterias for achieving authentic research. Guba and Lincoln (1984) explain fairness as the first criteria. Research needs to be represent the the experiences and viewpoints of a social setting in a fair and honest manner. The researcher needs to include information to the extent to which the participants’ different constructions and underlying values

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are solicited and represented in a balanced, even-handed way by the researcher (Bryman and Bell. 2011). Therefore, in this research, the interview participants different opinions about the different brands and memes were transcribed accordingly no matter their opinions and the researchers remained impartial throughout all of the interviews. Ontological authenticity as a criteria concerns the way in which participants’ own constructions are enhanced or made more informed through their participation in the research. Educative authenticity revolves about how participants develop understanding and appreciation of others. Catalytic authenticity as a criteria concerns how the research process stimulates and facilitates the participants’ behaviour. The researcher may not influence participants to the extent in which action is stimulated. The final criteria, tactical authenticity refers to the extent to which participants are empowered to act (Bryman and Bell. 2011).

3.8 Ethical Implications of the Study

When conducting research there are some ethical rules that need to be followed. These rules can be connected to the participants, the researchers, and society. The research process or contribution can have both a negative or a positive effect on different objects that are participating in some kind of way with the research. Like mentioned, there are some ethical rules that needs to be followed in able to make a research that is considered to be ethical. One of the major ethical rules is based on not causing participants any harm during and after the research process. This includes physical and mental harm, examples of this could be stress, damaging their self-esteem, and affecting the participants employment or future employment (Bryman and Bell, 2011). According to Bryman and Bell (2011) it is the researchers responsibility to make sure that none of the above mentioned situations occurs. In addition to this, it is also important to make sure that the participants remain anonymous after and during the research process. To be able to do this, it is critical that the information about the participants remains confidential. In cases where the private information about the participants is in some way being displayed, it is important that the participant is well informed as to why this is the case, in which context, and to whom the private information is divulged. The risk of revealing confidential information is increased within qualitative studies, the reason for this is that within the qualitative research process there are several methods that include descriptions of characters, companies and

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organizations, and locations. If there is any risk for the participant to be identified, the researcher should be open with this. (Bryman and Bell (2011)(Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2009). Bryman and Bell (2011) also claim that one important ethical aspect when it comes to research is that the participants are well informed before proceeding with the research. In some research areas this implies difficulties. Within business research, it is common that the researchers are using different kinds of observations. If the participant is informed that the observations are going to take place it is easy that the result become affected and can become biased and not true. That is the critical aspect when doing observations. In these cases, it is important to give the participant as much information possible about the study and with that information the participant can make a decision whether to partake or not. In addition to giving information about the research to the participants, it is also of value to in the beginning of the research share which techniques are being used to collect the data. Within research ethics, one important aspect is deception and the importance of minimizing this. A research deception refers research result being presented as something different than what is actually is (Bryman and Bell, 2011).

The authors of the paper took these ethical rules into consideration by informing all the interview participants about the reason for the research and that their personal information would remain classified. In addition to that the participants were informed of how long time the interview would take and that they can end the interviewing process at any time. Together with ethical issues it is also important for researchers to have their impact on the society in mind

3.9 Societal implications of the study

When conducting research, the researchers must be aware of what effect the study is having on society and what responsibility they have. A research result can both have a positive or negative effect on the society (Bryman and Bell, 2011). One societal aspect that was considered when conducting this study was that it could potentially be a risk for the brands that were used within the study. The brands could be harmed and the perception that the consumers have about the different brands could possibly be changed. This was taken into consideration when the research was being conducted and to try to limit this, the researchers stated that the satirical memes presented had no affiliation with the brands that they satirized, as well as stated that the memes do not necessarily have to be true or false but have been purely created for the sake of

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researching a specific area. Another aspect that needed to be considered was that the study could potentially cause some form of harm to the researchers, as they have to live with having accredited themselves to this study.

4. Empirical

The following text is a collection of the empirical information gathered from the 15 conducted interviews.

4.1 Pre Meme Exposure

In the beginning of the interviews all participants claimed that they had knowledge of what a meme was and recognized all of the brands they were shown. The amount of knowledge about the brands differed among the participants, together with feelings that the participants had towards the brands. This could easily be found out based on how the participants were expressing themselves when talking about the brands. The next phase in the interviews was based upon the participants perception of the brand today and about what experiences they had with the brand. This included their cognitive and emotional perception, which could be connected to the brands and their products. Like mentioned earlier all interviews started by showing the participants three different brands, Sony, KFC and Nike, followed up by letting them describe the brands.

4.1.1 Sony

The description of Sony as a brand was that the participants actually did not have a clear image of the brand. Participants 9 even stated “I can't point out a sony product between other brands”. They were unsure about if they had purchased any products recently. Furthermore, participants tend to purchase products from the company without knowing that it is actually a Sony product. The brand was also described by the participants as either outdated or updated. In this case it is worth mentioning that one of the participants mixed up the brand Sony

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with the brand Panasonic right in the beginning of the interview and therefore where answering some of the questions with Panasonic in mind. A part of the peoples that participated in the interviews also connected Sony to TV’s, headphones and mobile-phones, while others had no clue what Sony currently did. One example of that is when Participant 5 was unsure if Playstation was produced by Sony or not. When Participant 5 was informed that Playstation was produced by Sony, this came as a surprise. When they got a reminder of what products Sony was actually producing they realised that they actually owned Sony products. Questions regarding SONY showed that a large extent of the participants did not really have awareness about whether or not they had purchased any of their products recently. While taking a walk down memory lane they could remember that their parents had made some purchases of different products when they were children. Participant 2 mentioned “I Can't remember if I have purchased anything, but my father bought something” Another

Things that were associated with the brand Sony were dark colours, not really colorful, games, entertainment, electronics, gaming and multimedia. The products mostly connected to the Sony brand were Playstation, TV-logo, headphones, DVD-player and mobile-phones. The overall perception about Sony products was that many of the participants did choose other brands such as Apple over Sony. Participant 11 claimed before the exposure of the meme about Sony “A brand I knows and recognises, electronics, a lot of things but hard to pick something out. I'm trying to think about the Sony products I've used. Sony is a brand I know but I don't really know what their deal is. They seem to make a lot of things like tech but also Sony Pictures. Sony core identity is unknown. Neutral towards.”.

