Don't Scroll Past! : Exploring how independent music artists can adapt their digital content marketing strategy to attract new listeners

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Don’t Scroll Past!

Exploring how independent music artists can adapt their digital content marketing

strategy to attract new listeners

BACHELOR THESIS WITHIN: Business Administration NUMBER OF CREDITS: 15 ECTS

PROGRAMME OF STUDY: Marketing Management

AUTHOR: Albin Söderström, Emanuel Rinaldo Miller & Theodor Mörse Anderberg JÖNKÖPING May 2020

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Acknowledgements

The authors of this thesis would like to acknowledge and show appreciation towards the people and parties who have supported the whole process of writing this thesis.

Firstly, we would like to thank our tutor, MaxMikael Wilde Björling, who has

contributed with support, feedback and guidance throughout the process. His expertise and connections within the music industry, as well as within marketing, has positively affected this thesis and the advice and insights given further proved valuable for the chosen topic.

Secondly, we would like to show our gratitude towards all the participants in the data collection, who provided their time, knowledge and engagement to support this thesis.

Thirdly, we would like to show our appreciation to the seminar groups who provided us with valuable input and feedback during the process of writing this thesis.

Lastly, we would like to thank Anders Melander, and other JIBS faculty members, for providing clear and responsive information during the whole writing process, despite the circumstances.

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Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration

Title: Don’t scroll past! – Exploring how independent music artist can adapt their

digital content marketing strategy to attract new listeners

Authors: Emanuel Rinaldo Miller, Albin Söderström & Theodor Mörse Anderberg Tutor: MaxMikael Wilde Björling

Date: 2020-05-18

Keywords: Digital content marketing; Content marketing; Content marketing strategy;

Attention span; Brand awareness; Independent music artists

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Abstract

Background: The music industry has experienced major growth in the last decades as a

result of continuous technological advancements, making the process of creating music more accessible. This has led to an increase of independent artists, who cannot rely on the resources of record labels, facing a variety of challenges to overcome in order to maintain a self-sustained career. One of their greatest challenges is to increase their reach and make their music heard. Therefore, many turn to the concept of content marketing in order to establish themselves among consumers.

Problem: Existing literature illustrates the importance of adapting strategy to the

challenges within the social media landscape and also acknowledges the existence of two elements making up a social media post, namely content and format. Prior analysis has disregarded these elements as being separate thus, neglecting possible valuable information on how these elements interact.

Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explore the possibilities for independent music

artists to attract new listeners through content marketing activities in social media. Moreover, the study intends to investigate the separate elements of a social media post, their roles, and how they can be manipulated to achieve greater results in the context of promoting a song release.

Method: A qualitative approach with twelve semi-structured interviews have been

conducted on young Swedish adults with an interest in music.

Results: The empirical findings indicate distinctive roles for the elements of a social

media post. Format showed to have a greater importance in the initial visual interaction while content played a more important role in maintaining consumer’s attention. These findings resulted in a proposed framework to act as guidance for independent artists in their content marketing strategy.

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technological developments making the process of creating music more accessible. This has led to the emergence of many new artists to compete for attention in the market space (Hracs, 2012). Parallel to the emergence of new artists, major record labels in the industry have experienced a loss of power. Many of their offerings such as distribution and marketing have become less appealing to artists as technology has enabled them to stay independent. In order to maintain a self-sustained career, artists need several strategies to be in place as well as a supposedly more entrepreneurial mindset (Haynes & Marshall, 2018).

One of the greatest challenges for artists is to increase their reach and make their music heard through various marketing activities (Leenders, Farrell, Zwaan & Ter Bogt, 2015). The most successful marketing strategy is ever changing, as both media and forms of communication continuously develop (Lieb, 2011). One of the factors

impacting the marketing strategies is the increase in the public’s use of social media. In 2019 people spent an average of 2 hours and 22 minutes daily on social media, which is an increase from 2012 where the average person spent 1 hour and 30 minutes daily (Salim, 2020). Another factor which is parallel with the increased use of social media is the public’s decreasing attention span. The average human attention span has decreased

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from 12 seconds to an estimated 8 seconds over a period of 13 years which brings many challenges from a marketing perspective (Subramanian, 2017).

Traditional marketing has experienced more and more limitations, thus, companies have realized the value of content marketing in a digital landscape (Baltes, 2015). In this digital era, the marketing strategy has to be adapted to which means is currently the most popular. Therefore, content marketing is the tool many have deemed the most important and crucial to a successful and effective marketing campaign (Lieb, 2011). According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing is defined as “...the marketing and business process for creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience - with the objective of driving profitable customer action” (Content Marketing Institute, 2015).

By using content marketing to create and establish oneself as a brand, the power of continuous social media presence is irrefutable, especially for independent music artists as they are not able to utilize resources of record labels (Walzer, 2017). Social media is defined as online platforms that enable online conversations and interactions, which often fosters a content sharing community (Heggde & Shainesh, 2018). These interactive platforms provide various opportunities for how content can be presented which makes the process of communicating complex, for those who strive to increase their consumer reach (Muninger, Hammadi & Mahr, 2019).

This further strengthens the argument that public figures, or those wanting to become one, need to exercise control over their publishing on social media, and to continuously be aware of what they express and how they express it. This translates when conducting marketing campaigns as well, moreso when creating content as a marketing strategy. The content must be relevant, qualitative and grant value to the consumers while being created in an acceptable and unobjectionable manner (Lieb, 2011). The overall aim of creating content is to successfully entertain and engage the consumer while marketing a product or service (Odden, 2012).

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1.2 Problem discussion

Reviewing the literature, it becomes evident that content marketing has become one of the most used tools to being successful in attracting and reaching an audience. Due to the rise of social media, businesses are allocating more time and resources towards social media platforms and moving away from traditional methods of marketing such as tv advertisements and newspaper ads. Compared to these traditional marketing methods, content marketing in social media, sometimes referred to as digital content marketing (Hollebeek & Macky, 2019), can offer greater exposure at lower cost, undermining previous methods of marketing (Baltes, 2015).

