Progradu Keinanen Katja

LAPPEENRANTA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
LUT School of Business and Management

Master’s Programme in International Marketing Management
THE ROLE OF LIVE STREAMING IN MARKETING

COMMUNICATIONS AND CORPORATE BRANDING
Katja Keinänen
1st Supervisor/Examiner: Professor Sami Saarenketo, LUT

2nd Supervisor/Examiner: Professor Sanna-Katriina Asikainen, LUT
ABSTRACT
Author: Katja Keinänen

Title: The role of live streaming in marketing communications
and corporate branding
Faculty: School of Business and Management
Master’s Program: International Marketing Management
Year: 2017
Master’s Thesis: Lappeenranta University of Technology
130 pages, 15 figures, 6 tables, and 4 appendices
Examiners: Professor Sami Saarenketo
Professor Sanna-Katriina Asikainen
Keywords: Corporate branding, digital marketing communications,
content marketing, video marketing, video streaming,
live streaming
The goal of this study is to examine the role of live streaming in marketing
communications and corporate branding in Finnish B2B and B2C companies. Even
though studies on new digital marketing communications methods are emerging,
there is a clear need for better understanding on the subject. Especially videos and
live streaming in the content marketing context lack a proper research.
The study is a qualitative case study, which has been carried out through semi-
structured interviews for five case companies operating in both B2B and B2C
markets. The study reveals the motives, usage purposes, objectives, benefits and
challenges, and the process of live streaming, which are then reflected on the case
companies’ marketing communications and corporate branding practices and the
earlier literature on the subject. The study reveals that the biggest benefits of live
streaming include authenticity, which allows companies to differentiate and create
brand awareness, and the possibility to reach a wider audience. However, in order
to attract and engage audiences with live streaming companies need to understand
their target groups and create content that resonates with the audience.
TIIVISTELMÄ
Tekijä: Katja Keinänen

Tutkielman nimi: Livestriimaus osana markkinointiviestintää ja
yritysbrändäystä
Tiedekunta: Kauppatieteellinen tiedekunta
Pääaine: Kansainvälinen markkinointi
Vuosi: 2017
Pro gradu -tutkielma: Lappeenrannan teknillinen yliopisto
130 sivua, 15 kuvaa, 6 taulukkoa ja 4 liitettä
Tarkastajat: Professori Sami Saarenketo
Professori Sanna-Katriina Asikainen
Avainsanat: Yritysbrändäys, digitaalinen markkinointiviestintä,
sisältömarkkinointi, videomarkkinointi, videostriimaus,
livestriimaus
Tämän työn tavoitteena on selvittää, miten suomalaiset B2B- ja B2C-yritykset

hyödyntävät livestriimausta osana markkinointiviestintää ja yritysbrändäystä.
Vaikka digitaalisen markkinoinnin ja markkinointiviestinnän tutkimuskenttä kehittyy
kovaa vauhtia, parempaa tietämystä aiheesta kaivataan edelleen. Erityisesti
videoiden ja livestriimauksen hyödyntäminen osana sisältömarkkinointia on jäänyt
vähäiselle huomiolle.
Tutkimus on kvalitatiivinen tapaustutkimus, jossa haastateltiin viittä eri alalla

toimivaa case-yritystä. Tutkimuksessa pyritään selvittämään livestriimauksen
motiivit, käyttötarkoitukset, tavoitteet, edut ja haasteet sekä livestriimausprosessi,
ja vertaamaan näitä yritysten markkinointiviestintä- ja brändistrategiaan sekä
aiheesta tehtyihin aikaisempiin tutkimuksiin. Tutkimustulosten perusteella voidaan
todeta, että livestriimauksen tärkeimmät edut ovat sen autenttisuus, jonka kautta
yritykset voivat erottautua ja luoda bränditietoisuutta, ja mahdollisuus tavoittaa
laajempia yleisöjä. Mielenkiintoinen ja kohderyhmille relevantti sisältö on kuitenkin
avainasemassa yleisön houkuttelemisessa ja osallistamisessa livestriimauksen
kautta.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It truly feels like yesterday when I started my master’s studies at LUT, and now,
three years later, I am graduating. A lot has happened during these year. I have
grown both professionally and as a person, but it would have not been possible
without the support from various people.
First, I want to thank my thesis supervisor, professor Sami Saarenketo, for all the
support I received during the thesis process. Thank you for guiding the way and
providing me with inspiration. A big thank you belongs also to the case companies
who participated in this thesis. I appreciate the time you took for a project that was
close to my heart. It was a pleasure hearing your thoughts and insights on the
topic. I also want to thank my mom for always supporting me in whatever I decided
to do. Without her support I would have never accomplished this.
Starting studies at LUT has been one of the best decisions of my life. The amount
of incredibly close friends that I gained and the unforgettable moments we
experienced together are things to be truly grateful for. Also the close community of
LUT, and especially our MIMM class, made Lappeenranta become my second
home. Even though gaining a master’s thesis required last night study sessions
and long nights spent with various projects, I wouldn’t change a day of it. Thank
you everyone who has been a part of it!
Last, but not least, I want to thank my dog for inspiring me to finish my studies so
that I can focus on more important stuff, like eating and taking naps. Just like her.
Lahti, 11th April 2017
Katja Keinänen
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................1
1.1 Literature review ...........................................................................................2
1.2 Research problem and questions .................................................................7
1.3 Conceptual framework ..................................................................................9
1.4 Definition of key concepts ...........................................................................10
1.5 Delimitations of the study ............................................................................13
1.6 Research methodology ...............................................................................14
1.7 Structure of the thesis .................................................................................15
2 MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS..................................................................16
2.1 Digital marketing communications ..............................................................22
2.1.1 Social media marketing .........................................................................27
2.1.2 Content marketing .................................................................................29
2.2 Online video marketing ...............................................................................34
2.2.1 Videos in marketing communications ....................................................34
2.2.2 Live streaming in marketing communications .......................................37
3 BRANDING .......................................................................................................41
3.1 Brand building and management ................................................................41
3.2 Corporate branding .....................................................................................45
3.3 Marketing communications and branding ...................................................50
4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ........................................................................54

4.1 Research approach and design ..................................................................54
4.2 Data collection ............................................................................................56
4.3 Data analysis ..............................................................................................58
4.4 Reliability and validity..................................................................................59
5 EMPIRICAL RESULTS AND ANALYSIS.........................................................63

5.1 Case descriptions .......................................................................................63
5.2 Branding strategy and objectives ................................................................65
5.3 Marketing communications .........................................................................69
5.3.1 Strategy and objectives .........................................................................69
5.3.2 Digital marketing communications channels .........................................71
5.3.3 Videos in marketing communications ....................................................77
5.4 Live streaming.............................................................................................80
5.4.1 Motives ..................................................................................................80
5.4.2 Usage purposes ....................................................................................81
5.4.3 Objectives .............................................................................................85
5.4.4 Benefits and challenges ........................................................................88
5.4.5 Process .................................................................................................93
6 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS .............................................................104

6.1 Findings ....................................................................................................104
6.2 Managerial implications ............................................................................117
6.3 Limitations and further research ...............................................................119
REFERENCES .....................................................................................................121
APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1. Brand construct and the role of marketing communications in branding ...... 1
APPENDIX 2. Questions of the semi-structured phone interview ........................................ 2
APPENDIX 3. Questions of the e-mail interview (in Finnish) ............................................... 4
APPENDIX 4. An example of the coding .............................................................................. 7
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. The conceptual framework of the research ........................................................... 9
Figure 2. Corporate communications ................................................................................. 17
Figure 3. The planning process of integrated marketing communications ......................... 21
Figure 4. Digital channel selection...................................................................................... 26
Figure 5. Social media strategy process ............................................................................ 29
Figure 6. Keller’s customer-based brand equity model ...................................................... 43
Figure 7. Five branding principles ...................................................................................... 44
Figure 8. Abratt and Kleyn’s (2012) view on corporate brand ............................................ 47
Figure 9. Characteristics of the different digital marketing communications channels used
by the case companies ............................................................................................... 76
Figure 10. Internal and external motives for live streaming ................................................ 81
Figure 11. Current and planned external and internal live streaming usage purposes ...... 84
Figure 12. The effect of live streaming on brand equity creation........................................ 92
Figure 13. The process of selecting streaming as the used marketing communications
channel ....................................................................................................................... 94
Figure 14. Live streaming method selection process ......................................................... 99
Figure 15. Live streaming’s role in marketing communications and corporate branding . 116
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. The nature of different digital channels and their suitability for publishing and
consuming different contents ...................................................................................... 33
Table 2. The list of codes ................................................................................................... 58
Table 3. Summary of the case companies ......................................................................... 65
Table 4. Digital marketing communications channels used by the case companies .......... 71
Table 5. The brand associations and branding objectives supported by live streaming .... 88
Table 6. Live streaming platforms used by the case companies ........................................ 98
1 INTRODUCTION
“The weakening of the control of media content by the major media organizations
brings forth an era of a digital, networked world that blends commercial and
noncommercial content, digital services of many types and, perhaps most
importantly for consumers, interpersonal connectivity. The onus is on scholars and
practitioners in marketing and advertising to develop the theories, concepts and
methods to allow brands to successfully participate in this world.” (Mulhern 2009)
The environment where today’s businesses have to operate in is shaped by