Another perspective that could be found within the interviews was that Sony could be considered to be outdated with their products, such as, for example their mobile phones, which were considered by some of the participants to be out of date compared to competitors such as Samsung and Apple. These opinions could also be found in the description of the brand as being forgotten in some way or described as one of the weaker brands. A evidence of this can be seen in the interview with Participant 11. Some of the participants stated that Sony was a stable company that did not produce any significantly attractive products but is considered to make products that have fairly good quality.

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Participant 10 said “Tech, black , high quality” when asked to describe Sony. The products made by Sony were being described as quite colourless and boring. Even though participants could be found that had nostalgic relation to Sony and its products and therefore had a more positive image about the brand: “Relates to my youth, used to play playstation, haven't really paid much attention to it but have a positive view of the brand, but they do cameras also, i forgot to mention, i think my roommate has one.” Another part of the participants described Sony by using a few words, Participant 13 said “Good prices, good quality, good design, good purchase possibilities”, Yet Sony products can be seen everywhere but are rarely being identified as a Sony product. Even though the interviews showed that Sony was considered to be partly forgotten, it was associated by some with being a large technology company that is doing well in many aspects. The quality of Sony’s product was mentioned by Participant 6, “I associate all of the brands with quality, Sony for sure I associate with quality” and “I think they have a good guarantee and quality policy” . Participants 5 also stated the an opinion regarding the quality of Sony “TV that has been around for long time, good quality high definition, not a premium brand, not an apple tv but good quality and reliable, the go to tv. If you say LG im not like ok, but if you say SONY i'm like hmm maybe.”. Another thing that was described when discussing Sony was that of their price & quality in which Participant 5 said “A good reliable brand, affordable or high end class depending on your budget”

4.1.2 Nike

When the participants described the brand Nike the results showed that most of the participants had a predertimed perception about Nike as a international brand and they had a overall positive opinion, some of them mentioned that they found their marketing campaigns to be of high quality. Participants 2 even claimed “I have never had a bad experience with Nike”. Nike as a brand and its products were generally associated with positive words, as for example, motivation, favorite and good quality. This being claimed by participant number 9 “Overall good quality” and “Good quality and design”, these positive opinions regarding Nike were also claimed by Participant 3 “Sporty, High-end, Popular, Basketball, Nice, Good-looking” and Participant 12 “Nice good looking”,“many different models”. Some primary characteristics and words that were found to be connected to Nike were, sneakers, sports, sports events, training clothes and athletes. Participants 3 described the Nike brand as one of their favorite brands- “It is my favourite shoe

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and athletic clothing brand”. In addition to that, a part of the participants claimed that they felt that the products fulfilled their wants and needs. They also claimed that they really liked the style and design of the Nike products.

Participant 12 expressed some positive opinions regarding Nikes products during the interviews “good quality, many different models, something for everyone, good to market themself.” A small amount of negative association could be identified within the conducted interviews. Participant 7 said that “I don't buy from them often, I recognize it but it doesnt change my opinion of shoes, I would probably not pick a Nike shoe because I suspect it to be too brand reliant. I suspect that the quality isn't necessarily better but the brand is stronger”. When looking at the overall result of the interviews this is not considered to be the overall perceived perception from the participants. Negative thoughts that some of the participants were stating were that they considered the products to be too expensive and that they did not at all like the brands products and described them with words such as mainstream, overpriced and underpaid employees. During the interview, Participant 11 expressed a concern regarding whether or not the shoes are being produced by child labor, but also stated that they are not trying to think about it too much “ I hope their shoes aren't made in sweatshops but hey i try to not think about that”

Another negative perspective expressed by Participant 6 is about the employees salaries, “They are not paying enough to their employees”, in addition to that Participant 1 mentioned “Nike has underpaid workers”. Participant 2 considered Nike as a brand that was somewhere in the middle when it comes to prices, It was not considered to be the most pricy alternative but not either the most expensive one “Not to cheap but not to luxury, somewhere in the middle”. Purchase and usage situations connected to Nike could be seen in the interviews as something that was common by many of the persons participating during the interviews. The participants could mention many different situation when they had purchased products from the brand. Regarding Nike, there was of course those who had not purchased any products from the brand and one of these Participants claimed he did not like the brand.

4.1.3 KFC

When showing the participants the KFC logo, many had an overall negative perception of the

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brand. People tended to have fairly negative association with the brand KFC, this related to greasy food, inhumane practices, unethical conduct, and unpleasant atmospheres..Participant 9 expresses his/her opinion regarding a visit at KFC “not any great experience, 20 dollar chicken”. Some of the participants claimed that they only have tried KFC once and some claimed that they never had tried the KFC food. The brand of KFC resulted being highly connected to their logotype and the man featured in it. In addition to that the famous red and white bucket of fried chicken is something that is being associated with the brand of KFC. The participants of the interviews had different experiences whether they had purchased anything from KFC or not. Some of them did not remember if they had purchased any KFC products and some of them had only eaten there once. Some of the other participants had a more experienced purchase history connected to KFC where they have most of the times been eating different menus or meal combinations, often together with friends.

One aspect that was very clearly stated by many of the participants was the fact that KFC was considered to be unethical, both regarding their ways of producing food and their working conditions. Participant 5 claimed before seeing the memes about KFC “Not a lover of KFC due to negative news behind it. Chickens on a conveyor belt”. .

Participants that considered themself to be vegetarian or did not eat chicken for different reasons claimed that they considered KFC to be unethical in many ways. Even though the participants that did not eat chicken had at some time in their life tried a KFC product. Considering what values the consumers was receiving for the amount of money that they were paying, most of the participants considered KFC to be quite expensive. The participants of the interviews were connecting KFC to fried chicken and fast-food chain. One way to describe the perception of the participants is that there is a double-meaning among the consumers. Participant 6 described the brand of KFC as ”I feel that the brand and its products has a double meaning”. This Meaning refers to that at the same time as the brand is considered to be something that is associated with negative things, there is a love/hate relation between the brand and its consumers. The food is considered to be unhealthy and greasy by the participants but at the same time tasty, enjoyable and that they usually go there with their friends. When Participant 1 was describing the products of KFC they said “Flavour trumps the rest”.