Literature addresses issues such as saturated platforms and channels, affecting the content marketing process leading to the need for necessary and timely adaptations. Adaptations commonly discussed are shorter and more intense content to meet the conditions of the social media landscape (Subramanian, 2017; Liu, Shi, Teixeira & Wedel, 2018). Furthermore, several scholars introduce and discuss the importance of developing strategies which leads to producing content of value, quality, and relevance (Holliman & Rowley, 2014; Järvinen & Taiminen, 2016). The literature suggests many opportunities for how content can be manipulated, drawn from other areas of marketing such as storytelling, branding and marketing communication, to further nurture user engagement (Ashley & Tuten, 2015; Huang & Sarigöllü, 2012; Hughes & Fill, 2007). The suggestions and recommendations of the literature are based on the ultimate goal of content marketing strategy, which is often to increase the likelihood of an interaction between the creator of the message and audience. Thereby, potentially attaining beneficial outcomes that can be realised through the increased brand loyalty (Naseri & Noruzi, 2018; Hughes & Fill, 2007).

Literature acknowledges the existence of different elements making up a social media post, namely content and format (Leung, Bai & Erden, 2017). However, the literature fails to treat them separately in the stage of analysing and evaluating the success and effectiveness of a post. Many studies are found to be treating these components as one, naming it content, neglecting the different roles and influences they possess (Leung et al., 2017). This can be seen as problematic as it gives content two different meanings. In literature on content marketing in social media, content is often referred to as a post,

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however, content also carries the meaning of what is being displayed within a social media post. The concept of content marketing is rarely put into the context of a specific industry, that would allow for practical and relevant implications to be addressed (Hollebeek & Macky, 2019). This is especially true for the music industry, in which independent music artists seem to depend and benefit from the use of social media (Leenders et al., 2015).

With these insights, a gap in the literature was identified where the separate elements of a social media post are disregarded, neglecting possible valuable information on how these elements interact and influence the perception of a social media post. Literature on content marketing lacks industry context, which may limit the understanding of how the tool can be used in practice.

1.3 Purpose

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the possibilities for independent music artists to attract new listeners through content marketing activities in social media. The study intends to investigate the separate elements of a social media post, their roles, and how they can be manipulated to achieve greater results in the context of promoting a song release.

This research can be deemed as exploratory as the topic of content marketing within the music industry has not been thoroughly investigated. In order to closer investigate the problem, the authors of the thesis have formulated a research question:

How can independent music artists adapt their digital content marketing strategy to attract new listeners in the context of a song release?

1.4 Delimitations

The research is delimited to individuals in the ages between 18-30 who are students at Jönköping University. The respondents share an interest in music and are

geographically limited to Sweden and the region of Jönköping. Furthermore, the study is delimited to content presented in three different formats and to the scenario of a song release. Lastly, independent music artists are delimited to those without an established fanbase. These delimitations can be justified by them contributing to a more streamlined scope of the study. The delimitations allow the research team to more accurately

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conclude the study as the respondents share the same interest and are within the appropriate age group of the study.

1.5 Target Audience

This study is conducted with a specific target audience in mind, thus, the researchers have made an assumption that the reader possesses applicable knowledge for the facilitation of an in-depth understanding of this research. Those included in the target audience are identified to be; those involved in the music industry, marketing

professionals and marketing students.

2. Frame of reference

This section performs a review on current literature on the topic of content marketing. Moreover, theories and concepts linked to content marketing will be provided to act as a guideline for the progress of the study.

2.1 Independent artists vs. Record labels

Looking back to the 1950’s, the music industry was populated by a dozen record labels in all different sizes. In the 1980’s and 1990’s labels started to merge, forming a few bigger labels that firmly controlled the market. During that time, independent artists were close to non-existing due to the power of the record labels and the costs associated with recording and producing music (Hracs, 2012).

The music industry has been, and is still being restructured by technology, allowing independent artists to produce, record and distribute their music without the help of record labels. The digital transformation has opened up for independent artists to reach a global audience through social media, distribution retailers and software that can be accessed through a computer (Haynes & Marshall, 2018). The transformation of the industry has resulted in a shift of control from the record labels to the independent artist, making the labels less attractive. What many artists conclude is that the sharing of their hard-earned money could be avoided and the accessibility to share music independently speaks for going your own way (Pikas, Pikas & Lymburner, 2011). To realize these new

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opportunities, artists must overcome a new range of barriers to success, many of which are connected to managing time, as many activities usually done by music labels now lie upon the artists (Hracs, 2012).

2.2 Marketing Communication

Before discussing content marketing, it is necessary to dig deeper within the

background it has from marketing communication theory. Hughes & Fill (2007), with Fill being an well-established author within the field mention the marketing

communication mix to be an essential and important aspect of succeeding with marketing. Complementary to tools being a part of the mix, the elements media and content are argued to be a beneficial addition. Together these different elements can form a powerful strategy, if used and combined correctly (Hughes & Fill, 2007)

Hughes & Fill (2007) connect content to the actual message of the marketing communication and describe two components that a message is built on, namely information and emotion. It is explained to be of the highest importance to ensure the right balance between the two. The way the message is presented needs to be adapted after the target audience which will then increase the likelihood of an interaction between the creator of the message and the audience, something that for many is the ultimate goal. The content strategy now becomes relevant and the need for it to be well-defined, with many clear objectives is evident (Holliman & Rowley, 2014). It could be overwhelming with the amount of decisions that are necessary to take and the elements that are needed to take into consideration. Credibility is an example of a subject that, early in the process, needs attention and should be strived for. It is important in order to reach a level of trustworthiness that creates a healthy and mutually beneficial

relationship with the receivers of the communication (Fill, 2011).

2.3 Content marketing

Content marketing has been around for a long period of time, but the concept has developed with a fast pace and experienced a changing structure (Pulizzi, 2012). The concept has become a necessity in order to be competitive in the digital landscape and is used not only by the big players but also the smallest businesses (Baltes, 2015).

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referred to as digital content marketing, because of the increased usage of the concept within digital platforms (Hollebeek & Macky, 2019). Despite which terminology is used, scholars refer to the fundamentals of content marketing regardless of the context in which it is applied (Baltes, 2015; Hollebeek & Macky, 2019).

