Optimizing Brand Visibility in the Blogosphere: Developing cooperation and relationships between PR agencies and bloggers
Koskela, Iiris (2014)
Koskela, Iiris
HAAGA-HELIA ammattikorkeakoulu
2014
All rights reserved
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2014071413312
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2014071413312
Tiivistelmä
WHY NOT PR, the commissioning party of this thesis, is a small full-service public relations agency located in Helsinki. In their work as brand representatives they cooperate with various Finnish bloggers.
The popularity and amount of blogs has been rapidly increasing worldwide for the past eight years, especially since 2011. Widely-read blogs and bloggers are a great and still fairly inexpensive way for brands to gain visibility and promote their products.
Brand representatives are continuously competing for the attention of influential bloggers. It is therefore crucial for brand representatives, such as public relations agencies, to find the most effective methods of contacting bloggers and getting them motivated and committed to brand-blogger cooperation. Strong blog visibility and successful cooperation with bloggers is also increasingly important for creating interest, leading to strengthened presence in the traditional media as well.
The objective of this thesis was to find the most effective ways of contacting influential bloggers and getting them motivated for cooperation. The importance of building relationships with bloggers and treating them as a significant stakeholder group for public relations agencies is also discussed. The empirical part of this study was a qualitative research conducted by interviewing six influential Finnish bloggers in February and March 2014.
The results of the study reveal the importance that treating bloggers as individuals has on motivating them for brand cooperation. Targeting and personalizing messages specifically to a blogger is crucial, especially in the first contact. The results also show that bloggers appreciate human relations and are eager to create and maintain close relationships with brand representatives. Bloggers felt that close relationships with brands will ease the work of both parties, the blogger and the brand, and may also lead to the blogger writing more positive and better quality blog posts about the brand.
The popularity and amount of blogs has been rapidly increasing worldwide for the past eight years, especially since 2011. Widely-read blogs and bloggers are a great and still fairly inexpensive way for brands to gain visibility and promote their products.
Brand representatives are continuously competing for the attention of influential bloggers. It is therefore crucial for brand representatives, such as public relations agencies, to find the most effective methods of contacting bloggers and getting them motivated and committed to brand-blogger cooperation. Strong blog visibility and successful cooperation with bloggers is also increasingly important for creating interest, leading to strengthened presence in the traditional media as well.
The objective of this thesis was to find the most effective ways of contacting influential bloggers and getting them motivated for cooperation. The importance of building relationships with bloggers and treating them as a significant stakeholder group for public relations agencies is also discussed. The empirical part of this study was a qualitative research conducted by interviewing six influential Finnish bloggers in February and March 2014.
The results of the study reveal the importance that treating bloggers as individuals has on motivating them for brand cooperation. Targeting and personalizing messages specifically to a blogger is crucial, especially in the first contact. The results also show that bloggers appreciate human relations and are eager to create and maintain close relationships with brand representatives. Bloggers felt that close relationships with brands will ease the work of both parties, the blogger and the brand, and may also lead to the blogger writing more positive and better quality blog posts about the brand.