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Fast food, greasy, disgusting food, Chicken, buckets, unhealthy, red, good, were some of the words used by the participants when they were asked to describe KFC as a brand with only a few words. Opinions that were stated by Participant 10 were about the quality of the products of KFC, “Produced in a bad way, not very healthy food”. The negative view of KFC is something that was also being stated by Participant 13 and Participant 1, “Expensive and bad service” and “poor ingredients”. When looking at the participants perception about style & design there was not very much mentioned about the brand except that the brand was described as red and white by Participants 11 and that the brand had a nice logo by Participant 9. A positive feeling towards the KFC logo was also something that was expressed by Participants 9 when trying to describe the brand of KFC with a few words: “Mediocre, chicken, expensive, fast food, good logo”. Participant 3 was asked to also describe the brand with a few words, the result of this was: “Greasy, Gross, American, Red, Good”.

4.1.4 Memes

The participants perceived internet memes as funny images that usually contain relatable material. Participant 14 expressed internet memes as a substitute for “couch jokes”, explained as some kind of everyday jokes. The majority of the participants were exposed to memes on a daily basis. Participant 9 explained how frequently they were exposed to memes to the extent that they feel surrounded by the quantity of them. It became apparent that the participants consumed internet memes for the most part on different social medias. Facebook, Instagram and twitter were prominent platforms where memes were present. Participant 2 were engaged by “tagging” their friends in different memes they find funny.

Besides social media, internet memes were consumed on various sites, communities and forums that are directly dedicated towards meme consumption. Some prominent websites where the participants consumed memes were on Reddit and 9gag. Moreover, internet memes were also consumed in private channels such as in private messages, group chats and closed Discord channels. A majority of the participants consumed memes to the extent that they shared them among friends and family. Participant 7 even created their own internet memes. Besides being

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perceived as humor, participant 10 described internet memes as a reflection of reality. Participant 4 further explained that memes are a form of communication and can be used to “bring serious things to light”.

4.2 Post Meme Exposure

4.2.1 Style & Design A group of the participants changed their perception about the style & design of the brand of Sony and its products. This could be identified by looking at the answers of several respondents changes in describing the brand, an example of that is Participant 13 whom described Sony as “Good prices, good quality, good design, good purchase possibilities” but after being exposed to the Sony memes Participant 13 expressed, “ I understand what they are communicating, that Sony is not that up to date as it was before. I purchase other products but not phones.“ and “Not up to date to the market anymore. Did not know that they produced phones, not creative”. Sony products also seemed to lack distinguishable characteristics according to some participants, stated by the interview with Participant 11 “A brand I know and recognise, electronics, a lot of things but hard to pick something out. I'm trying to think about the Sony products I've used. Sony is a brand I know but I don't really know what their deal is. They seem to make a lot of things like tech but also Sony Pictures. Sony core identity is unknown. Neutral towards.”

Regarding the brand Nike, there was a big group of the participants of the interviews whos opinion regarding Nike’s style and design did not change. Participant 1 did not mention anything about the looks of Nike as a brand or its products so this can not be considered as any evidence of this, but when looking at Participant 3 they described the clothing and products of Nike with the words “Sporty, High-end, Popular, Basketball, Nice, Good-looking”.

After being exposed to the satirical memes connected to Nike and asked if they would use the same words, Participant 3 expressed “I don't think I would change my words, three memes won't change my entire opinion of the brand, I wouldn't say that I would switch out to bad quality.”. Another Participant 12 originally said “Nice good looking”,“many different models”, and after seeing the memes this participant only expressed they changed perception about Nike’s ethical

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aspects. This was something that was common among many of the participants, their perception about style & design was not changed but their perception about other things within the brand was a bit changed.

After the participants had been showed the different memes relating to KFC the responses in relation to style & design were overall unchanged. When participant 9, the same participant that expressed positive opinions regarding the logo of KFC, had been exposed to the memes and were asked to describe the brand again they claimed that, “I don't think that my mind has changed. KFC would probably be more negative? Because the food is probably not good quality.” The overall interview result did not result in any major change towards the perception about style & design regarding KFC as a brand. Participant 11 described the brand as white and red and this was not an opinion that was changed after the memes had been shown. When Participant 3 was asked to describe the brand again they only added the phrase “bad chicken”.

4.2.2 Quality

The participants of the study had different perception about the quality of the brands. This was varying depending on which brand was being discussed and what the participants earlier brand image was. When asked the question about what the memes where communicating the answers was different among participants. After having shown the participants the memes connected to Sony the researchers could see a overall perception that the participants had about the memes confirming their already perceived image about the brand. One confirmed perception is that the brand is not associated with innovation, participant 6 states that “Sony is a bit behind, instead of being industrial leaders, they try to adapt but nothing is really innovative”. After Participant 11 had been exposed to the memes about Sony they expressed “Share the opinion that sony doesn't make great products,outdated. I didn't know Sony made phones. Sony Walkman ofc.”.

Much of the opinions from before showing the memes for the participants was confirmed after the memes had been shown to the participants. Other opinions that were being stated were that the memes only confirmed the information that the participants already had before the memes. Participant 5 explained this by saying “Exactly what I was thinking”. A participant that did not have a perception about the fact that Sony was producing phones expresses that they thinks that

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the quality would probably be bad “I think they might make shitty phones even though they might not”When the participants described the brand again after viewing the the memes some words that were added were outdated, not updated and under-the-radar. Participant 5 claims that “Sony is so outdated at the moment that there are no memes because nobody cares about sony. ”. Participant 2 also confirms the fact that Sony is being outdated by stating “Sony has lost relevance, no longer players in the market”.

In terms of KFC, when regarding the quality the participants expressed that their view of some aspects changed. When the participants described the brand again after having viewed the memes, some words that were added were; unhealthy food, nasty chicken and not good quality. Participants 9 expresses a negative perception of the brand by stating “KFC would probably be more negative? Because the food is probably not good quality.” Participant 3, Participant 14 and Participant 13 also claim negative views after seeing the memes by stating “Bad chicken” and “Bad Service” and“manufacturing procedure is bad”. The participants were asked if their purchase intention of KFC had been changed and Participant 14 answered “The chicken is probably not the best but this is nothing that i have facts on, but I do get that feeling” . Participants did not state anything about changing their perception about the quality of Nike.