To understand what the actual content can be, Odden (2012) gives clear examples of formats content can be presented in, such as podcasts, videos, images, webinars and infographics. Different pros and cons are discussed regarding the different types of formats, but the challenge companies face when dealing with content creation is also highlighted. Thereby strategy becomes an important aspect of content marketing and it involves doing extensive research in order to find a suitable strategy. The goal should always be to develop strong and lasting relationships that ensure loyalty (Baltes, 2015). Baltes (2015) argues that content marketing has become the main factor in digital marketing and the tool that many see as the most important one. Previously high barriers existed that prevented or discouraged companies and creators from using content marketing as a tool. Technology and talent are examples of the barriers that existed, but with today’s social media landscape and accessibility, these barriers are gone which has enabled the quick and enormous growth of content marketing (Pulizzi, 2012).

The purpose of content marketing can vary depending on the brand or company which communicates it, but is often connected to driving engagement through captivating content (Murthy, 2011). The purpose can be seen as achieving different benefits through the sharing of quality content that not only bring value to consumers, but also succeed in attracting their attention (Holliman & Rowley, 2014).

2.4 Content marketing strategy

Researchers have developed different frameworks for how efficient content market strategies can be utilised and a common theme seems to be the need of having an actual plan and understanding for what reason content will be produced. Jefferson & Tanton (2015) have introduced a content marketing strategy that suggests ten steps to follow, namely:

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1. Be clear on your goals 2. Know your business 3. Know your customers 4. Find your story

5. Your content sweet spot and vision 6. Content commitment & plan 7. Platforms & tools

8. Organize 9. Measurement

10. Planning the change.

In step number 7, the importance of deciding what type of content to produce is

highlighted. After choosing a specific type of content and delivering it to the public, the measurement of performance becomes highly relevant in order to evaluate the success. This is also emphasized by Odden (2012) when he discusses a similar, but shorter, six step plan for developing a strong content marketing strategy.

Another point that should receive the right amount of attention is to know and understand the audience. By strategically defining the audience and then building a strong relationship, many benefits can be realised such as loyalty and engagement (Baltes, 2015). Moreover, a content marketing strategy involves choosing appropriate and effective social networks for the communication (Escobar, 2016). With the social networks constantly developing their structures and increasing in numbers, staying up-to-date with this landscape becomes crucial for building a strong strategy.

As previously mentioned, there exist various formats in which content can be presented, formats that can be used and thus, an important part in a content marketing strategy is to decide which type of format to use when presenting content. There are a lot of aspects to take into consideration, which Ashley and Tuten (2015) discuss when exploring the creative strategies that marketers need to move towards when dealing with social media marketing. When striving for maximising the positive outcomes, a presence and

continuity on the online platforms seems to be the bare minimum. The need for planned and well-executed strategies now becomes clear and the challenges it entails are made visible (Ashley & Tuten, 2015). Lieb (2011) describes the importance of continuously

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evolving the content marketing strategy, in order to keep it relevant, effective and connected to the objectives.

2.5 Content format

Content format, or message format, is by Leung et al. (2017) described as the way one would share information, for example using pictures, words or other formats in the context of online advertising. In a study conducted on message strategy and its effectiveness in the hospitality industry, the findings indicated a difference in how various message formats were received. The study examined 12 different hotel brands to see which message formats and message contents were most effective (Leung et al., 2017).

According to the study, photo messages were favorable over other formats such as videos, which were shown to be less effective (Leung et al., 2017). The findings of the study confirmed previous literature results on the topic of message formats. However, as described by the authors of the study, many variables need to be considered such as characteristics of the hotels and other measurements of effectiveness as these would also influence message efficiency (Leung et al., 2017). Furthermore, the authors conclude that future findings are likely to differ as new technology is brought forward and as social media is always evolving.

2.6 Social media landscape

Social media can be defined as online platforms that through a broad user base enable multi-directional conversations or simple interactions that often fosters a content sharing community (Heggde & Shainesh, 2018). Because of the very structure of well-established platforms, new creators and businesses have great possibilities to reach consumers and thereby grow their brand (Haynes & Marshall, 2018). These highly interactive platforms give many opportunities for how messages can be communicated, which makes it a complex process for anyone who wishes to increase their consumer reach (Muninger, Hammedi & Mahr, 2019). The amount of companies which frequently engage in content marketing activities on social media has also increased and this brings more challenges for any party that intends to increase their presence on any social platform (Wang, Qiao & Peng, 2015).

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Social media has for a long period of time been argued to be a new form of word-of-mouth, which speaks for the significant relevance it has for business (Leung et al., 2017). For companies and creators to take advantage of this and effectively use social media as a communication tool, they must carefully monitor and understand the

behaviour of their target audience (Järvinen & Taiminen, 2016). By doing this, a better understanding of the social media structure can be developed and thereby, content can be adapted in the best possible way. Ashley and Tuten (2015) also discuss the

significance that creativity has when dealing with social media and how it arguably affects the engagement achieved from the audience. Because the social media landscape is constantly changing and evolving, creativity could sometimes be seen as a necessity instead of success factor. What separates the winners from the ones who struggle could be the connection with the consumers, as they now have an important role in

co-building a brand’s online image (Lund, Cohen & Scarles, 2018).

2.7 Engagement

Engagement is a term that has gained a significant amount of attention in recent years and companies allocate substantially more resources into working on a strategy for reaching high engagement from their customers (Harmeling, Moffett, Arnold &

Carlson, 2017). Verhoef, Reinartz and Krafft (2010) define customer engagement to be a certain behavior or action, made towards a brand or a company that can be categorised as non-transactional. Thereby, this behaviour goes beyond ordinary transactions and can include things such as word of mouth and co-creation of new products or services (Verhoef et.al., 2010). Bijmolt et.al (2010) further exemplifies engagement to be a way of having customers help companies in their innovation process, meaning that they can become a valuable asset. Plenty of research has been conducted upon the topic of engagement and it has led to a variety of definitions and conclusions. However, the value that companies and creators can gain from reaching high engagement seems to be a common conclusion and the amount of research being done on the topic speaks for the need of a better understanding (Harmeling et.al, 2017).