globalization, digitalization, and information overload. This creates pressure for
companies to differentiate themselves and participate in different conversations
with various stakeholders. Companies are utilizing the power of branding to create
competitive advantage, and different marketing communications channels play a
big role in the process. However, the field of digital marketing communications is
evolving quickly, and companies need useful frameworks to grasp the opportunities
of these different channels.
Online videos and live streaming have been emerging topics in media and non-
academic literature. Various companies are using videos for marketing
communication purposes but there is an increasing interest towards live videos.
The increasing usage of live streaming as a marketing communications tool in both
B2C and B2B companies as well as a personal interest towards live streaming
worked as the inspiration for this study, which examines how Finnish B2C and B2B
companies are using live streaming as part of marketing communications and
corporate branding. The study is a qualitative case study, which is conducted
through five semi-structured interviews. Since the academic literature on live
streaming is nearly non-existent this study aims at shedding light on the topic, and
hopefully works as a motivation for further research.
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1.1 Literature review
The literary review is based on the academic literature on corporate branding,

digital marketing communications and video marketing. Corporate branding is the
oldest field of research, and there are several studies on the topic. However,
studies on digital marketing communications have started to emerge as academics
have realized the importance of providing a useful framework for companies. Even
though several researches have been conducted on the topic, there are still
several gaps in the research. Especially video marketing lacks a useful framework
as well as live streaming since they are both fairly new topics for both companies
and academics. However, it needs to be highlighted that the field of digital
marketing and digital communications is changing continuously and academic
literature generally follows practice.
Branding is a broadly examined area, and several researches can be found on

brand building and brand management. Throughout the branding literature it
comes evident that brands are the basis for long-term profitability and competitive
advantage, and that there is a need for proper brand management (Aaker 1996, 8;
Keller 1999; Keller 2009). Since then companies have realized the benefits of
corporate brands compared to single product brands, and researchers have gotten
interested in providing companies a useful framework for corporate brand building.
Fetscherin and Usunier (2012) have noticed that most of the articles on corporate
branding have been written in the field of business and management. Additionally,
Pillai (2012) has identified that the literature has merged into streams of corporate
brand, corporate branding, and corporate brand management, and that corporate
branding is closely linked to terms like corporate image, corporate personality,
corporate reputation, and corporate identity. Researchers (Aaker 1996, 117; Abratt
& Kleyn 2012; Pillai 2012) agree that corporate brands provide economies of scale
and scope when multiple product brands can be associated with one, broader,
corporate brand, and Balmer and Gray (2003) note that corporate brands are the
2
basis for competitive advantage. Abratt and Kleyn (2012), on the other hand, argue
that all organizations have a corporate brand whether they communicate it
effectively or not.
Additionally, there is a good amount of literature on corporate brand building and

management (Abratt & Kleyn 2012; Balmer & Gray 2003; Chang, Chiang & Han
2012; De Chernatony & Harris 2000; Hatch & Schultz 2003; Pillai 2012; Urde
2003). According to Urde (2003), corporate brand building needs to be based on
core values that build the identity of a brand, and which work as guiding principles
for internal and external brand building. There is also a notion in the literature that
corporate branding process requires managing multiple elements. De Chernatony
and Harris (2000) highlight the importance of observing the congruency between
six identity components (vision, culture, positioning, personality, relationships, and
presentation) and the external brand reputation, and Hatch and Schultz (2003)
note that corporate branding needs to be based on the interaction between vision,
culture, and image. Additionally, studies show that corporate brand management
concerns both internal and external stakeholders, and the role of employees and
organizational culture is vital (de Chernatony & Harris 2000; Hatch & Schultz
2003), but strategy, brand leadership, brand-focused HRM, and brand
communications should also be taken into consideration (Chang, Chiang and Han
2012).
Corporate branding is part of a bigger concept of corporate marketing. According to

Balmer and Greyser (2006), corporate marketing should integrate corporate
identity, corporate branding, corporate communications, and corporate reputation.
Similarly, Balmer (2006) presents a corporate marketing mix, which consists of
character (corporate identity), culture (organizational identity), conceptualizations
(corporate reputation), covenant (corporate brand management), constituencies
(marketing and stakeholder management), and communication (corporate
communication). Malmelin and Hakala (2009), on the other hand, state that brand
3
forms the center of communications and it steers the goals and objectives,
communications channels, and strategy implementation. Thus, they propose a
framework called integrative brand management, which has three dimensions:
organization guided by the brand, communications guided by the brand, and
reputation guided by the brand (Malmelin & Hakala 2009).
A central topic in research is marketing communication’s role in corporate

branding, and as the marketing communications environment and the way people
interact are changing due to the technological development, there is a clear need
for research on how branding should be done in the new digital era. Mulhern
(2009) notes that the theory base for most marketing communications research is
developed for mass communications, so a better understanding on digital media
and communications strategy is needed. Additionally, Petek and Maja (2013) and
Karjaluoto, Mustonen and Ulkuniemi (2015) have noticed that the implementation
of new marketing communications tools is still in its infancy. However, studies on
new marketing communications methods, such as social media marketing, content
marketing, and video marketing, are gradually emerging.
Social media is a relatively recent and rapidly evolving area of research, and both
academics and companies are lacking solid knowledge of it (Kilgour, Sasser &
Larke 2015; Tsimonis & Diminiatris 2014). According to Tsimonis and Dimitriadis
(2014), growth and popularity of social media, possibility to spread the brand
name, presence of competitors in social media, corporate-level social media
strategy, and cost reduction are external factors for social media usage in B2C
environment, and the most important benefit of social media is to be able to
engage with people who like the company. In addition to social media marketing,
another interesting area of research is content marketing. Murthy (2011) examines
the rise of thought leadership and content marketing as a differentiator and
essential factor in business development in B2B context, and stresses that
understanding potential customers and their buying cycles as well as creating
4
compelling and engaging content play a crucial role in thought leadership. Holliman
and Rowley (2014), on the other hand, state that companies need to put more
emphasis on their content marketing strategies because content is an important
part of B2B buying processes and aims at shedding light on digital content
marketing by creating a holistic framework for digital content strategies.
Additionally, multiple studies (Kilgour et al. 2015; Mulhern 2009; Valos, Haji Habibi,
Casidy, Driesener & Maplestone 2016) address how digital communications can be
integrated into traditional marketing communications. Mulhern (2009) proposes a
framework for integrated marketing communications, which includes consumer
insight, data-driven decision-making, cross-media integration and communications
with a variety of stakeholders. Kilgour et al. (2015) have also noticed that
consumer insight is the key to creating effective content marketing strategies.
Additionally, Valos et al. (2016) state that traditional integrated marketing
communications program should be modified in terms of strategy, message,
organizational implementation, and measurement, in order to incorporate social
media.
Using videos as part of marketing communications is a fairly new area for both
companies and researchers. The earlier studies on video marketing focus heavily
on examining consumer perceptions on video advertising, especially its
intrusiveness and effectiveness (Brechman, Bellman, Robinson, Rask & Varan
2016; Goodrich, Schiller & Galletta 2015; Lee & Lee 2011; Li & Lo 2015; Logan
2013). Lee and Lee (2011) have studied the factors behind consumers’ willingness
to watch online video advertising and found that positive attitude towards watching
online video ads and social pressure motivate consumers to watch online ads, and
the expected outcomes of these ads include entertainment, information, relaxation,
escape, passing time, and interaction. Additionally, Lee, Ham, and Kim (2013)
have noticed similar motives for why people pass along online video
advertisements. However, Logan’s (2013) study reveals that advertisements in
5
online environment are overall seen more intruding, and that the entertainment
value of an online ad does not contribute to an improved attitude towards
advertising in online environment. This contradicts with a later study conducted by
Goodrich et al. (2015) on the effects of length, humor, and informativeness of
online ads on perceived intrusiveness and marketing outcomes, which states that
informative and humorous ads are perceived less intrusive. Additionally, further
studies on the effects of different ad elements, such as length, position, context
congruity, on brand name recognition in online videos (Li & Lo 2015), and the
effects of “limited-interruption” advertising, which refers to advertising used during
the breaks in broadcast television (Brechman et al. 2016) have been conducted.
Luo, Wang, and Han (2013) aim at providing a more comprehensive picture on
video marketing by examining the success factors behind a successful online video
marketing project at an academic library in China. In the study the researchers
found out that the four contributing factors to the success were that the video
content was about the real campus life and it reflected the students’ experiences, it
transmitted the content in a humorous, light-hearted, and refreshing style, social
media was utilized in order to share the content and engage the audience, and it
was done in co-operation with students (Luo et al. 2013). It can be noted that there
are several gaps in the research with regard to video marketing, for example
videos in the content marketing context, but there is an even bigger lack of
research in the field of live streaming. One study on video streaming has been
conducted by Coleen (2012), who describes a successful video streaming
communication effort executed at California State University, where videos on
YouTube and the library’s own web site were utilized in order to promote the library
resources and services in an academic setting. The study concludes that usage of
streaming videos allows libraries to market their services in a more visually
appealing form, which might also result in a more positive viewer experience than
what traditional text-based messages provide, and suggest that also public libraries
could benefit from this.
6
To conclude, corporate branding is an important topic for both researchers and
companies because it is a source for competitive advantage for companies.
Communications play an important role in corporate brand building and
management, and as new digital marketing communications channels are
emerging, there is a clear need for more research on the topic. Based on the
literature review it can be stated a useful framework on using videos in marketing
communications is needed. For this research, live streaming was selected as the
area of research due to the increasing usage of services like Periscope and
Facebook Live by companies, and the lack of research on videos in the content
marketing context. Additionally, live streaming is examined with relation to
corporate branding, which requires efficient communications, and is an integral part
of success of today’s businesses.
1.2 Research problem and questions
The main problem of the research was identified through examining earlier studies
and theories on marketing communications and corporate branding. Mulhern
(2009) states that a better understanding on digital media and communications
strategy is needed, and further examination of the topic revealed that there are
certain gaps in the research. Tsimonis and Diminiatris (2014) and Kilgour et al.
(2015) note that both academics and companies are lacking solid knowledge of
social media, and Holliman and Rowley (2014) state that companies should put
more emphasis on their content marketing strategies. Additionally, using videos as
part of marketing communications is even newer area for both companies and
researchers, and earlier studies on video marketing (Brechman et al. 2016;
Goodrich et al. 2015; Lee & Lee 2011; Li & Lo 2015; Logan 2013) are heavily
focused on examining consumer perceptions on video advertising, and its
intrusiveness and effectiveness. As can be noticed, there are several research
gaps regarding video marketing, for example how videos can be utilized in the
context of content marketing, but there is an even bigger lack of research in the
7
field of live video streaming. Hence, the role of live streaming in marketing
communication is a relevant and current topic to study.
It is also stated in earlier literature that a well-defined brand should be the base for
corporate and marketing communications (van Riel and Fombrun 2007, 35), and
that marketing communication contributes positively to brand equity by creating
awareness, linking associations to the brand, creating positive judgments and
feelings, and strengthening loyalty. Respectively, a strong brand increases the
effectiveness of marketing communications. (Fill 2006a, 6-10; Keller 2009; Kotler &
Keller 2009, 512) Thus, examining live streaming’s role in corporate branding is an
interesting and relevant area of research. Based on these facts, the main research
question was formed:
Q1: How are Finnish companies utilizing live streaming in marketing