4.2.3 Personality & Values

After having been shown the memes some participants stated that they would no longer use the same words to describe the brands. Some of the keywords that were used by the participants were; child labour, unethical, exploitation, animal cruelty, no corporate-consciousness. In terms of Nike, some participants wanted to either add or switch out previously stated words with “Child labour”. Participant 7 said “This is an issue” after having been shown memes about Nike and wanted to replace the word olympics for the word child labour, and participant 12 stated simply “I don't want to support child labour”. Participant 4 wished to add the words unethical and exploitation when describing Nike again. Some participants simply stated that if they were to change out any words they would be more negative in general. When talking about KFC some participants felt that the memes confirmed what they already thought of the brand yet others wished to switch out words to be more negative. Participant 5 for example stated they would add the words animal cruelty and no corporate-consciousness when asked to describe KFC again.

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Participant 5 said before the memes had been showed- “not a lover of KFC due to negative news behind it. Chickens on a conveyor belt” and after being exposed to the memes “Goes back to the general feeling that i had at the beginning of KFC, obviously KFC doesn't follow regulations that are standard for animal treatment. We are guilty consumers, vicious circle. The memes are a little bit guilty. While Nike is more aggressive, everybody already knows what's going on with KFC.”

4.2.4 Purchase & Usage Situation

Regarding the memes impact on the participants purchase intentions, different answers were discovered. The most prominent answer towards KFC and Sony were that the participants already had no purchase intentions from the beginning. For instance, Participant 10 explained that they only bought Apple products and therefore do not consider buying any Sony products. Furthermore, some participants expressed that they are not keen to purchase from Sony and would consider a more modern brand. However, Participant 5 stated “I would still give Sony a shot, I think they are still reliable, I would be willing to see what they have to offer even if they are outdated from a commercial point of view”, but the same participant also claimed that they would have “maybe a little more hesitation” towards Nike. Similarly, Participant 4 claimed that they “would consider” before purchasing from Nike again, but that it was also hard to avoid as well since many companies have been accused of it as well. Besides not planning to eat at KFC anyway, some participants explained that they were slightly affected and would not purchase from KFC any time soon. Participant 8, stated they their purchase intention is unchanged because KFC’s competitors act the same.

Purchase intentions towards Nike were met with uncertainty. Several participants expressed that they would have to fact check or “look up” whether or not the Nike memes were true in order for the purchase intention to be changed. Several participants also said that they would “double think” or “reconsider” their purchase intention. However, Participant 5 stated “If I see a really nice pair of trainers I’m not sure if i would doublethink”. Participant 7 stated “I don't really buy Nike, but it would encourage me to buy from a small company”. Similarly Participant 11 said they would “think again” before purchasing and potentially “reconsider”.

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There were also some participants that expressed that their purchase intention would not change, Participant 3 states “I won't stop purchasing from Nike based on 3 memes” Moreover, some participants explained that since they have been exposed to the memes, they have been reminded that the brands exists. Participated 2 states “since i have seen a meme about KFC i've been reminded that i can eat there” and participant 6 got reminded that they needed new shoes.

4.2.5 History & Experiences

When asking the participants about if their purchase intention was being changed, Participant 5 claims that “A brand that we all know, Turning 30 soon, we grew up with Sony we know its TVs remotes, cameras, they aren't keeping in the game, they are outdated, are a traditional company and aren't adding anything new. Nobody knows or cares about Sony anymore but we know, and I'll always love” and “I would still give Sony a shot, i think they are still reliable, i would be willing to see what they have to offer even if they are outdated from a commercial point of view. I still have a strong positive experience from my childhood”

4.2.6 Thought Process

When it comes to who actually creates, shares, or just views memes the opinions were fairly similar. Participants 3, 7, 9, and 12 stated that younger kids tend to use memes. Participant 9 stated, “Under 35, they matter a bit under 25 they matter a lot. Over 35 i don't see memes as being very influential.”. Inline with this, two important keywords are; Millennials and Gen Z.

The satirical memes that were used for this research were regarded as opinionated; the memes were described as being “funny”, “brilliant” “satirical” “funny and sad”. However, the memes were also described as being “tasteless” and “basic”. In terms of how informative a meme is the responses from participants were varied. Participant 1 stated simply “Not particularly”, while Participant 2 said in relation to memes about Nike that “They are very informative about how the brand is and their policies/actions”. One participant felt that memes had replaced classic news outlets. Participant 14 thought that memes were “subconsciencly informative”. In terms of the brand Sony, Participant 2 claimed that memes functioned as a reminder, stating “They remind me

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that their phones aren't anything to purchase, and also reminded me that they actually have phones”. In terms of the brand Nike, participant 4 felt that the memes “brought to light” aspects of the brand that they had forgotten.

When asked about how trustworthy memes in general are Participant 2 said in relation to the brand KFC “I don't know where the information comes from so I don't trust it 100%”, this was similar to Participant 15 who just said in general that “I do not believe in memes 100%”. Trust in memes wasn't unanimous as some keywords were trustworthy, not trustworthy, believable, and doubts. Relating to the trustworthiness level of memes Participant 6 claimed “ I as an individual do not follow the news so memes will inform me of the current situations”, yet other other participants referred to memes as “Fake news”.

The internet memes that the participants saw made some participants view brands more critically. One comment from Participant 3 after having been shown memes was “I will have to look further into it”. Similar to the other Participants, Participant 5 said “I’m surprised and would read up on it” based on what the memes were stating about the brands.. Participant 6 said “They force us to do more research” and “They make you think differently”. Concurrent with this view of thinking, Participant 9 stated “They raise a question about something I wouldn't think about.” and Participant 11 said they would “At least look into their practices”. When discussing Nike, Participant 12 would “at least look into it” in terms of the memes about Nike’s conduct. Interestingly when it came to the brand Nike respondent 10 was upset by the memes and claimed “It upset me because i really like their shoes. I don't want to support that so I need to look up that. Guess I didn't know it was this bad.”.

Participant 13 stated in relation to a KFC meme that they “opened up thoughts about KFC”. This was a statement similar to that of Participant 14 who said “They generate ideas”. Participant 14 also said that the memes about nike generated some “skepticism” and that they would “read up on Nike’s practices” Some of the keywords/phrase responses throughout the interview process were; verify, reconsider, think twice, own research, critical, look into it, investigate, read up on, skepticism. Lastly, Participant 15 said the memes made them “suspicious” of Nike and made them question Nike “morally”.