Connecting back to the social media landscape, the common behavior resulting from engaged consumers seems to be participation in, and sharing of, the social media

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content (Ashley & Tuten, 2015). Social media is commonly used by marketers that seek increased engagement from their audience, but the high presence of different brands naturally bring many challenges for reaching the desired group of consumers (Ashley & Tuten, 2015). The strategy becomes immensely important and is well-connected to the content marketing strategy proposed by Jefferson and Tanton (2015). In their third step, addressing the importance of getting to know your customers, an engagement

perspective is favorably produced and used throughout the whole marketing strategy. This because customer engagement commonly is achieved through guidance from the company rather than occurring organically and solely from the customer’s initiative (Harmeling et.al., 2017).

Overall, previous research points towards many potential benefits from high

engagement. However, it is important to remember that engagement behaviours also could be negative, for example having customers spread negative word of mouth, which further speaks for the need of proactive strategies (van Doorn et.al., 2010). The desired behaviors can vary depending on the brand or the industry, but having consumers sharing content with their own network is a common objective that arguably is a desired outcome (Ashley & Tuten, 2015).

2.8 Attention span

Since the year 2000, the human attention span has decreased with about 4 seconds. Many argue that this is due to the technological enhancements over the years that have allowed us to be exposed to more information (Subramanian, 2017). In a non-peer reviewed study made by Microsoft, they concluded that the human attention span is lower than a goldfish’s, with the average attention span of a human being about 8 seconds (Gausby, 2015). Fromm and Read (2015) further discuss the need for

compelling and relevant content as an implication from the 8-second attention span that marketers are forced to deal with.

According to Subramanian (2017), there are three main determinants of attention span variance which are; media consumption, frequency of multiscreening, and social media usage, all affecting how consumers absorb information. The decreasing attention span has resulted in marketers adapting their commercial methods to hijack the attention of

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their audience by producing shorter and more intense content (Subramanian, 2017; Liu et al., 2018).

2.8.1 Selective Attention

Selective attention can be described as the psychological ability to ignore and suppress what is irrelevant to a task and focus on information which is regarded as relevant (Murphy, Groeger & Greene, 2016). A model to better understand the effects of selective attention is the biased competition, which is built upon two concepts, namely selectivity in visual processing and competition and allows for an explanation to be derived for the effects of selective attention on consumer preferences. Visual stimuli compete for resources as consumers' visual processing exists in a limited capacity (Florack, Egger & Hübner, 2020). Florack et al. (2020) argued that consumers do not have the ability to tend to all existing products of a certain range at the same time. The consumers’ attention is thereby competed for by the products. If presented in such a context, the consumer’s processing of relevant information is increased and the level to which less relevant information is processed diminishes. Through consumers’

processing of information in such situations they may learn to be more attentive towards certain product ranges and less attentive to or ignore others (Reynolds & Chelazzi, 2004).

2.9 Brand

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defined brand as a:

“... a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers” (American Marketing

Association, n.d.).

Conejo & Wooliscroft (2014) argues that the AMA’s definition is out of touch with the development of marketing theories since the definition was established. Therefore, they suggest to re-define brand as:

“Complex multidimensional constructs with varying degrees of meaning, independence, co-creation and scope. Brands are semiotic marketing systems that generate value for direct and indirect participants, society, and the broader

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environment, through the exchange of co-created meaning” (Conejo & Wooliscroft, 2014, p. 297).

A brand is no longer just a name or a symbol which AMA’s definition implies, but has rather evolved to a more complex phenomena that is of greater importance for

businesses than having a distinguishable name. A brand should be considered as systems that give meaning to a business entity in terms of how consumers interact with the brand. Furthermore, a brand should be treated as an asset that can provide value to a business entity and not only separate them from other entities operating in the same market (Conejo & Wooliscroft, 2014).

2.9.1 Brand Awareness

Brand awareness, often defined as consumers´ ability to recognize, recall or correctly associate a brand, plays a large role within the area of marketing and has a strong effect on the decisions that consumers make (Huang & Sarigöllü, 2012). The repeated

exposure of a brand indicates an increase in the ability to remember that specific brand. Together with the lack of time being spent searching, comparing and evaluating brands, this speaks for the important role that brand awareness plays in marketing strategies (Huang & Sarigöllü, 2012).

However, Hutter, Hautz, Dennardt & Füller (2013) argue that brand awareness and brand recognition does not always lead to positive outcomes in the consumer’s decision making process. In their study, it was shown that overexposure of a brand could lead to annoyance among consumers, which further leads to negative effects to the overall commitment and involvement with the brand, hence, impact the decision making process negatively (Hutter et al., 2013).

2.9.2 Mere Exposure Effect

The mere exposure effect refers to an underlying social phenomena where a subject who is repeatedly presented with specific stimuli react more positively towards it than

stimuli priorly not presented. Prior literature finds that the exposure effect may occur even for stimuli presented just briefly, thus, the duration of the exposure is rather insignificant (Bornstein & D’Agostino, 1992; Ruggieri & Boca, 2013). Their study found that stimuli presented without the subject’s awareness showed a marginally larger

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effect on the subject in comparison to stimuli which the subject was consciously presented with (Bornstein, 1989).

2.10 Storytelling

Storytelling has for a long time been acknowledged to be of high importance for many industries and especially within marketing. The power to compel consumers and drive engagement has caught the interest of many researchers that have investigated the concept and basic principles (Gilliam & Flaherty, 2015). Delgado-Ballester and

Fernández-Sabiote (2016) discuss different definitions of storytelling and conclude that a story consists of different elements and factors that are used, highlighting the

chronology and the connections that stories can create with the audience. Delgado-Ballester and Fernández-Sabiote (2016) explain how storytelling has evolved into a communication tool that brands can use to stand out in the crowded digital landscape and effectively strengthen their brand.

With much evidence that storytelling is an essential activity for humans, marketers have been eager to implement the concept within different marketing strategies (Lund, Cohen & Scarles, 2018: Delgado-Ballester &Fernández-Sabiote, 2016). The structure of a story has indeed the possibility to engage consumers, but credibility and execution become key elements in order to reach success (Lundqvist, Liljander, Gummerus, & Van Riel).

