Investigating RTFKT's brand awareness strategy
Author
Andreasen, Janni
Term
4. term
Publication year
2023
Submitted on
2023-05-31
Abstract
This thesis examines how RTFKT—a virtual fashion company selling intangible products such as NFTs—attempts to build brand awareness through its communication. The central question is: How does RTFKT’s communication contribute to the attempted establishment of its brand awareness strategy? The study analyzes RTFKT’s own messages on Discord (the Announcements and Comm-updates channels) using a qualitative template analysis (Template Analysis, per Nigel King, 2014) to identify patterns, values, and messages linked to brand identity and brand positioning. Conceptually, the thesis proposes an interconnected view of brand awareness in which brand identity and brand positioning function as mutually dependent elements in building brand recognition, addressing a gap in prior literature by focusing on the organization’s perspective and communicative efforts. The findings indicate that RTFKT treats brand awareness as part of its overall branding strategy and seeks to establish or maintain awareness at a “dominant-level”; they further suggest that the brand efforts communicated by RTFKT influence the success of its brand awareness strategy and that brand identity and positioning contribute to establishing it. The thesis offers insights for organizations—especially those selling intangible products—on how to strengthen their value proposition and cultivate a community around the brand through targeted communication.
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan RTFKT – en virtuel modevirksomhed, der sælger immaterielle produkter som NFT’er – forsøger at opbygge brand awareness gennem deres kommunikation. Problemformuleringen lyder: Hvordan bidrager RTFKT’s kommunikation til den forsøgte etablering af deres brand awareness-strategi? Undersøgelsen tager udgangspunkt i RTFKT’s egne udmeldinger på Discord (kanalerne Announcements og Comm-updates) og anvender en kvalitativ, tematisk skabelon-analyse (Template Analysis, jf. Nigel King, 2014) for at identificere mønstre, værdier og budskaber, der relaterer sig til brandidentitet og brandpositionering. Teoretisk foreslår afhandlingen en sammenhængende forståelse af brand awareness, hvor brandidentitet og brandpositionering indgår som indbyrdes afhængige elementer i selve opbygningen af kendskab til brandet, og den adresserer et litteraturgap ved at fokusere på organisationens eget perspektiv og egne kommunikationsindsatser. Fundene peger på, at RTFKT betragter brand awareness som en integreret del af den overordnede brandingstrategi og kontinuerligt søger at etablere eller fastholde brand awareness på et “dominerende” niveau; desuden tyder resultaterne på, at de kommunikerede brandindsatser har indflydelse på en vellykket brand awareness-strategi, og at brandidentitet og brandpositionering medvirker til at etablere den. Afhandlingen giver dermed indblik i, hvordan organisationer – særligt dem, der sælger immaterielle produkter – kan styrke deres værdiforslag og opbygge et fællesskab omkring brandet gennem målrettet kommunikation.
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