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5. Analysis

5.1 Analysis of Cognitive components

The cognitive components of brand image are made up of quality (serviceability, durability, reliability), style and design, and price

5.1.1 Quality

Quality is the combination of serviceability, durability, and reliability.

Brand image is according to Keller and Swaminathan (2012) built up by different cognitive attributes that are based upon the consumers contact with the brand. Quality is considered to be one of those cognitive attributes. According to the interviews being conducted by the researchers, some of the participants had no knowledge about the fact that Sony was producing phones, and could be viewed as having a rather neutral brand view. Yet once they had been exposed to the satirical memes, some participants perception of the brand image shifted towards being more negative in terms of quality. When looking at the empirical information the researchers could also see a pattern showing that some of the participants had difficulties in pointing out Sony's products. However, after being exposed to the satirical memes, some of the participants image of Sony product’s quality shifted, it became apparent that there was a pattern of participants that acquired a more negative perceptions about Sony mobile phones. Those participants began to associate Sony with not being “innovative” and “behind”. This shift in participants perception about quality could cause a negative impact on Sony, since consumers expectations on quality must be inline with the brands product (Zeithaml, 1988) and product quality is a significant aspect in regards to purchase intention (Hendra and Lusiah, 2017).

A brands quality is being built up by the consumers perception about the messages connected to the brand (Schiffman & Kanuk, 2010) For some participants, their perception of Sony was either

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limited or they had completely forgotten what products Sony even produced nowadays, this resulted in them being more susceptible to the satirical memes that criticised Sony. For example, one participant said “I think they might make shitty phones even though they might not”. Participant 11 stated that they “Share the opinion that sony doesn't make great products”.

Features including roundedness, size, color and specific details can give the product the impression of being of higher quality (Creusen and Schoormans, 2005) but since some participants could not recognize the product, they were unable to have a perception about the quality of Sony, and thus seemed to be affected by the satirical memes negatively. This can be connected to that the participant does not have that many earlier experiences or memories connected to a product and its attributes and therefore are more open for other opinions(Hultén, 2009). The participants that are expressing that they are associating Sony with good quality most certain have been in more contact with the brand and therefore is having a more well established relationship towards the brand.

When inspecting the empirical information regarding participants perception of KFCs quality, the researchers could identify a pattern. The participant who already had a negative perception of the brand image of KFC, expressed awareness about KFC’s presumably bad quality. Thus, one could argue that the satirical memes affect to some extent as their assumptions in regards to quality got enhanced. However, after being exposed to the satirical meme the overall participants started to more frequently associate the brand as unhealthy, poor quality and with poor service. Which, could result to negative impact on the brand image (Hendra and Lusiah, 2017).

Furthermore the identified pattern that the researchers could see was overall considered to be two-parted as the researchers could see that there is a kind of love and hate relationship between some of the participants and the brand. One example of the two-parted opinion regarding the brand quality of KFC could be found in one of the interviews where they claimed “I feel that the brand and its products has a double meaning”. Some of the participants liked KFC's food but did not approve of their production methods: “Produced in a bad way, not very healthy food”. This pattern of two-parted opinions could be based upon earlier experiences and surroundings

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opinions about the brand(Solomon & Stuart, 2002) (Creusen & Schoormans 2005)(Person et al. 2007).

The love-hate relationship also transfers the participants image about the products quality. One example of this was when one of the participants expressed after been seeing the satirical memes: “Produced in a bad way, not very healthy food”. This can be seen as a change in the participants brand image and perception about the quality of the brands products. According to Schiffman & Kanuk, (2010), a brands quality is being built up by the consumers perception about the messages connected to the brand. This can be connected to the reinforcement of the participants view of the brands products.

Regarding Nike, the researchers could see a pattern in the empirical information. The majority of the participants had a well established positive brand image, their relationship with Nike was strong. Thus, this could be a reason why the researchers could not identify a change within the image of the quality of the brand and its products. One could therefore assume that memes do not affect quality if the brand image is already strong.

5.1.2 Style & Design

Regarding the effect on participants opinions about style & design, the researchers could not see any significant change in the perception about KFC or Nike, the reason for this could be that the main criticism by the satirical memes towards these brands was not style and design. When looking into the patterns within Sony, an effect can be seen in the participants perception about style & design. The reason for this could be that the memes connected to Sony were based upon things such as their products looks and features which can be connected to the cognitive attributes of brand image, style and design (Išoraitė, 2018) (Keller and Swaminathan, 2012). Some participants had positive image towards Sony’s style and design. For instance, before Participant 13 was exposed to the memes they stated “Nice good looking, simple design, not to advanced”,

After the participants were exposed to the Sony memes some of the participants got the perception of Sony mobile phones not being unique and outdated. An example of this was Participant 13’s opinion regarding Sony products “I understand what they are communicating

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that sony is not that up to date as it was before. I purchase other products but not phones”. This can be confirmed by Solomon & Stuart (2002) and Creusen and Schoormans (2005) as they claim that an outstanding visual perception is significant for a consumer to be able to find a brand significantly unique, but since some participants couldn't even pick out sony among other products, it is difficult for them to consider the brand to have unique characteristics in terms of style and design.

Furthermore Fournier (1998) and Veloutsou (2007) also claim that a relationship and cognitive loyalty between a brand and a consumer is being established when the consumer is interacting the the product or services of a brand. The fact that participant can not point out a Sony product among other brands is something that also can be evidence of a low interaction between the brand and the consumer. Furthermore, empirical information suggests that awareness of specific Sony products is limited, this can be an indication of that the participants had to some extent an established brand image of Sony, but not well enough established and clear to not take in others opinion or perspectives.

5.1.3 Price

According to Delgado‐Ballester and Luis Munuera‐Alemán (2000) a consumers brand trust is something that is affecting their willingness to pay. Based on the interviews carried out by the researchers, they were unable to see any change in the perception of the participants when it came to the pricing of the products of the brands discussed. In the case of this study, the researchers were unable to see if satirical memes could affect consumers perception of price.