communications and corporate branding?
Additionally, three sub-questions were formed to facilitate answering the main

research question:
S1: What are the motives, usage purposes, objectives, and benefits and
challenges of live streaming?
S2: What is the process of live streaming?
S3: How does live streaming support corporate brand building and corporate
brand strategy?
8
1.3 Conceptual framework
Earlier literature on marketing communications and corporate branding forms the

theoretical framework for the study, which aims at finding out how Finnish
companies are utilizing live streaming as part of marketing communications and
corporate branding. According to van Riel and Fombrun (2007, 35), corporate
communications should be based on a well-defined brand, which then guides the
marketing communications efforts. Thus, examining how live streaming supports
corporate brand building and corporate brand management is justifiable.
Strategy and objectives Strategy and objectives
Digital marketing Corporate brand

communications building
Marketing
Corporate branding
communications
LIVE STREAMING
Process
usage benefits and

motives objectives
purposes challenges
Figure 1. The conceptual framework of the research
9
All in all, the study reflects the role of live streaming in relation to the case
companies’ marketing communications and corporate branding strategies and
practices through examining the motives, usage purposes, objectives, and benefits
and challenges of live streaming. Additionally, the overall process of live streaming
will be studied. Finally, the study aims at creating linkages between the empirical
results of the research and earlier literature on corporate branding and marketing
communications, and more specifically the different areas of digital marketing
communications. The conceptual framework for the study is illustrated in Figure 1.
1.4 Definition of key concepts
The key concepts of the research were identified from the conceptual framework,
and the theory presented in Chapters 2 and 3. The definitions clarify the main
themes of the research and support understanding the study and its findings.
Corporate brand
Corporate brand is a long-term asset that reflects the whole offering of a company,
and it captures the vision, values, personality, positioning, and image of the
company (Kotler & Pfoertsch 2006, 6). According to van Riel and Fombrun (2007,
107), corporate brand is “a visual representation of a company that united groups
of products and services, and makes it known to the world through the use of a
single name, a shared visual identity, and a common set of symbols”.
Corporate branding
Corporate branding refers to a set of activities performed by the company in order

to build favorable associations and positive reputation among internal and external
stakeholders (van Riel and Fombrun 2007, 107).
10
Marketing communications
Marketing communications consists of communications activities that support the

sales of products, services, and brands (van Riel & Fombrun 2007, 17). It is part of
corporate communications and it can be used to inform, persuade, and remind
consumers, either directly or indirectly, about the products, services and brands of
the company. Companies can use marketing communications to link brands to
people, places, events, other brands, experiences, and feelings, or to build
relationships and establish dialogue with consumers. (Fill 2006a, 6, 8; Keller 2009;
Kotler & Keller 2009, 510) According to Kotler and Keller (2009, 512), the eight
biggest modes of marketing communication include advertising, sales promotion,
events and experiences, public relations and publicity, direct marketing, interactive
marketing, word-of-mouth marketing, and personal selling.
Digital marketing
Chaffey and Ellis-Chadwick (2012, 10) define digital marketing as “achieving

marketing objectives through applying digital technologies”, and it involves
managing the company’s online presence, such as the company web sites, social
media, search engine marketing (SEO), online advertising, or e-mail marketing,
which all aim at creating new customer relationships or managing existing ones
through E-CRM.
Digital marketing communications
Digital marketing communications can be characterized with infinite reproduction of

content, consumer networking, user-generated content, and expansion of media
(Mulhern 2009). Companies can have five types of online presence: transactional
e-commerce sites, service-oriented relationship-building website, brand-building
site, portal or media site, and social network or community site, which have
11
different functions of sales transactions, services, relationship-building, brand-
building, and news and entertainment (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick 2012, 21-22).
Digital marketing communications channels include web sites, e-mail marketing,
microsites, search and display ads, interstitials, online communities, mobile
marketing, blogs, social networks and marketing, video and photo sharing sites,
affiliate marketing, banner marketing, behavioral target marketing, content
marketing, contextual marketing, native marketing, and search engine marketing
(Chesebro, McMahan & Russett 2014; Keller 2009; Miller 2011, 65).
Social media marketing
Social media marketing refers to the usage of social media web sites and different
social media networks for promoting products or services (Investopedia 2017).
According to Chaffey and Ellis-Chadwick (2012, 29-33), different types of social
presence include social networks, social publishing and news, social commenting
in blogs, social niche communities, social customer service, social knowledge,
social bookmarking, social streaming, social search, and social commerce. Some
of the social media channels, on the other hand, are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,
Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube (Sachs 2016).
Content marketing
Content marketing refers to creating, distributing, and sharing compelling, valuable,

relevant, and consistent content in order to attract and retain audiences, and
ultimately to create profitable outcome (Content Marketing Institute 2016; Holliman
& Rowley 2014). This content can be either static, such as web sites, or dynamic,
such as videos and podcasts, which encourage engagement (Chaffey & Ellis-
Chadwick 2012, 43-44).
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Video marketing
Video marketing refers to using video content for marketing brands, products, or
services, and belongs to the digital marketing context (The Digital Marketing
Glossary 2013).
Live (video) streaming
Video streaming refers to sending compressed content over the Internet that is
displayed in real time. Thus, the content is a continuous stream of data, which is
shown as it arrives. (Rouse 2017) Companies can generate streams in many ways:
with smartphones, web cameras, and using video sharing services (Gilman 2015),
and live videos can be broadcasted from a mobile device to multiple social media
platforms (Hackl 2016). Live streaming platforms include Periscope, Facebook
Live, YouTube, Meerkat, Blab, Twitch, YouNow, Livestream, Streaming Media, and
Ustream (Calero 2016; Hackl 2016; Olenski 2015b; Weiss 2015).
1.5 Delimitations of the study
Theoretical delimitations have been made in the areas of branding and marketing
communications. The study strives to find out how companies utilize streaming as
part of external communications, and more specifically as part of marketing
communications. Hence, the study does not cover other areas of corporate
communications, such as internal, organizational or management communications.
It should also be noted that the study is strongly linked to digital marketing
communications, and does not cover offline marketing communications.
Additionally, the study focuses on examining the role of live streaming with regard
to corporate branding, which means that other types of branding, such as product
and employer branding, are excluded from the study.
13
The research is limited to the Finnish market, and it studies five Finnish case
companies. The companies are all from different industries and they operate either
in B2C or B2B market, or both. Delimitation have not been made with regard to the
nature of the market or type of the industry since live streaming is a relatively new
marketing communications channel for companies, and too strict delimitations
would have hindered the data collection. Thus, studying companies from different
industries and markets permits a more robust examination of live streaming
practices in Finnish companies. However, the results are tightly linked to the cases,
which sets limitation to the generalizability of the research.
1.6 Research methodology
Live streaming as part of digital marketing communications is a very contemporary