Baltes (2015) describes content marketing to be something that is created and shared to communicate a story which clearly showcases the connection between storytelling and content marketing. With consumers seeking to understand the values behind a brand and create strong connections, storytelling becomes a natural tool to use. The fact that storytelling seems to be more effective and engaging than communicating rational arguments, statistics or facts further nurture the interest for understanding this theory (Delgado-Ballester & Fernández-Sabiote, 2016). Companies and creators use all kinds of necessary resources to improve their ability to compel their audience through

storytelling. The benefits and advantages that possibly could be realized act as a driving force for different actors within marketing. Some companies have even started to hire people with developed storytelling skills to benefit their content marketing process and

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enable it to reach their audience in a more effective way (Pulizzi, 2012).

3.Methodology and method 3.1 Methodology

This section contains two parts. The first part of this section concerns methodology, how the research will be conducted with regards to the topics of research philosophy, research approach and research strategy. The second part elaborates on how data will be collected, which methods are being used and how the data will be analyzed.

3.1.1 Research philosophy

Choosing between the two existing research paradigms, positivism or interpretivism, the interpretivism approach was used in this study. It is the most suitable for this study as qualitative research is to be conducted and a social phenomena will be explored rather than measured (Collis & Hussey, 2014). The nature of an interpretive study is of exploration and discovery. By exploring consumers preferences within the creation of content, an understanding was developed that aided the researchers in the conclusion stage.

3.1.2 Research approach

When conducting a research study, different approaches are available for use. The most common approaches are inductive and deductive. The inductive approach utilizes observation to develop a theory from the gathered empirical data, thereby moving from the specific to the general. The deductive approach stems from initially developing a theoretical and conceptual study and eventually employing empirical observation (Collis & Hussey, 2014).

For this research, theory was initially collected regarding the study’s main components, being content marketing, marketing communication, brand awareness and mere

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structuring and later conducting interviews in the study, thus, the used approach can therefore be seen as deductive. However, as theory will be developed from the empirical reality, the approach is defined as deductive leaning towards inductive (Collis &

Hussey, 2014). This research will attempt to dig deeper into the effect of different variations of a social media post and their elements, thus enabling connections to be made regarding the content marketing strategy.

3.1.3 Research Strategy

The strategy for conducting research consisted of in-depth, semi-structured interviews to gather relevant, valuable and perhaps contrasting data. The focus was put towards people interested in music, in the ages 18-30 who were introduced to different types of posts on social media that then were discussed and compared (Priporas, Stylos & Fotiadis, 2017). By nurturing in-depth conversations regarding what type of

characteristics of a post are preferred, the researchers can receive underlying arguments that later can be used to form conclusions. Interviews are a preferred solution for the specific research area as it enables the research team to dig deeper into the reasoning behind certain answers and choices from respondents.

3.2 Method

3.2.1 Data Collection, Primary data

The collection of primary data is a vital part of most research projects. Through use of correct techniques one can ensure the collection of qualitative data in a consistent and scientific manner. Using acknowledged techniques for data collection will amplify the reliability, validity and accuracy of the findings. The methods allow for credible findings and ultimately, a high-quality research (Harrell & Bradley, 2009).

Primary data is information gathered specifically for the purposes of one’s research, from people who have prior knowledge into matters of interest. The primary data is to be presented through the empirical findings. The aim of the research team is to provide meaningful answers to the posed research question. The use of semi-structured

interviews as a method of research allowed the researchers to answer the specific research question, therefore, providing meaningful and fundamental understandings of

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the phenomena being investigated (Longhurst, 2003). The nature of semi-structured interviews allowed the researchers to adapt to each interview and continuously be flexible in their questioning where opportunities presented themselves. Prepared questions were used as a guiding tool for the interviews, which allowed for additional questions when possible. Thus, the research team was able to continuously adapt, be flexible and conduct inquiry to necessary extent. In this setting, the subject is able to express their opinions, perceptions and attitudes more freely, which garners more meaningful data (Longhurst, 2003).

This data can consist of both qualitative and quantitative data. However, only qualitative data was collected due to the selected research paradigm and method. Qualitative data is data gathered through various ways of observation, one being

through of a subject or several subjects, further described as interviews or focus groups. These settings allow the researcher(s) to understand the information in depth (Collis & Hussey, 2014).

This research is based upon the collection of qualitative primary data through semi-structured interviews. All interviews were recorded and transcribed to guarantee the precision of the data and to streamline the process of summarizing and analyzing.

3.2.2 Sampling Method

Within research, sampling methods are used to select suitable subjects within a certain population. The reasoning behind utilizing sampling techniques is due to the

impossibility of researching an entire population (Etikan, Musa & Alkassim, 2016).

For the purpose of this thesis, a non-probability sampling approach was chosen, namely purposive sampling as the chosen technique. Through application of the chosen

sampling approach, everyone is not given the opportunity to participate in this study (Etikan et al., 2016). The chosen technique can be described as the act of strategically selecting subjects based on specific qualities pertinent to the study. As a specific target group, or population, was identified as most suitable for this research this technique was considered as the most relevant. The group chosen is suggested to provide qualitative data due to their vast familiarity with the phenomena of social media and lengthy experience of being targeted by as well as presented with marketing content on social

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channels. To ensure that the subjects would be able to provide relevant, qualitative and knowledgeable information, they were to fulfil specific criteria (Robinson, 2014) The age group 18-30 was chosen due to their connection with technology and their

continuous digital presence (Broady, Chan & Caputi, 2010). More specifically, those with an interest in music were chosen due to the immediate correlation with the study and were deemed to be most suitable as it correlates with the vital parts of the study. In sum, the researching team deemed these criteria to be most likely to garner meaningful information towards answering the research question.

Music artists were chosen as it is vital for them to continuously promote themselves and their industry more-or-less requires an online presence. However, this sample was chosen for the purpose of establishing a necessary background of information to rely upon when conducting the main interviews for the study. Thus, the first-hand

information received is not part of the findings or included in analysis.