5.2 Analysis of Emotional components

The emotional components of brand image are made up of user profiles, situations where the products of the brand is being used and purchased, personality & values and history and earlier experiences.

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5.2.1 History & Experiences

A big group of the participants of this study said that they had only positive experiences with the brand Nike. Positive experiences is something that is considered to build brand trust and give a stronger and more positive brand image. Furthermore Delgado‐Ballester and Luis Munuera‐ Alemán (2000) claim that brand trust also gives a higher consumer dedication.

Within the emotional component of brand image, the aspect of a consumer's history and experience can be found (Chen, Yeh and Huan, 2014). According to Chen, Yeh and Huan (2014) history and experiences of nostalgic memories affect a consumer in an emotional way. This can be confirmed by various participants as they relate some brands to their childhood. For example, Participant 5 said in relation to Sony “A brand that we all know, Turning 30 soon, we grew up with Sony we know its TVs remotes, cameras, they aren't keeping in the game, they are outdated, are a traditional company and aren't adding anything new. Nobody knows or cares about Sony anymore but we know, and I'll always love”. Participant 6 also had nostalgic memories that strengthened their relation to Sony. Furthermore the researchers can see evidence in the interviews connected to the theory claimed by Muehling and Pascal (2011), that relationship between a consumer and a brand is much stronger if there are emotional nostalgic memories involved.

Some of the participants had negative experiences connected to KFC, the researcher could not see any evidence of changes in this opinions regarding the participants history or experiences. The researchers could only see that a part of the participations negative opinions regarding their earlier experiences was being reinforced after having been exposed to the memes.

Brakus et al., (2009) claims that consumer experiences are being built up by emotions, perception, cognition and the consumers reaction when the consumer is interacting with the brand. The researchers can see a relation between history and experience and the brand image but the satirical memes did not have an effect on history and experiences itself, as history can not be changed. History and experiences do play a vital role when it comes to many of the sub categories within the components of brand image, as they play an important role in being a building stone in the overall perception the consumers have of the brand.

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5.2.2 Negative Reinforcement

One pattern that could be seen in the interviews within the emotional perspective of the participants was that those opinions and perceptions that already were negative were only being strengthened when they was exposed to the satirical memes. Considering that the some participants did not necessarily “love” some of the brands, they felt no commitment to those brands on an emotional level (Unal and Aydın, 2013). According to Han & Back (2008), negative feelings are also having a higher influence on a consumers brand perception than positive feelings actually are having. Furthermore, a loss in brand trust is often resulting in lower brand loyalty or no brand loyalty at all, this can result in a negative opinion regarding a brand. (Dirsehan and Kurtuluş, 2018)

The researchers could in the interviews find that if the participants had a negative perception of the brand it was something that remained constant, confirmed or strengthened, after having seen the satirical memes. One example of this is in the part of the interviews when KFC was in focus Participant 5 said before the memes had been showed- “not a lover of KFC due to negative news behind it. Chickens on a conveyor belt” and after being exposed to the memes “Goes back to the general feeling that i had at the beginning of KFC, obviously KFC doesn't follow regulations that are standard for animal treatment. We are guilty consumers, vicious circle. The memes are a little bit guilty. While Nike is more aggressive, everybody already knows what's going on with KFC.” This is similar to what Johnson and Grayson (2005) state as many participants did not feel that KFC was inline with their own personal values.

This statement about negative opinions not being changed after being confronted with the memes was something that could be identified by the researchers several times. Participant 9 expressed their opinion regarding KFC before seeing the memes: “Not any great experience” and “ mediocre food” and after being exposed to the memes “I don't think that my mind has changed. KFC would probably be more negative? Because the food is probably not good quality.”. These negative opinions throughout the interview can also be confirmed in the answers of participant 10, 12 and 13. Even though the participants are considering the satirical memes as something funny, it is also referred to as a way of communicating a message. Many of the participants considered memes as some kind of information source that provides them confirmation, that what

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they have believed to be true about a brand might actually be accurate, which in turn strengthens their predetermined brand image.This can be compared to the theory that implies that if consumers already have negative feelings towards one brand it is usually connected with negative experiences with that brand, which in turn leads to a loss in a consumers brand trust (Roberts, 2005)

5.2.3 Critical

When analyzing the interviews there was a pattern when it came to the potential purchase and usage situations, this is inline with Yun Yen, Lin and Lin (2014), as they mention emotions can be connected to actions. In the case of Nike, many participants had strong positive emotions towards Nike initially, and after they had been shown the satirical memes, they began to become more critical of the brand. Rather than stating that they would simply not purchase due to them having strong positive experiences with the brand they stated that they would “look into it”, before making any final decisions. This is likely due to the fact, as stated by Cho and Fiore (2015), that previous positive brand experiences have led to a strong brand loyalty, which means the participants would not change their minds too quickly. The participants perception towards Nike can also be connected to the theory about Lovemark that is based on consumers being highly committed to a specific brand, this in turn leads to brand loyalty and trust (Roberts, 2005)(Unal and Aydın, 2013). If a consumer is considered as loyal to a brand they feel dedicated to a brand and would highly recommend it to other people in their surroundings. They are also considered to have positive thoughts and emotions towards the brand (Dick and Basu, 1994).

So what does this mean? This means that what we can see from the interviews is that the satirical internet memes have the potential to affect purchase and usage situations, as the participants stated that they would have to become more informed, the memes functioned as a motivation to make them evolve into more critical consumers. It also means that the satirical memes could affected the personality and values of the emotional component of brand image, as many consumers are against unethical actions such as, in the case of Nike, child labour. This is backed up by Armstrong & Kotler (2014) who have stated that when consumers feel like they can identify themselves with brands that are inline with their personality and values they are more

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likely to remain loyal to the brand and its products. “It upset me because i really like their shoes. I don't want to support that so I need to look it up. Guess I didn't know it was this bad.”. As this participant had strong ties to Nike and therefore felt the need to verify for themselves the criticism brought to light by the satirical memes.