topic, and there are nearly no researches on the subject. Thus, an inductive
research approach is taken in this study due to its suitability for examining new
phenomena with only a limited amount of existing literature (Saunders, Lewis &
Thornhill 2009, 127). The chosen research method is case study method, which
according to Yin (2009, 4), is especially relevant when the research aims at gaining
an extensive or in-depth understanding of a current phenomenon through posing
“how” or “why” questions. An integral part of case study method is also forming a
thorough theoretical framework, which guides the research process. Even though a
steady framework on marketing communications and corporate branding could be
formed, there is a paucity of prior academic literature on live streaming, and thus,
theoretical statements could not be formed, and the purpose of the study is
exploratory.
The study has a multiple-case design and it examines five different cases.
Additionally, it is cross-sectional, which means that it studies one phenomenon, in
this case live streaming, at a particular time and it is based on interviews carried
over a short period of time (Saunders et al. 2009, 155). The empirical part of the
14
research was conducted through expert interviews. According to Saunders et al.
(2009, 320, 322), semi-structured interviews are a suitable method for exploratory
studies, and thus primary data was gathered from four semi-structured phone
interviews and one semi-structured email interview. The structure of the interview
was based on the theoretical framework, and it consisted of three parts: branding
strategy and objectives, digital marketing communications strategy and objectives,
and finally, live streaming practices in the case company.
The data analysis was conducted through coding, which means that different tags
were created, under which the data from the interviews was combined. Codes
were formed based on the three main themes of the research: branding, marketing
communications, and live streaming. After the coding the research questions were
answered, and ultimately, the reliability and internal and external validity of the
research were examined.
1.7 Structure of the thesis
The study begins with an introduction, which presents the earlier researches on
corporate branding and marketing communications, main research problem and
research questions, conceptual framework, definitions of the key concepts,
delimitations of the study, and the research methodology. Following the
introduction, Chapters 2 and 3 present the theoretical framework for the study.
Chapter 2 elaborates on marketing communications, and more specifically digital
marketing communications, and Chapter 3 presents earlier theory on corporate
branding. Subsequently, Chapter 4 describes the used research method and the
different stages of the research, and in Chapter 5 the empirical results of the semi-
structured interviews are opened and analyzed, and compared to the earlier theory
on the subject. Finally, Chapter 6 concludes the thesis by presenting the findings,
managerial implications, and further research areas.
15
2 MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
As marketing communications is becoming increasingly digital companies have

new interactive channels to communicate with their stakeholders. The digital era
has made it possible for companies to transmit brand images and create strong
brand-customer relationships through new, interactive digital channels. In addition
to other digital marketing methods, video sharing and streaming is gaining more
foothold in brand creation in both B2B and B2C markets.
In order to understand the concept of marketing communications, it is crucial to

take a look at the concept of corporate communications, which focuses on the
organization as a whole. One definition for corporate communication is offered by
van Riel and Fombrun (2007, 22, 25), who define it as managing all internal and
external communications activities in order to create a specific starting point for
communicating with stakeholder. It consists of management communications,
marketing communications, and organizational communications. Management
communications is the most strategic one and it refers to all management’s
communication to external and internal stakeholders, such as executive speeches.
Marketing communications, on the other hand, has usually the biggest part of the
budget out of all three, and it includes activities like product advertising, direct mail,
personal selling, and sponsorships. Marketing communications is supported more
or less by organizational communications, which includes public relations, public
affairs, investor relations, environmental communication, corporate advertising, and
employee communications. (van Riel & Fombrun 2007, 14)
Gillis and IABC (2011, 99) divide organizational communications into external
communications, internal communications, and marketing communications.
External communications include investor relations, media relations, public
relations (PR), government and community affairs, philanthropy, corporate
websites and blogs, and managing the corporate reputation. Internal
16
communications include employee newsletters, business update meetings,
employee benefits and policy materials, Intranets, collaboration systems, and
electronic news displays. Additionally, new social media tools, such as LinkedIn,
Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are migrating into organizations. Marketing
communications, on the other hand, include advertising and sales materials, trade
shows, customer help and feedback functions, mobile promotional apps, and e-
commerce tools. (Gillis & IABC 2011, 99, 195) Creating a common starting point
for corporate communication includes defining strategy, identity and brand, which
form the base for management communication, marketing communication, and
organizational communication (van Riel & Fombrun 2007, 35). The concept for
corporate communications is illustrated in Figure 2.
Corporate
communications
External Internal
communications communications
Strategy
Management Management
Identity Brand
Organizational Organizational
Marketing
communications
Figure 2. Corporate communications (adapted from Gillis & IABC 2011; van Riel &
Fombrun 2007)
In general, marketing communications consists of communications activities that

support sales of products, services and brands (van Riel & Fombrun 2007, 17). It is
17
part of corporate communications and it can be used to inform, persuade, and
remind consumers, either directly or indirectly, about the products, services and
brands of the company. Companies can use marketing communications to link
brands to people, places, events, other brands, experiences, and feelings, or to
build relationships and establish dialogue with consumers. In fact, today’s
marketing is more and more based on relational exchanges, and marketing
communication is the enabler of company-stakeholder relationships. The main
elements in marketing communications include engagement, audience-centricity
and relationship building, and its main purpose is to serve its audience. Marketing
communications contributes positively to brand equity by strengthening loyalty and
creating brand images. Reciprocally, having a strong brand results in increased
effectiveness of marketing communications, which means that consumers are
more willing to receive marketing communications messages from a company and
interpret them positively. Additionally, it is a powerful tool for increasing sales and
shareholder value. Effective communication with all the stakeholders and the
general public, which differ greatly from each other, requires companies to use
different kind of communication methods. (Fill 2006a, 6-10; Keller 2009; Kotler &
Keller 2009, 510)
Marketing communications messages are transferred through different tools, in

other words the marketing communications mix. It should not be confused with
media, which refers to the means by which messages are transmitted. (Fill 2006a,
20) According to Kotler and Keller (2009, 512) the eight biggest modes of
communication include advertising, sales promotion, events and experiences,
public relations and publicity, direct marketing, interactive marketing, word-of-
mouth marketing and personal selling. As customers are spending increasing
amount of time online new interactive marketing communications channels have
emerged: websites, e-mail marketing, microsites, search and display ads,
interstitials, sponsorships, alliances, online communities, mobile marketing, blogs,
social networks and marketing, video- and photo- sharing sites, affiliate marketing,
18
banner marketing, behavioral target marketing, content marketing, contextual
marketing, native marketing, and search engine marketing (Chesebro, McMahan &
Russett 2014; Keller 2009; Miller 2011, 65). The vast amount of different online
marketing communications methods reflects the fact that Internet enables
companies to communicate with their stakeholders in more diverse ways than
before.
The selection of marketing communications tools depends on four factors: the

desired control over the channel, financial resources, credibility and the size of the
target audience, and geographic scope (Fill 2006b, 26-27). Some of the questions
that need to be asked regarding the communications channel selection include
(Keller 2009):
• What image does a certain communication channel create?

• How are these images linked to the brand?
• How do the created images affect the consumers’ willingness to purchase
and use the brand?
Additionally, marketing communications is affected by internal, intermediate and

external influences. Corporate and brand strategies as well as resources and a
company culture are big internal influences; they can be fully managed.
Intermediate influences, such as competitors, marketing agencies, customer and
stakeholders can be partially managed. External influences, however, are totally
uncontrollable and they include the macro-economic factors: political, economics,
social, technological, environmental and legal. (Fill 2006)
The various challenges that organizations are facing today are driving companies
to integrating their communications (van Riel & Fombrun 2007, 3). In order to
transfer a consistent brand image and finally enable strategic positioning the
marketing communication activities need to be integrated, which contributes to the
19
success of the marketing communications (Keller 2009; Kotler & Keller 2009, 512).
Mulhern (2009) notes that integrated marketing communications means that a
company needs to transmit messages to both internal and external stakeholders,
i.e. employees, business partners, retailers and reporters and be relevant to all of
them.
Percy (2008, 5) defines integrated marketing communications (later IMC) as

“planning and execution of all types of advertising-like and promotion-like
messages selected for a brand, service, or company, in order to meet a common
set of communication objectives, or more particularly, to support a single
’positioning’.” Marketing communications comprehends all the contact points
between the brand and the market, which makes IMC an integral part in creating
strong brands and highlights the importance of message consistency. The key
thing in the planning of IMC is the organization’s ability to deliver a consistent
message. Nowadays, integrated marketing communications has shifted strongly
towards creating strong customer relationships, which is done through developing
an integrated communications program, which results in a desired behaviour from
the target audience. The planning process of IMC comprehends identifying target
groups, setting objectives for these groups, developing marketing communications
that meets the objectives, and delivering the message the best possible way.
During this process the suitability of different advertising, promotion and
communications options for delivering the objectives will be considered, which is a
central idea in IMC. (Percy 2008, 5, 6, 25-26)
The framework for integrated marketing communications, which includes consumer

insight, data-driven decision making, cross-media integration and communications
with a variety of stakeholders, is now evolving. When earlier integrated marketing
communications has been under the power of the communications department,
now digitalization enables all stakeholders to communicate with each other –
offering a possibility for building communities and strengthening the brand.
20
(Mulhern 2009) The planning process of integrated marketing communications is
presented in Figure 3.
IN
AL S T
N E IN ERM
E R NC FL
T E UE EDI
EX LU NC A T
F ES E
IN
CONSUMER DATA-DRIVEN
INSIGHT DECISION-MAKING
COMMUNICATION CROSS-MEDIA
WITH MULTIPLE INTEGRATION
STAKEHOLDERS
Figure 3. The planning process of integrated marketing communications (adapted