3.2.3 Interviews

Collis and Hussey (2014, p.207) defined interviews as “A method for collecting primary data in which a sample of interviewees are asked questions to find out what they think, do or feel”. To distinguish the difference between interview settings, the types of interviews differ as well as the questions. The difference of interviews being unstructured or semi-structured, and questions being either closed or open. An unstructured interview is conducted without prepared questions, rather they evolve throughout the interviewing process. Semi-structured interviews contain both prepared questions and allow for more questions to develop and be asked throughout the

interview. Closed questions are structured in a way which rely on yes or no answers, whereas open questions are more thought provoking and require not just longer but further developed answers (Collis & Hussey, 2014). Open questions tend to allow the interviewee to engage freely in both thought and discussion without being predisposed towards a certain answer. Interviews can be conducted in three different ways, by email, by phone and personal interviews (Ghauri & Gronhaugh, 2010)

The research of this thesis was based on personal interviews with parties of both sides in the music industry, namely artists and those with a music interest. For the purpose of

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this thesis, independent artists were interviewed as they are more in control of their promotion. The other party, people from the age group of 18-30 with a clear interest in music, as this demographic tends to be more connected in social channels and more invested in present music. The artists were invited to discuss their behavior on social platforms just before the release of a new single or an album and to describe how they utilize their social media to promote these. However, these interviews were conducted to better prepare for future interviews with consumers regarding the main study. The interviewees from the age group of 18-30 with a clear music interest were asked to describe their perception of social media posts created by artists to promote their music. Through discussion of personal preferences they were able to provide direct knowledge into how certain content is perceived based on its quality, length and message.

The interviews were semi-structured, questions were to some extent prepared

beforehand, most of which were open questions which provided the interviewee with opportunity to freely discuss and answer the question. However, as different subjects were being interviewed, different questions were prepared for each party. The interviews with the artists were focused on their personal thought-process regarding promotion and content creation. Whereas the interviews with music interested people of the group 18-30 were focused on their personal perception of given artists’ social media posts. Moreover, why they were perceived in such a manner and what characteristics matter most in capturing interest and bridging a relationship with potential

fans/listeners.

3.2.4 Interview Questions

The reasoning behind the interview questions was to discover how music artists and listeners perceive social media posts created with a marketing purpose. The interviews were based mostly on open-ended questions, to allow for free thought and open discussion of certain phenomena (See appendices 3 & 4). Additionally, some closed-ended questions were asked when necessary, for example when establishing the subject’s confirmation and mutual understanding between the two parties (Collis & Hussey, 2014).

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The interview consisted of three main parts. Where the first part introduced the study, explained why the interview was necessary, self-introduction and to establish rapport between parties. The first part aimed to establish a positive and open environment, in which the subject could express their opinions freely and with ease (Walsh & Bull, 2012). The second part was to examine and discuss their relationship with social media platforms and their experience with content on said platforms, whether they created or observed.

The third part differed depending on whether the participant was an artist, or a member of the selected sample. Regarding artists, this part was to discuss their experience with content creation to market upcoming releases or their already released music and how they perceived the engagement to be from their audience. When interviewing from the selected sample, the goal was to discuss their perception of social media posts created by artists with promotional purposes in mind and which characteristics they believed to be most valuable in capturing their interest and bridging a future relationship between artist and listener.

3.2.5 Data analysis

This research adopted a thematic analysis approach which is one of the more common methods of analyzing qualitative data. The thematic analysis method provides a way of identifying patterns and themes from the collected data in order to make sense of the information and give better insights of shared experiences between respondents. In order to ensure quality of the analysis and to avoid any bias or misunderstandings in the interpretation phase of the interviews, the research team followed a six-step process (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The six steps can be found below.

1. Familiarization with the data 2. Coding

3. Search for themes 4. Review themes

5. Define and name themes 6. Produce report

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The aim of the thematic analysis was to identify and give meaning to the features of the data by labeling it with codes to then direct the codes into themes. The emphasis was on providing a high quality analysis through these features guided by the research question (Braun & Clarke, 2006).

3.3 Ethics

Ethics in research refers to the proper conduct the research team must obey towards participants of the study and methods applied to maintain integrity of the data (Collis & Hussey, 2014). To ensure individuals voluntarily participated in the study, potential participants were informed of the nature of the study and which type of questions were to be asked. The researchers further informed the participants of the implications of participating in the study and made sure the potential participants were well-informed, and certain of their willingness to participate before proceeding with booking an interview. Interviews were conducted from group rooms at JIBS or through Skype. Prior to the interview, participants were provided with a consent agreement that ensured them their anonymity and confidentiality on the study (See appendix 2).

3.3.1 Anonymity & Confidentiality

Anonymity and confidentiality are two cornerstones of any research with the aim to be honest and true (Bell & Bryman, 2007; Saunders et al., 2016). Providing anonymity to participants of the study assures that their identities will not be disclosed throughout the entirety of the research, thus, potentially allowing individuals to engage in more open and free discussion. Confidentiality assures participants that information they provide is protected (Bell & Bryman, 2007).

3.3.2 Credibility

Credibility in research refers to a research’s trustworthiness (Lincoln & Guba, 1985; Shenton, 2004). Researchers are required to gather data and perform the study in an accurate and identifiable manner (Cope, 2004). This exploratory study is of qualitative nature, thus ensuring credibility is vital as the researchers are conducting the analysis of the data the team has gathered themselves (Patton, 1990). To ensure an increased credibility, the three researchers developed their own initial collection of data, which then could be cross-referenced to determine relevancy. The same strategy was used to

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code the gathered data and thereby, reduce the risk of researcher bias affecting the analysis.

3.3.3 Transferability

Malterud (2001) defined transferability as the extent to which a study’s empirical findings are relevant to not just the context of the study but other similar contexts, thus, enabling the possibility for generalizations to be made.

The focus put towards the music industry in the research enables transferability within the same context, however due to the nature of the research, drawing generalizations and applying derived theories on contexts within other industries may prove

dissatisfactory. Through illustrating descriptions of the context of song release, phenomena of attention span and distinction between post, format and content, the researchers hope to provide future studies to be conducted with a resembling approach and thereby, be applicable to other contexts (Cope, 2014; Koch, 2006; Saunders et al., 2016).

3.3.4 Dependability

Dependability refers to the importance of research being conducted in a transparent, structured and comprehensive manner, thus, providing the study with reliability and possibility to be replicated (Anney, 2014; Shenton, 2004).