Hwang and Kandampully (2012) claim younger consumers are more susceptible to their emotions when it comes to how they feel about a brand, we can see that this is the case in terms of Nike, as the participants of this study ranged from ages 20-30. Many participants seem passionate towards Nike as they used words like “Favorite” or “Love” when discussing the brand, which leads us to believe there is a strong connection and loyalty to the brand. This also helps understand why they are not so quick to change their total perception of the brand as they already have a strong emotional tie to the brand. This can also be related to what Cho & Fiore (2015) claim, as they state that positive feelings lead to increased brand loyalty, meaning that if these satirical memes have generated negative feelings for the participants they are more likely to look for alternatives when considering future purchases. Similar to this, Han & back (2008), state that the positive or negative emotions consumers have towards brands directly affects their consumption. When it comes to the other brands Sony and KFC, the original brand image or better stated, the emotion towards the brand wasn’t strong enough to maintain this level of loyalty towards the brand the participants were more likely to shift towards a negative perception of the brand rather than become “critical” of it.

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6. Conclusion

So what did we actually see from all of the interviews? Depending on the history and experiences a participant has had with a brand they are more susceptible to the effect of satirical memes. Some participants had nostalgic memories of Sony from their childhood, and even though they weren't particularly aware of what the company was doing now, their view of Sony's brand image did not change, which was possibly due them having strong positive emotions based on these old memories. While some participants felt rather neutral towards Sony and after having seen satirical memes stated that they either simply agreed with the content of the memes or sometimes even shifted towards being more negative towards the brand.

Now when it came to KFC, more participants had a preconceived negative view of the brand than that of the other brands used in this study, and the satirical material they saw that criticized the quality of KFC's chicken and their lack of adhering to food regulations made them describe KFC more negatively. This shows us that the satirical memes did affect the perception of the quality aspect of the brand image. Those participants that had a negative brand image of KFC and felt that the satirical memes strengthened these negative emotions also claimed that they would no longer purchase their products showing us that satirical memes can have affected purchase and usage.

Noteworthy, the satirical memes did affect the style and design aspect of brand image when it came to Sony, as some participants stated that the brand lacked uniqueness and was outdated after having seen them. It is also important to mention that n this particular study, the price

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aspect of the cognitive component that was presented in the proposed conceptual model in section 2.3 of the paper was not seen to have been affected by the satirical memes and has thus been removed. This is theorized to be because of the actual content of the satirical memes not criticising pricing.

Noticeably, another pattern that was throughout the interviewing process was that when a participant had a positive brand image, rather than having that brand image shift negatively they became more critical of the brand. Many participants had positive experiences with Nike, but since what the satirical memes showed was not inline with their personality and values, they claimed to become slightly hesitant and were critical in terms of having to verify this information for themselves before confirming future purchases from the brand and use of their products. The reason behind this shift towards being critical rather than negative is because the participants had trust in the brand and seem to give the brand the benefit of the doubt before altering their personal perception of the brand image. So to summarize, satirical memes do work as tools of criticism towards brands but are very subjective and the effect they have depends specifically on who views them and how strong a relation the viewer has with the brand being satirized.

The conducted research gave insight to how satirical memes can potentially affect consumers perception of brand image. The following models visualize the potential affect satirical memes have on cognitive and emotional components of brand image.

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Figure 2 (Left Side)- When a participant had a negative or neutral brand image based on their previous history & experiences with the brands and the satirical meme showed something that displayed how they felt or a concept they were against, it generated a negative reinforcement which led some participants to state that they would no longer purchase or use products from the brand that had been negatively reinforced. This in turn made some participants state they would not purchase from the brand.

Figure 3 (Right Side)- When a participant had a positive brand image based on their previous history & experiences with the brands and the satirical meme showed something that was not inline with their personality & values, they claimed to become more critical of the brand, this was often due to them having strong trust in the brand originally. Some participants also stated that they would potentially look into these accusations before purchasing from the brand.

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Figure 4 (Left Side) - When the participants had either a negative or a neutral view of the brand based on previous history & experiences, when shown the satirical memes that satirized the quality of a brand some participants perception of the brands became negatively reinforced. This in turn has the potential to affect future purchase & usage situations, which can further affect the brand image as a whole.

FIGURE 5 (Right Side) - When the participants had a neutral view of a brand based on previous history & experiences, when shown the satirical memes relating to Sony, some participants became negatively reinforced towards the style & design of Sony's products. Some of these participants also claimed that they were less likely to or simply would no longer purchase from Sony, showing that the satirical memes had the potential to affect their perception of the style & design aspect, which in turn affected the purchase & usage aspect, and could affect the brand image as a whole.

7. Limitations & Implications for Future Research

The content of the satirical memes in this study limited the areas of which information could be acquired, as it was not possible to criticize every aspect of every brand. As studies

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7. Limitations & Implications for Future Research

The content of the satirical memes in this study limited the areas of which information could be acquired, as it was not possible to criticize every aspect of every brand. As studies involving internet memes are fairly young and the research areas involving memes can be seen as limited, this study has opened the door towards acquiring some type of understanding when it comes to the effect these modern humorous communication devices have on a brands image. That being said, it is recommended by the researchers of this paper that a more in depth study is conducted focusing on the effect internet memes have on brand loyalty. It has been analyzed in this thesis that they do effect components of brand image to varying degrees and this information could possibly be a good starting point into exploring the relation between internet memes and brand loyalty. The scope of this thesis was narrowed in on focusing on satirical internet memes, which often seem to have a negative response from the viewers, but in this particular case, the satirized topics where that of corporate conduct, product quality, ethics, etc. So it is suggested that other areas, such as pricing are examined in future research to see if there is the potential for any form of discovery in relation to this. One could also explore the relation that positive memes have on a brands image as it is speculated that there is potential for new information to be obtained in this area of study.