from Fill 2006; Mulhern 2009; Percy 2008, 25-26)
21
2.1 Digital marketing communications
Internet has profoundly changed marketing and advertising, and the way we
interact, and distribute and receive information. The rapid development of
technology has changed mass media, and communication is taking a new shape
as audiences can more actively choose what content they consume, where, and
when. (Chesebro et al. 2014; Kotler & Keller 2012) The new media environment is
characterized with six features: individual centered, untethered, interactive,
concurrent media exposure, multifaceted simultaneous consumption and
convergence. New digital communication systems have shifted from mass-
communication to individual-centered, and audiences have more control over the
content that is produced, consumed and distributed. Media is no longer tight to a
predetermined time and place but it has become mobile: people can choose where
and when to read media. During media consumption they can enter, stop, pause,
exit and re-enter the media. Additionally, media has become interactive, which
means that audiences can extend or enhance their media experience. Interactivity
enables the content producer and the audience to create a deeper relationship.
Concurrent media exposure means that people are accessing multiple media
channels at the same time. Due to the increasing trend of multitasking, it is highly
important to pay attention to a single media experience produced. Convergence
means that different media channels are merging and the boundaries are blurring,
mostly due to the usage of smartphones and mobile devices. (Chesebro et al.
2014)
The Internet creates a networked information system, and its features include
(Mulhern 2009):
• Infinite reproduction and sharing: media content can be shared in a digital

world almost without cost.
22
• Modularity of content: pieces of information can be unbundled and bundled
freely and according to own desire.
• Consumer networks: digitalization changes the way consumers interact with
each other, which affects the buying behaviour and purchase decision
making.
• User-control and content production: consumer can manage what content
they receive and produce their own content.
• Content can be highly customized.
• Information streams: data on how people interact with information.
Digitalization has a massive effect on marketing communications. It enables infinite

reproduction of content, consumer networking, user-generated content, and
expansion of media. (Mulhern 2009) Data on consumer behaviour online is
gathered constantly, which allows businesses to send tailored messages to
different segments and engage with them. Real-time data makes it possible to fine-
tune customer valuation and segmentation, customer response analysis, market
intelligence and financial models. (Keller 2009; Kotler & Keller 2009, 57; Mulhern
2009) Online marketing is more influential than any other marketing method since it
can be shared among different audiences, which makes the reach wider and the
message more meaningful (Chesebro et al. 2014).
Additionally, the digital age has enabled new, interactive ways to communicate,
and it enables consumers and brands to connect in a new level (Chesebro et al.
2014; Fill 2006b, 276, 281; Mulhern 2009). Communications is not a linear process
anymore where the receiver is passive, but new technology has enabled more
interaction. Interactivity is an antecedent of a dialogue, and the notion that
companies are more willing to have a conversation with their stakeholders
indicates the there is more emphasis put on relationships. (Fill 2006b, 42-43) The
growth of digital media has made it crucial for companies to include customer’s
conversations as part of their communications and manage these proactively in
23
different social networks. Three elements, which are pivotal for digital
communications nowadays, include customer engagement, permission marketing,
and content marketing. (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick 2012, 43-44)
The main challenges in digital communications include complexity (configuring

digital marketing campaigns), responding to competitors (monitoring competitor
activity), responding to changes in technology (keeping knowledge up-to-date),
cost (high cost-per-click), and attention (customers becoming blind to ads).
(Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick 2012, 43) In addition, digitalization makes it more
challenging to manage brand messages across multiple channels, and thus, more
efficient media planning tools are needed (Mulhern 2009).
Chaffey and Ellis-Chadwick (2012, 10) define digital marketing as “achieving

marketing objectives through applying digital technologies”, and it involves
managing company online presence, which might include various forms, such as
company websites, social media, search engine marketing (SEO), online
advertising, or e-mail marketing. All these interactions aim at creating new
customer relationships or managing existing ones through E-CRM. In order to
create a strong digital strategy, it is crucial to consider the three types of media
channels that exist today: paid (advertising, i.e. paid search and display ads),
earned (partner networks, i.e. editorial publications, word-of-mouth), and owned
media (company’s digital properties, i.e. websites, blogs, social presence).
Generally, these three types overlap. (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick 2012, 10-12)
Companies can have different types of online presence, which can be divided into
five categories: transactional e-commerce sites, service-oriented relationship-
building website, brand-building site, portal or media site, and social network or
community site, which have different functions of sales transactions, services,
relationship-building, brand-building, and news and entertainment. Companies can
combine these different categories depending on the market they serve, and
24
different types can be combined within a site. (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick 2012, 21-
22)
Digital marketing strategy should be based on multichannel marketing, which

means that online channels and traditional channels are integrated and interacting
with each other. A good digital strategy should (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick 2012,
14):
• align with the overall business strategy.

• have clear objectives with regard to business and brand development,
leads, and sales.
• incorporate a compelling and differentiated value proposition.
• have a well-specified mix of online and offline communication methods.
• support customer journey and manage online customer lifecycle, including
attracting visitors, converting them into customers, and ensuring retention
and growth.
Digital marketing strategy development process involves four stages: setting e-

marketing objectives, defining e-marketing strategy, implementing e-marketing
plan, and measuring and improving (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick 2012, 25). The aim
in creating digital marketing communications strategy is to choose the channels,
which are the most cost-efficient in achieving communications and sales
objectives. When choosing the channels marketers both a macro and micro
perspective need to taken into consideration. This means that the selected channel
is effective and efficient independently but also well integrated with other selected
online and offline channels. When looking at different online channels in micro
perspective they allow extremely targeted messages, which can have an effect on
the brand building blocks: salience, performance, imagery, judgments, feelings,
and resonance. The six criteria, which are relevant, when considering the macro
perspective, are: coverage, contribution, commonality, complementarity, versatility
25
and cost. (Keller 2009) Moreover, digital media channels should support business
goals. RACE framework, developed by Smart Insights, can be utilized for turning
digital marketing efforts into commercial value. The four steps of the framework
include: reach (building brand awareness), interact (creating engagement with the
audience), convert (turning audience to fans, leads or sales), and engage (building
customer relationships and retaining them). (Chaffey 2016) The digital channel
selection process presented by Keller (2009) combined with RACE framework is
illustrated in Figure 4.
COMMERCIAL
VALUE
BUSINESS
GOALS
REACH
ACT
CONVERT
ENGAGE
DIGITAL CHANNEL SELECTION
MACRO MICRO
(Channel integrated (Channel effective and
with other channels) efficient
• Coverage independently)
• Contribution • Salience
• Commonality • Performance
• Complementarity • Imagery
• Versatility • Judgements
• Cost • Feelings
• Resonance
Figure 4. Digital channel selection (adapted from Chaffey 2016; Keller 2009)
26
Companies are gradually moving towards digital marketing communications, but in
some industries the adoption is slower. Karjaluoto, Mustonen and Ulkuniemi (2015)
have studied the usage of digital marketing communications (DMC) by industrial
companies, and noticed that the usage of web sites, digital sales materials, and e-
mail have increased in industrial companies, and DMC is mainly used for customer
support and building brand and customer relationships. However, DMC is not in a
central role, and its implementation and planning is not done thoroughly because
industrial companies have a preference for personal communications due to the
complex and long-term nature of their business relationships. (Karjaluoto,
Mustonen & Ulkuniemi 2015)
Digital marketing communications includes various concepts, which evolve

constantly as technology advances. Concepts related to the scope of the research
include social media marketing and content marketing. These are both connected
to live streaming, since live streaming is usually shared in social media and
includes content that resonates with the audience.
2.1.1 Social media marketing
Marketing via social media has gained importance due to Facebook and other
similar social media networks, and it has generally been more popular among B2C
brands (Thompson 2014). Social media marketing is an important element in
online marketing due to its customer engaging nature (Chaffey & Smith 2008).
However, it is a relatively recent and rapidly developing environment, and both
academics and companies are lacking solid knowledge on it (Tsimonis &
Diminiatris 2014). The different types of social presence include social networks,
social publishing and news, social commenting in blogs, social niche communities,
social customer service, social knowledge, social bookmarking, social streaming,
social search, and social commerce. (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick 2012, 29-33) Some
27
of the social media channels for businesses include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,
Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and Yelp (Sachs 2016).
Growth and popularity of social media, possibility to spread the brand name (i.e.
likes, shares, re-tweets), presence of competitors in social media, corporate-level
social media strategy, and cost reduction are external factors that push the
companies to use social media. Companies use social media for organizing
various competitions, communicating their daily activities, introducing new products
and services, providing information and advice, and serving customers. Companies
feel that the most important benefit of these social media actions is to be able to
engage with people who like the company, but other expected benefits include
(Tsimonis & Diminiatris 2014):
• Creating, strengthening, and enhancing relationships with customers.