Dependability was ensured by the researchers through conducting analysis of the data individually, then forming a discussion of the similarities and differences in

conclusions. Discussion of potential improvements, and later the findings, with opposition groups and a designated tutor enabled the increase of dependability. This allowed the researchers to engage in an approach that was closely connected to the desired systematic and rigorous approach (Collis & Hussey, 2014).

3.3.5 Confirmability

Confirmability, highlighting the importance describing the research process in full to successfully avoid researcher bias (Collis & Hussey, 2014). As three researchers were individually actively participating in all parts of the research, the risk of bias was minimized. Thus, investor triangulation aided in avoiding researcher and other biases in

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the study (Woo & Heo, 2013).

Regarding the number of interviews, confirmability was ensured by conducting

interviews until saturation was reached, meaning that repeated findings were found from the data (Guest, Bunce & Johnson, 2006). The wholy transcribed interviews and the use of documented interview quotes enhanced the confirmability of the research by

decreasing the possibility for personal opinions to affect the findings.

4. Empirical Findings

This section presents the empirical findings of this exploratory study extracted from the interviews. The findings are introduced under four different themes being; Content, format, attention span, brand awareness & mere exposure effect.

4.1 Background

By conducting the semi-structured interviews, the collection of qualitative data was enabled. To ensure the consumers of the chosen sample’s relevancy to the study, introductory questioning was conducted regarding their musical interest and their social media usage (see Appendix 3). The consumers were presented with two examples of musical posts, which were portrayed in three different ways (see Appendix 1). The examples portrayed posts published regarding and presenting the artist’s upcoming song release, in three different formats. These formats were chosen as they varied heavily and thus, are believed to induce contrasting experiences or emotional responses leading to nuanced discussions. These discussions enabled coding to be made, thereof, themes to be identified in accordance with the thematic analysis method.

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Table 1: Thematic analysis of data

4.2 Content

The first identified theme became clear when the participants, without being directed towards the subject, began discussing the fundamentals of content and content marketing. Often recurring subjects of discussion regardless of the participant, were their experienced effects of content quality, professionalism, portrayal of credibility, content strategy and follower engagement.

In the first part of the interview, the participants were asked about artists they follow on social media, content they share and what they believe engages them. Perceptions varied, whether it be because of their humorous content, engaging live-feeds or artists who posted lifestyle-related imagery and have a personal touch to their social channel.

“I like when humour is integrated, it makes me more likely to interact with and share the post”. (P3)

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“The people I follow make a lot of live-videos, even if I follow many others I might not interact with them as much because they do not have those aspects.”

(P6)

“Well open questions, it is probably what gets the most hits I believe. You can relate to it in some way. That is what I am thinking, that you have to give the followers something they can relate to.” (P10)

After asking about, and discussing, the given examples, a common conception arose regarding the content quality. The majority of the participants brought forward concerns that lack of professionalism and/or connection to the message could lead to dismissing or overlooking the post.

“You can accidentally scroll past it and think that it is a normal picture”(P8) “I thought the video looked semi-professional, sometimes a crappy video could actually dismiss people.” (P9)

“Then I would rather take the picture with audio because I think the music video is

terrible.” (P1)

Many of the participants agreed on the importance of quality. However, other’s had a different opinion arguing that other characteristics of a content can have greater importance.

“I would probably say that a poorly produced music video, compared with a better produced picture, would still attract my attention better in many cases.”

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4.3 Format

The participants were then asked about the importance of the format, attempting to disregard the content of the post itself. This second theme was chosen because of the impactful impression it had on the participants' experiences and it also amounted to the majority of the discussion. 10 out of 12 of the participants shared the same thoughts regarding what format is favorable, being video with audio (See table 2). Participants first acknowledged the role that choice of format has, especially in the case with new artists.

“The format is crucial to convey who you are as an artist, especially when people might not know who the artist is.” (P6)

“I think the format affect a lot, especially if it is an artist that I do not know about ” (P11)

Connecting back to the preferred format in the examples, participants 4 and 8 argued that an artist promoting their music needs to include audio in their post for it to be interesting enough to possibly take further actions and the following thoughts were presented:

“Sponsored posts tend to be a snippet from a music video and it then attracts more of my interest. A picture does not really give me a taste of it. In other words, as long as the content includes some part of the music, it catches my interest easier.” (P4)

“If it is music that you promote, then I believe that you need audio. A video appeals more to me, especially if it is a shorter video.” (P8)

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Other reasons speaking for videos being a more favorable format were brought forward by participant 7, 8 and 2. They discussed how videos with moving content stood out in comparison to photos and therefore is more likely to attract their attention.

“The video speaks to me the most. It feels like if you are supposed to attract interest then I would personally be more attracted by something including visual content ”. (P7)

“Movement kind of catches your attention and music as well. It makes you want to continue watching.“ (P8)

“Video definitely catches my attention the most. Something happens. A picture is only a picture, there is not much going on and it does not get my interest.” (P2)

Participant 4 and 10 further adds to this discussion by mentioning how videos activate multiple senses, thereby, also increasing the likelihood of receiving the viewers’ attention.

“Video influences me the most. It probably involves more senses in some way. And somewhere it boils down to it catching more attention. ” (P4)

“The text is fitting well with the picture, and I like the song which would definitely make me interested. However the music video is more of an experience.” (P10)

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Table 2. Format preference per participant

4.4 Attention Span

The third theme, attention span, was identified after multiple discussions touched upon this subject and questions regarding the effect of content length often resulted in

answers connecting to attention. Some participants even gave clear time limits that they would find favorable and most likely to maintain their attention.

“If a video is 15 seconds long or 59 seconds long matters if I would watch it or not. I am a restless person.” (P3)

“8-15 seconds is what you usually give someone when you scroll. If you can show an awesome part of the lyrics that I like then that time is probably enough.” (P7)

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“If I would have seen that something is 1 minute long, I would most likely scroll past it. 12-15 seconds is probably the best. I mean, you do not want to show a movie. (P10)

It was noticed that, throughout the discussion, the choice of format had an impact on the degree to which attention was captured. The common conception was that videos are often favorable in catching and maintaining one’s interest in taking part of the information that is being shared.