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Appendix 1

The following is a list of Bryman and Bells (2011) expansion of Kvale´s (1996) Successful Interviewer Criteria, which sums up 12 components/characteristics a successful interviewer should have/follow. . ● 1. Knowledgeable: Should be well informed/educated about the focus of the interview. ● 2. Structuring: Conducts the interview in a purposeful manner which is well structured and comes to a conclusion that closes off the interview. ● 3. Clear: Is clear and concise with the questions asked. ● 4. Gentle: Acts in a manner that is respectful and allows the interviewee adequate time to answer questions. ● 5. Sensitive: Is attentive and responsive towards the interviewee and listens to what is being said, as well as responds empathetically. ● 6. Open: Is flexible in the dialogue and engages in aspects the interviewee finds important ● 7. Steering: Knows what information is desired to be acquired. ● 8. Critical: Challenges inconsistencies ● 9. Remembering: Pays attention to what has been said and refers back to it when needed. ● 10. Interpreting: Finds meaning from what has been said and clarifies these statements. ● 11. Balanced: Takes as well as shares the room in the sense that does not talk too much or too little so that conversation does not seem forced or become stale ● 12. Ethically Sensitive: Is ethical in the manner in which they interview and informs the interviewee about their rights in terms of participation, management of privacy, as well as informs them the reason for the interview. (Bryman & Bell, 2011)

Appendix 2

Ethical Information

Reason for the study Research Questions Expected time - X minutes Handling of Data Handling of private information Participants may end the interview at any time The following memes do not represent the researchers viewpoints and are solely for research purposes This study has no affiliation with the brands discussed.

General Data

Age Sex Do you know what an internet meme is? Occupation (Previous + Current)

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Education (Previous + Current) Location

General Research Area → Satirical Internet Memes Effect on Brand Image

RQ1: How do Satirical Internet Memes Effect on the Emotional aspect of Brand Image? RQ2: How do Satirical Internet Memes Effect on the Cognitive aspect of Brand Image? RQ3: How do Satirical Internet Memes Effect on the Sensory aspect of Brand Image?

Question # Question Follow-Up Prompt

1. Pre-Brand Image - How would you describe these brands?(KFC, SONY, NIKE) Interactions, Experiences, History Visual, Touch, Taste, Smell

2 What do you think of the brand? Why do you feel this way?

3 name a product from each of these brands

4 How would you describe these products

5 What if anything have you purchased from these Brands

6 What 5 words would you associate with the brands?

:::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::: Let's Talk About Memes Baby :::::::::::::::::::::::::

7 E What is your experience with memes in general? Where do you usually interact/see memes?

8 Have you been exposed to any memes connected to these Which ones brands? Can you describe any of these memes? What attributes did they consist of?

:::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::: SHOW MEME :::::::::::::::::::::::::

9 What do you think of these memes? Does anything stand out?

10 What do you think these memes are saying? Which ones

11 How informative do you find memes to be? trustworthy?

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12 How do these memes affect your view of the brands _____ Quality, Conditions, Perception,

13 How does these memes affect your purchase intentions

14 Would you still use the same 5 words to describe each brand?

15 How important are memes in today's culture

Appendix 3

Ethical Information

Reason for the study Research Questions Expected time - X minutes Handling of Data Handling of private information Participants may end the interview at any time The following memes do not represent the researchers viewpoints and are solely for research purposes This study has no affiliation with the brands discussed.

General Data

Age Sex Social Media Activity Meme Activity (Sharer, Creator, Lurker) Occupation (Previous + Current) Education (Previous + Current) Location

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McDonalds Memes

Research area Questions (Brand) Sub-Item Meme-Relation Follow Up

Brand How familiar are you with recognition the brand ___? What brand/s would you compare brand ___ to?

Meme What do you see in this meme

Emotional How does this meme make you feel

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Emotional Have you been exposed to any similar memes about this brand?

Cognitive / How would you describe this Emotional meme in 3 words? Any other words you find help describe

Cognitive Does this meme affect your perception of the brand____? In what way?

Cognitive Do you consider this meme to be inline with your perception of the brand? Why? Explain

Cognitive How is your perception Personality and about the brand? Values

Emotional What do you feel when you Personality and How does this meme affect that? Why see this brand? Values / Style & Design

Sensory What is your opinion Visual sensation How does this meme affect that? regarding the brand's physical appearance?

Sensory What smell would you Olfactory What smell would you associate associate with this brand? sensation with this meme?

Sensory What is your thoughts of Tactile sensation How does this meme affect that? the brands physical material.

Sensory What taste do you Gustatory What taste would you associate associate with this brand? sensation with this meme?

Sensory What sound do you Auditory What sound would you associate associate with this brand? sensation with this meme?

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Emotional How frequently do you Purchase purchase products from situation ____?

Emotional How versatile is ____ Style & Design product range?

Emotional How likely are you to Personality and recommend _____ to a Values friend?

Emotional How loyal do you consider Personality and yourself to this brand? Values

Emotional In what way do you feel that Personality and this brand is defining you? Values

Cognitive Do you consider ____ to be Reliability, having products with good Serviceability quality? Durability

Cognitive How do you feel about ___ Reliability, How does this meme affect this service Serviceability view? Durability

Cognitive What experiences of ____ Reliability, How does this meme affect this customer service do you Serviceability view? have? Durability

Cognitive When you have been Price How does this meme affect that? purchasing _____ products, what did you feel about the price?

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Cognitive I would pay more for _____ Price Emotional products Values

Cognitive Can you mention 5 words Personality and Does this meme make you pick Emotional that you are associating Values different words? Sensory with the brand ______?

Cognitive How does the products of Personality and How does this meme alter that? Emotional ___ meet your Values expectations?

Cognitive What is unique with ____ Style & Design products?

Appendix 4

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Appendix 5

Table 1 Meme Descriptions

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Brand Meme Meme Genre Meme Components Description (satirical) (included in all internet memes)

KFC Meme 1 Reaction Photoshop hyper-signification, 1. A crying girl (PETA) prospective photography pointing at a confused Reaction Photoshop and operative signs looking cat (KFC) Meme 2 2. A man (KFC) shoots Reaction Photoshop another man (food regulations) that is Meme 3 sitting on a couch 3. A koala bear is spitting out leaf (While finding out how KFC’s chicken is processed).

SONY Meme 1 Reaction Photoshop hyper-signification, 1. Two guys are arguing prospective photography are about Sony’s Reaction Photoshop and operative signs relevance. Meme 2 2. Comic Strip about a Stock Character Sony meeting. Macro 3. Man expressing that Meme 3 nobody cares about sony

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NIKE Meme 1 Reaction Photoshop hyper-signification, 1. Kermit the frog sipping prospective photography tea while reflecting Stock Character and operative signs about Nike’s working Meme 2 Macro conditions. 2. Two guys shake hands Reaction Photoshop (Representing how Meme 3 Child Labor and Business administration create Nike) 3. Person wearing shoes that are in bad condition

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