• Interacting and engaging with customers better than before.
• Listening to customer needs.
• Gaining brand awareness.
• Accessing new customer groups with targeted messages.
• Promoting products in a more indirect way.
The social media strategy process, illustrated in Figure 5, begins with examining
the external and internal factors, which affect the firm’s social media usage, and
whether to get involved in social media. When the social media channels have
been chosen, the company needs to define, implement and follow up the different
activities. Depending on the results of the social media presence companies might
revise their social media strategy, and targeting and positioning, reconsider the
expected outcomes, or adjust social media activities or design new ones.
(Tsimonis & Diminiatris 2014) Additionally, according to Valos et al. (2016),
traditional integrated marketing communications program should be modified in
28
terms of strategy, message, organizational implementation, and measurement, in
order to incorporate social media.
OTHER MARKETING
COMMUNICATIONS
EXTERNAL ACTIVITIES
Choice of
social media Social media
Motives activities Results
channels
INTERNAL
EXPECTED
OUTCOMES
Figure 5. Social media strategy process (Tsimonis & Diminiatris 2014)
2.1.2 Content marketing
As a counterforce for interruptive marketing, permission marketing has emerged,

which means that companies are seeking customers’ permission before engaging
with them. Often this means also providing something in return in a form of
information or entertainment. Permission marketing requires compelling content,
and that is where content marketing comes into picture. (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick
2012, 43-44) Content marketing differentiates companies and it is an essential
factor in business development especially in B2B context (Murthy 2011), and in
fact, according to a survey conducted by eConsultancy, content marketing and
digital marketing techniques are a top priority for both B2B and B2C marketers
(Holliman & Rowley 2014). Content Marketing Institute defines content marketing
as creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content in order to
29
attract and retain audiences, and ultimately to create profitable outcomes (Content
Marketing Institute 2016). This content can either be static, such as websites, or
dynamic, such as videos and podcasts, which encourage engagement. The
challenge in content marketing is the amount of different contents delivered in
multiple platforms but engaging with customers is vital for companies. Some of the
considerable elements in content marketing include (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick
2012, 43-44; Halvorson & Rach 2012, 119):
• Engagement value
o Which kind of content resonates with the target audience and what is
the best type of content for the target audience?
• Media
o What are the best media formats to communicate the key messages?
Should the content be plain text, rich media, such as audio or
streamed videos?
o Do you have the needed resources (time, knowledge) to execute
these formats?
• Audience
o Where are the audiences?
• Syndication to different sites
• Participation
o Content should encourage comments, ratings, and reviews, which
then need to be managed.
• Access platforms
o Is the content accessible on desktops, laptops, and mobile devices?
Choosing the right channels is essential in content marketing (Halvorson & Rach
2012, 119). In the era of content marketing, marketers do not need to go where
customers are, but instead direct customers towards the company and the valuable
content through different digital channels. Different digital channels and their
30
content have a different role in that process. The content can be used to reach,
engage, or activate the audience. For example LinkedIn or Twitter can be used to
reach the audience, which are then directed to a blog that engages, and through
the blog the audience is guided to a website, which activates the audience, and
possibly provides a lead. However, everything begins with listening to the market
and gaining a better understanding on customers needs and responding to those
with content. (Tanni & Keronen 2013, 39-40) Additionally, Kilgour et al. (2015) note
that consumer insight is the key to creating effective content marketing strategies,
and Murthy (2011) adds that understanding potential customers and their buying
cycles as well as creating compelling and engaging content play a crucial role in
thought leadership. Table 1 lists different digital channels and their features:
whether they can be used for listening, reaching, engaging, or activating the
audience, what is the length of the content lifecycle in the channel, and what is the
role of that particular channel in the overall digital channel mix.
One motive for using content marketing is also the fact that organizational buying
process requires information gathering before contacting possible suppliers.
Companies can increase the value of content through co-creation, which has an
effect the corporate brand. It is also important to focus on the needs of the target
market and not use content marketing to transfer selling messages, but instead
use storytelling. The main objectives for content marketing include generating
leads, and creating and building brand awareness and a trustworthy brand.
Valuable and relevant content is an excellent way to increase the attractiveness of
inbound marketing and to build brand. There are also several challenges with
creating a digital content marketing strategy: developing useful metrics and
dashboards, recruiting capable storytellers, creating content with value to the
customers, and making a change from a traditional selling mindset towards a
relationship and reputation focused content marketing. (Holliman & Rowley 2014)
According to Holliman and Rowley (2014) the following aspects are central in
content marketing:
31
• Helping customers through digital channels, instead of selling
• Creating long-term relationships with content
• Prioritizing long-term profitability over short-term sales or lead generation
• Integrating digital content marketing with other marketing activities
• Understanding customer needs in different points of the buying process
• Developing suitable metrics
Content marketing is relevant especially for B2B companies: the expertise of the
company can be put in the center of marketing through content strategy, which
ultimately enables the company to respond to their customers’ needs better than
before. Creating expertise-intensive content marketing can affect the customer
purchase process by providing information even before the customer has a
purchase need, which makes it important for companies to shift from product
advertising towards thought leadership. (Tanni & Keronen 2013, 12, 23) Tanni and
Keronen (2012, 23) mention that content marketing is compelling because it
includes expert interpretations on the current situation in a specific field, advice on
developing skills and procedures, and interpretations that help understand
changes. Thought leaders need to listen to their customers in order to gain a better
understanding on their needs, but they also need to produce content that is
relevant, reliable, and approachable. (Tanni & Keronen 2013, 27) Thought
leadership can be developed through various types of content marketing, such as
white papers, e-books, email newsletters, webinars, wikis, research and survey
reports, photos and graphs, blogs, and finally audio and video (Meerman Scott
2010, 143-146). Content strategy is about guiding customers in digital
environment, and it includes five steps (Tanni & Keronen 2013, 179):
1. Edge: Which expertise that we possess do our customer value?

2. Information window: How do we attract, engage and activate?
3. Content paths: How do we guide information searcher online through
different channels?
32
4. Implementation: Who are involved in the every day work?
5. Measuring: How well has the content marketing succeeded online and in the
customers’ work?
Table 1. The nature of different digital channels and their suitability for publishing
and consuming different contents (Tanni & Keronen 2013, 49-50)
Activating
Engaging
Reaching
Listening
lifecycle
Content
Channel Role in the mix of digital channels

Combines the online presence, ensures the
Website ✔ ✔ ✔ Long
continuation of “online story”
Increases client value, engages clients into the
Blog ✔ ✔ ✔ Long
company message, and enables interaction
Enables listening to the industry influencers and
Facebook ✔ ✔ Short
gaining followers, directs towards engaging content
Enables listening to the industry influencers and
Twitter ✔ ✔ Short gaining followers, directs towards other engaging
content or contacting
Increases client value by solving a problem through
YouTube ✔ ✔ Long quality instruction videos, directs towards other
engaging content or contacting
Pinterest/
✔ ✔ ✔ visualization, directs towards other engaging content
Instagram
or contacting
Enables listening to industry influencers, participating
LinkedIn ✔ ✔ Short in conversations, gaining followers, directs towards
other engaging content or contacting
Enables listening to industry influencers, participating
Discussion
✔ ✔ Long in conversations, helping and being present, directs
forums
towards other engaging content or contacting
Reaches information-searching clients, directs to all
different channels based on used search terms,
SEO ✔ ✔ ✔ Long
listening to search behavior helps understanding
clients
Slideshare ✔ ✔ ✔ Long good presentation material or visual information,
directs towards other engaging content or contacting
Articles on Increases client value by solving a problem, directs
✔ Long
a website towards other engaging content or contacting
Info
✔ ✔ ✔ Long visualization, directs towards other engaging content
graphics
or contacting
Direct Reaches information-searching clients, directs
✔ ✔ Short towards engaging content
e-mail
33
2.2 Online video marketing
Since the first video was downloaded on YouTube in 2005 the consumption of
online videos has increased significantly, and they have become a popular
component of the whole online experience. In addition to YouTube, various other
online video sharing platforms have gained popularity, such as Vimeo, Vine,
Tudou, Hulu, and Dailymotion, which are used for entertainment, education,
political, and social purposes (Chesebro et al. 2014), and videos can be seen in
other social channels and blogs (Gamble 2016, 37). Additionally, videos are
gaining significance in corporate communications (Kurio 2015; Shai 2015;
Thompson 2014). Different video formats, such as live streaming, are booming in
the era or visual marketing and firms are starting to realize their potential (Kurio
2015; Tivi 2015).
2.2.1 Videos in marketing communications
Whereas in 2010 companies were still experimenting with videos (Meerman Scott
2010, 146), today companies are starting to realize the benefits of videos and
utilize them as part of their internal and external communications (Kurio 2015;
Thompson 2014; Tivi 2015), and many are predicting videos to gain even more
significance in the future (Shai 2015; Thompson 2014). 63 per cent of the
respondents of a study conducted in 2014 by Demand Metrics state that the
spending for video marketing is on the rise in their company. A bigger investment
in video marketing is likely to happen in the future as 82 per cent of the survey
respondents have experienced video marketing successful. (Thompson 2014) The
power of video marketing is its low cost. Companies can produce videos as part of
their content marketing strategy in fairly low budget and still get good return on
investment. (Litt 2014)
34
Companies are using video marketing as part of their brand development and
demand generation strategies. Videos are used as a way of engaging customers
and enhancing the relationship with them, since videos are both educating and
entertaining. (Litt 2014) Videos can be used for multiple purposes: for brand
awareness, product advertising and demonstrations, retail promotions, direct sales,
product support, customer testimonials, case studies, internal trainings and
employee communications, recruiting, webinars for customers, partners and
integrators, conferences and events, management messages, and video blogs.
(Litt 2014; Miller 2011, 11-17, 268-271; Shai 2015) Miller (2011, 64) notes that
promotional videos need to be subtle, and videos need to have value for the
audience. The provided information in the video need to support and supplement
the message the company is transmitting in other online and offline channels, and
the key is to keep the message consistent in all channels, including YouTube
(Miller 2011, 64-65). Video content is a great tool for supporting thought leadership
(Meerman Scott 2010, 146), personalize the company and enable direct contact
with customers (Miller 2011, 64-65).
Some companies are embedding videos, which are hosted at YouTube or other
additional video site, into their blogs or other online channels. Videos can be
shared to the target audience in the following ways (Meerman Scott 2010, 146,
208):
• Posting it on a video-sharing site and sharing a link to the content.

