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 1 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 2 that Richard Dawkins describes the meme as a cultural imitation process between people (Shifman, L., 2013).