“Would probably not spend much time on a video if it was 60 seconds long and there was not a good song which caught you in the first 15 seconds. In this case you would not give it a chance.” (P4

“A video interests me more, especially if it is a shorter video. I would probably not watch it if it would be 4 minutes long. ” (P9)

Participant 7 mentioned both pictures with audio and videos to be a more favorable format. The participant further highlighted the diminishing interest in a post by the effort required to read longer text to understand the message conveyed. Comparing the different formats, the ones which quickly introduced the content of the post were illustrated as more favorable.

“Picture with audio or video. Then I get the information without effort, you introduce me faster to the actual content.” (P7)

“A picture with text I need to actively read and it makes it harder to get my interest.” (P7)

Participant 1 further elaborated upon the topic of effort, discussing the level of

commitment required from the consumer perspective to gather information on the artist if inadequate information is provided in the post to begin with.

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“You do not have the energy to commit by going to his profile, click the link and then look it up. It sounds kind of weird when you say it because it is not really any commitment, but it still takes 10 seconds and that time is not something you want to spend on someone who you do not have any relation with.” (P1)

4.5 Brand Awareness & Mere Exposure Effect

From the interviews, it became clear that recognizability and familiarity played a large role in the participants’ willingness to further explore what is being presented. The participants were asked to describe their believed differences in marketing efforts between artists based on whether or not the participants have had any previous

interactions with the artists. Participants 11, 9 and 4 expressed opinions indicating that artists who are known to them, require less effort to attract their attention.

“For example with Danny [an artist], I would say that I am a true follower, so I know what he does and I follow him for a reason. But of course it gets more interesting when he releases a new song, though how he communicates it might not have the same significance then. I will be interested no matter how he communicates the new song. ” (P11)

“I believe that a new artist needs to persuade more. I do not think you have the same influential possibilities in the social media landscape, but I think the same format keeps my attention, video with audio that is. But the likelihood of me listening is bigger if I know the artist before, even if they only post a picture. ”.

(P9)

“It absolutely has an effect whether or not the artist is known before. If Post Malone [a music artist] or Justin Bieber [a music artist] would post a picture with only “new song” as the text I would rush to Spotify and listen to the new

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song .” (P4)

It was also highlighted how the strategy may differ depending on if you are known amongst your target audience or if that is something which needs to be further

established beforehand. Participants 6 and 2 underlined that unknown artists may need to shape their strategy to be more promotional, at the same time unique, in order to attract new listeners.

“A new artist must both put in more effort and stand out more in order to cut through the noise. I follow so much anyway.” (P6)

“Unknown-artists must probably be a bit more selling and have some kind of call to action.” (P2)

Moreover, participants 1 and 12 unknowingly concurred with the others, however, attempted to describe how their actions would differ when choosing to play a previously unheard song from either a priorly known or an unknown artist. Both participants described willingness to hear music from new artists but would adamantly listen to the priorly known artist’s track before the other.

“If someone releases a new song I often go and listen to that song, to see if I like it or not. Especially if it is someone who I have a previous relation to or

someone that I know I like.” (P1)

“... I take the artist I know since before. I do not really know what to say. It is simply how I work. I like what I recognize. I might listen to the unknown-artist as well, but I would first listen to the one I know beforehand.” (P12)

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5. Analysis

This segment presents a deeper analysis drawn on the empirical findings. Furthermore, it aims to provide an understanding of the connections between the empirical data and the literature reviewed. Based on the analysis, recommendations will be given on how artists can attract new listeners through the adaptation of their content marketing strategy in the context of a song release.

5.1 Brand Awareness & Mere-exposure effect

From the empirical findings, participants indicated a strong belief that known artists require less marketing efforts than unknown artists in the context of a song release. These findings correlate with literature regarding brand awareness and the effect it has on consumers. Huang & Sarigöllü (2012) describe brand awareness as having a large role within the area of marketing and has a strong effect on the eventual decisions that consumers make. The link between the literature and the empirical findings became clear when participants discussed being more likely to take the decision to listen to an artist who they are already familiar with (Huang & Sarigöllü, 2012). Thus, the

argument can be made that an artist with a better established brand experience increased influential possibilities.

“I believe that a new artist needs to persuade more. I do not think you have the same influential possibilities in the social media landscape, but I think the same format keeps my attention, video with audio that is. But the likelihood of me listening is bigger if I know the artist before, even if they only post a picture. ”.

(P9)

Connecting to the influential possibilities in the social media landscape, a majority of the participants claimed that the already existing interest for the artist makes the format and content they produce less important.

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“For example with Danny [an artist], I would say that I am a true follower, so I know what he does and I follow him for a reason. But of course it gets more interesting when he releases a new song, though how he communicates it might not have the same significance then. I will be interested no matter how he communicates the new song. ” (P11)

The most feasible explanation may be that unknown artists have a greater need for attracting new listeners as established artists often have an already existing fan base. Thus, the argument can be made that an artist with a more established brand may find more success in their marketing regardless of their output efforts.

Prior literature states that regardless if one is either consciously or unknowingly subjected to a certain stimuli, a person would be more positively drawn towards that stimuli rather than one which has never been presented before, known as the mere exposure effect (Bornstein & D’Agostino, 1992; Ruggieri & Boca, 2013). This concept can be connected to the fundamentals of brand awareness theory as the recognizability plays a major role. It may be seen as a strategic choice to utilize the mere exposure effect to increase recognizability and familiarity.

The association between brand awareness and the mere exposure effect, was

strengthened as several participants discussed feeling more drawn towards and choosing a song option made by a known artist rather than one performed by an unknown artist.

“If several of my friends reposted it, it might spark some form of interest. If I later encounter it in the explore/discovery page of Instagram, I might have seen it enough to actually examine what it is or what it is about.” (P5)

“... I take the artist I know since before. I do not really know what to say, it is simply how I work. I like what I recognize. I might listen to the unknown-artist as well, but I would first listen to the one I know beforehand.” (P12)

This further translates when considering marketing strategy, as solely increasing one’s reach on social channels may ultimately increase one’s fanbase whether or not

Don&apos;t Scroll Past! : Exploring how independent music artists can adapt their digital content marketing strategy to attract new listeners

Don’t Scroll Past!

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Don't Scroll Past! : Exploring how independent music artists can adapt their digital content marketing strategy to attract new listeners