• Embedding it into a blog, website or news release.
• Developing an online video channel with own URL.
• Encouraging customers to generate content.
Videos are a good way to increase brand awareness, lead generation and
conversion on websites (Litt 2014; Shai 2015; Thompson 2014). According to AOL
Platforms’ study YouTube has been proved to convert more customers than other
35
online platforms. If a viewer enjoys the video content it increases their intent to
purchase by 97 per cent and brand perception by 139 per cent. Positive attitude
towards online video ads and social pressure have been proved to affect
consumers’ willingness to watch and share online videos (Lee & Lee 2011; Lee et
al. 2013), and informative and humorous ads are perceived less intrusive
(Goodrich et al. 2015). In addition to its remarkable results with regard to
conversion, video marketing can easily be tracked and measured in order to gain a
better understanding of customer needs. To capture the maximum results video
marketing needs to be interconnected with marketing automation platforms and
CRM tools. (Belicove 2014; Litt 2014)
When thinking about video marketing strategy, it is crucial to have a clear picture of
what you want to achieve with marketing communications, and how video could
possible be utilized to achieve those objectives. Strategy for videos is similar than
in overall marketing communications (Miller 2011, 22-35, 65):
• Who are the customers?

• What are the customer needs?
• What are you promoting? Company, brand, solution, employee training?
• What is the message?
• How will the results be measured?
• What type of content helps achieving the goals?
o Repurposed commercial, infomercial, instructional video, product
demonstration, customer testimonial, company introduction, expert
presentation, business video blog, executive speech, company
seminar, or customer or employee generated video
• How does it fit to your overall marketing mix?
o Does it stand alone or is it part of some other campaign?
36
Creating video content has the same objective than other content marketing:
targeting the target audience with information that addresses a problem they are
facing. However, video marketing requires investing in additional equipment, such
as video cameras, microphones, and special software, unlike text-based content
marketing. Additionally, time needs to be invested in editing the videos. (Meerman
Scott 2010, 207)
2.2.2 Live streaming in marketing communications
In addition to traditional online videos, there is a clear trend in real time videos and
live streaming (Gilman 2015; Hackl 2016; Kurio 2015; Tivi 2015; Weiss 2015).
According to a study by Finnish media agency Kurio (2015), Snapchat, Periscope,
Facebook Live, and Blab are mentioned as the “hottest channels” for 2016 and
marketing communications experts recommend companies to explore the
possibilities of these channels, whether with event marketing or offering a behind
the scenes video of a certain brand (Kurio 2015; Tivi 2015). Hackl (2016) notes
that using live streaming requires stepping out of the box, and that PR
professionals need to gain a steady understanding on new live video platforms.
Additionally, there has to be a clear brand strategy in order to keep the brand
consistent (Kurio 2015; Tivi 2015).
Live streaming is about to become an important component in brands’ social media

programmes due to its authenticity (Kumu Communications 2016; Weiss 2012).
Similarly, Mellin (2013) has noticed that streaming is becoming a natural way to
share information and communicate with different audiences, and it is a way for
open organizations and people to tell about themselves. Nowadays audiences
value authenticity, transparency, and realness and live videos give companies the
possibility to show the story behind their brand in the form of a live press
conference, event, or product launch. Live video is a great tool for building a better
relationship with the audience, and it can have a big effect on end customer
37
decision-making process in both B2C and B2B environments. Live video can be
used to enhance personal and corporate brands, connect with audience in real
time, and increase engagement and visibility. (Calero 2016; Hackl 2016; Olenski
2015a) Some of the benefits of online streaming include the size of the audience,
better exposure, rich content, multiple platforms, and better interaction with the
target market. With online streaming companies can gain a large audience by
producing meaningful and interesting content, and later this audience might turn
into paying customers. Companies can also educate their audiences about the
company and the brand. (Olenski 2015b) Additionally, it offers a great opportunity
especially for small businesses due to its easiness and cost-effectiveness (Weiss
2015).
Companies can generate streams in many ways: with smartphones, web cameras
and using video sharing services (Gilman 2015), and live videos can be
broadcasted from a mobile device to multiple social media platforms (Hackl 2016).
Businesses are becoming familiar with Periscope and use it to educate, promote
and build their brands (Gilman 2015), but live streams on different platforms can be
used also for showing “how to” videos, sharing live events, releasing brand release
videos, hosting interviews, showcasing a product manufacturing process, giving
sneak peaks on what is happening behind the scenes, and hosting a Q&A
sessions. (Calero 2016; Olenski 2015a)
When it comes to content marketing, Kumu Communications (2016) notes that

there is less competition in live streaming compared to traditional blogs.
Additionally, streams have a good visibility in their own platforms Twitter,
Facebook, and YouTube. However, the real value of streaming lies in its
authenticity. The presence of the people in the stream can be sensed more easily,
and hence, streaming is well suited for companies who want to transfer the
reliability and professionalism of their company to their audiences. (Kumu
Communications 2016) Vuoti (2017) mentions that streaming is also useful for
38
internal communications. It can be used for video conferencing, which allows
personal contact between colleagues and strengthens fellowship. It also enables
communicating internal news, which creates the feeling that the management is
closer to the employees and there is more dialogue. Other mentioned usages
purposes include internal trainings or events, product launches, and product
guidance streams. (Vuoti 2017)
Producing a successful live stream requires practicing the stream beforehand in a

closed group, preparing the content, deciding the location of the stream, ensuring
that the technical elements work properly, promoting the stream beforehand, and
encouraging a dialogue during the stream by asking questions and creating
reactions (Pasanen 2017). Mellin (2013) states that the three main things in
streaming are proper technical competencies, the position of the camera, and
making sure that the remote audience is taken into account as well. Sufficient
technical competencies create the base for a successful stream, and when
possible risks of the stream have been identified beforehand it is easier to react to
possible technical issues during the stream. However, understanding the value of
the remote audience and enabling them participate is an important factor as well.
The variety of live streaming platforms include Periscope, Facebook Live,
YouTube, Meerkat, Blab, Twitch, YouNow, Livestream, Streaming Media, and
Ustream (Calero 2016; Hackl 2016; Olenski 2015b; Weiss 2015) but the most used
platforms in the Finnish market are Periscope, Facebook Live, and YouTube Live.
Periscope is a service offered by Twitter, which can be used for broadcasting

videos either privately or publicly. The viewers can interact with the broadcaster by
“liking” the video by clicking a heart button on the screen, sending comments, or
sharing the stream on their Twitter account. After the broadcast the video is
automatically saved on the broadcaster’s phone and is available for a replay for 24
hours. (Olenski 2015a) Facebook Live is a similar tool, which enables Facebook
users to do live streaming. Users can send live videos from their mobile devices to
39
their followers who can tune into the webcast and send comments while watching
the live stream. The maximum length of a stream is 30 minutes and after the
stream the video will appear on the user’s timeline. Additionally, Facebook allows
editing the video afterwards and even adding a call to action. However, unlike in
Periscope, the videos can be retrieved afterwards. (DeMers 2016; Smith 2016)
Facebook Live streams show primarily for Facebook followers but can spread
efficiently through the networks of the followers. Periscope on the other hand
shows globally, and with an interesting title the stream can gain many viewers.
With Facebook Live the streams are automatically stored on Facebook, unlike in
Periscope where the streams disappear after 24 hours unless you manually
choose to save them. It is also possible for the same user to send Periscope
stream with one device and tweet with another one from the same account. The
same goes with Facebook: you can send a live stream with one device and answer
comments with another. (Kuulu 2016) Youtube has had a live streaming feature on
desktop since 2012, but has recently added a mobile streaming feature. YouTube’s
mobile streaming application has similar features than other platforms: you can
send live video with a push of a button, allow commenting during the stream, and
send your contacts a notification that you are live. Companies can use YouTube
Live for live events, customer support, news, product demonstrations, interviews,
behind the scene footage, training and Q&A sessions, and infomercials. (Alton
2016; Digital Information World 2015)
40
3 BRANDING
The various challenges that organizations are facing today are driving companies
to focus on their brand. Brands are especially relevant due to the lack of trust
towards products or services caused by the proliferation of information, lack of
attention due to advertisement overload, homogeneity of products and services,
and globalization (van Riel & Fombrun 2007, 3, 6-7). However, strong brands and
reputations are the basis for long-term profitability and competitive advantage
because they provide organizations with intangible value, and unique assets, skills
and choices of every organization are difficult to imitate by others (Aaker 1996, 7-8;
Abratt & Kleyn 2012; Pillai 2012). Brands can be used in differentiation, securing
future business, creating brand loyalty, enhancing brand communications and
brand image, setting up a premium price, and ultimately increasing sales. By
differentiation brand personality and reputation, brands can create customer loyalty
and growth. (Keller 2009; Kotler & Pfoertsch 2006, 51-52) A successfully
implemented and coherent brand identity and positioning guides the brand and
assists managers to enhance the brand strategy (Aaker 1996, 68). Branding
comprehends many concepts, such as brand equity, brand identity, and brand
value proposition. In addition, brand needs to be managed and communicated to
all stakeholders. Marketing has a key role in creating added value, which results in
differentiated perceptions on the marketing of a product or service compared to
unbranded products and services. (Keller 2009; Kotler & Pfoertsch 2006, 51-52)
The brand construct and marketing communications role in it are presented in
Appendix 1.
3.1 Brand building and management
Building a strong brand requires a thorough and consistent strategy and a holistic
brand approach where programs, processes, and activities are interconnected,
41
which then allow companies to further drive their success. Brand building includes
all the touch points that a customer has with the company. Brand is a promise and
companies need to deliver that promise at every touch point. A brand promise
needs to be well defined, meaningful, and relevant to the target group. (Kotler &
Pfoertsch 2006, 71) According to Aaker (1996, 35-36), the key factors in creating a
successful brand is to understand, develop and deploy brand identity as well as
manage internal factors and pressures and create a culture that supports brand
building.
Brand management encompasses the planning, development, implementation and

evaluation of a brand strategy, which has to be in line with the overall corporate
strategy. Kotler and Pfoertsch (2006, 55) present a branding triangle where all the
company’s marketing-related connections are interconnected: the company itself,
collaborators (employees, wholesalers, dealers, and agencies) and customers. It is
crucial to keep the company image and brand consistent throughout this triangle,
since branding is about creating value in the context of the branding triangle. In
addition to this, companies need to explore new value opportunities, create and
deliver value and integrate this with the overall marketing, which leads to
competitive advantage and long-term profitability. (Kotler & Pfoertsch 2006, 55)
Keller’s customer-based brand equity model highlights the duality of brand building.
There are four rational and emotional steps for brand building. The four rational
steps include identity, meaning, response, and relationship. (Kotler and Pfoertsch
2006, 167; Keller 2009) Parallel to these four rational steps are four emotional
steps. When the brand identity is clear brand awareness has to be created among
the customers. Meaning, on the other hand, is formed through linking tangible and
intangible brand associations with the brand and making sure that the brand
meaning is clear in the minds of consumers. The company also needs to raise
proper customer response that is linked with brand-related judgments and feelings
and convert this response into a loyal relationship between the customers and the
42
brand. (Keller 2009) The model’s four steps lead to the establishment of six brand
building blocks, which are brand salience, brand performance, brand imagery,
customer judgments, customer emotions, and brand resonance. Brand resonance,
the most valued, can only be achieved when all the prior blocks have been
established. (Kotler & Pfoertsch 2006, 167) Keller’s customer-based brand equity
model is illustrated in Figure 6.
Brand
resonance
Customer
Relationship emotions
creating brand relationships
Customer
judgements
Response
positive accessible reactions
Brand
imagery
Meaning
establishment of points of
difference Brand
performance
Identity
deep and broad brand awareness Brand
salience
Figure 6. Keller’s customer-based brand equity model (Keller 2009; Kotler and
Pfoertsch 2006)
Brand resonance can be said to reflect the intensity of the relationship that the
customer has with the brand as well as how actively the customer connects with
the brand. Brand resonance has four dimensions, which reflect the different
elements of brand loyalty: behavioral loyalty, attitudinal attachment, sense of
community and active engagement. When the base for brand resonance is created
(all the five brand building blocks are established) marketers can optimize the level
of the resonance with various marketing communication activities, which affect one
43
or more brand resonance dimensions. To reach the maximal brand resonance both
the intensity and activity of loyalty relationships must be augmented. The key of
customer-based brand equity model is to create loyal relationships, which affect
brand equity. (Keller 2009)
consistency
authenticity clarity
BRANDING
PRINCIPLES
visibility continuity
Figure 7. Five branding principles (Kotler and Pfoertsch 2006)
Kotler and Pfoertsch (2006, 162) present five branding principles, in addition to the
traditional “three C’s” of branding, which support the brand strategy process:
consistency, clarity, continuity, visibility and authenticity. The principles are
illustrated in Figure 7. The brand needs to stay consistent throughout the touch
points, but it needs the other four elements to support it. Brand cannot exist if it is
not clear to all stakeholders what the company is and what it stands for. The
company vision, mission and values are essential for brand clarity. Brand continuity
means that people can rely on the brand to deliver what is promised, and thus,
company should not make rapid changes in its core personality. The two other
elements, visibility and authenticity, are crucial since without being visible the
44
brand cannot raise awareness and without authenticity the company cannot create
a feeling of uniqueness. (Kotler & Pfoertsch 2006, 162-163)
3.2 Corporate branding
Corporate brand is the highest level in the brand hierarchy (Aaker 1996, 242).
According to van Riel and Fombrun (2007, 107) corporate brand is “a visual
representation of a company that unites groups of products and services, and
makes it known to the world through the use of a single name, a shared visual
identity, and a common set of symbols”. According to Percy (2008, 66), it is the
reflection of corporate meaning, which is the combination of corporate image,
corporate identity and corporate reputation). An important thing is to observe the
congruency between the identity components and the external brand reputation (de
Chernatony and Harris 2000). Thus, corporate brand is a combination of different
brand elements, and its objective is to identify and differentiate a whole product or
service offering in the minds of the stakeholders (Ormeño 2007, 17).
Corporate branding, on the other hand, refers to the set of activities, which
companies perform in order to create a clear, consistent and unique picture,
favorable associations, and positive reputation among all stakeholders (Kotler &
Pfoertsch 2006, 80; van Riel & Fombrun 2007, 107), and it needs to be based on
core values that build the identity of a brand, and which work as guiding principles
for internal and external brand building (Urde 2003). According to Hatch and
Schultz (2003), corporate branding needs to be based on the interaction between
vision, culture, and image. Additionally, studies show that corporate brand
management concerns both internal and external stakeholders, and the role of
employees and organizational culture is vital (de Chernatony & Harris 2000; Hatch
& Schultz 2003). Corporate branding has multiple benefits, such as talent pool
generation, brand image building, winning over competition and increasing
stakeholder value. With broad visibility and awareness, strong corporate brands
45
provide economies of scale and scope when multiple product brands can be
associated with one, broader, corporate brand. (Aaker 1996, 117; Abratt & Kleyn
2012; Pillai 2012)
Abratt and Kleyn (2012) argue that all organization have a corporate brand whether
they communicate it effectively or not. According to them corporate brand
encompasses two elements: corporate expression and stakeholder images of the
organization’s identity, and the relationship of these two elements is illustrated in
Figure 8. Corporate identity, on the other hand, reflects what the organization is
and what it aims to be. It has two parts: the strategic choices on mission, vision,
values, and culture made by the company and the corporate expression. Corporate
identity includes corporate affinities, products and services, and social
responsibility programmes, which reflect the organizational values and culture. This
identity is then expressed through corporate brand in the form of visual identity,
brand promise, brand personality and brand communications. Conclusively, the
corporate brand works as an intermediary between the stakeholders and the
identity. (Abratt & Kleyn 2012)
Corporate expression comprehends the whole corporate identity and corporate

brand building activities, such as visual identity, brand promise, brand personality
and communications. Communicating corporate symbols and logos enhances
stakeholder recognition and associations. A strong visual identity creates a linkage
to the brand, which enables stakeholders to form perceptions of a brand. Brand
promise, either functional or emotional, has to be based on stakeholder needs and
expectation. When these expectations are met a positive brand image can be
formed, which over time creates a strong corporate reputation. Corporate
reputation is the result of the interaction between stakeholders and the
organization over a period of time. This means that there are multiple reputations
depending on the stakeholder. Reputation is formed through interaction between
multiple brand-related stimuli, such as communication, employees and agents. In
46
time these different perceptions will form a stakeholder’s reputation of a brand.
(Abratt & Kleyn 2012)
Stakeholders create their perception of a brand through brand experiences, brand

relationships and brand communities, which form the second element of corporate
brand: brand image. Stakeholders can have four types of brand experiences:
sensory, affective, behavioural and intellectual. Based on these experiences they
will consider whether the brand has fulfilled its promise and whether the brand
personality meets the expectations. Different experiences deepen stakeholder
associations and the bond with the brand. Abratt and Kleyn (2012) note that many
of the studies on brand experience have been conducted in the field of consumer
goods but highlight that brand experience across all the stakeholder groups, such
as suppliers and distributors, should be managed and monitored as well in order to
build strong corporate brands and reputations. Brand relationships, and thus
corporate brand, can be strengthened through communicating and delivering the
brand promise consistently across all stakeholders. (Abratt & Kleyn 2012) Abratt
and Kleyn’s view on corporate brand is illustrated in Figure 8.
• brand
Corporate Corporate experiences
Stakeholder
brand expression • brand images of
relationships identity
• identity • visual identity • brand
• image • brand promise communities
• reputation • brand
personality
• brand
communication
Figure 8. Abratt and Kleyn’s (2012) view on corporate brand
47
Aaker (1996, 116-117) states that organizational associations are important
elements in corporate branding, since corporate brand represents the CEO and the
employees, and the associations can then be reflected on multiple product brands
under the corporate brand. Even though most of the value propositions that brand
identities provide are linked to a product-related benefits, like the performance or
quality of a product, organizational associations play also an important role when it
comes to differentiating the company, creating value proposition, and enhancing
customer-brand relationships. Values, culture, people, programs, and skills are
central organizational characteristics as well as community orientation, perceived
quality, innovation, customer concern, presence and success, and local vs. global.
(Aaker 1996, 115-118)
Some companies have a strong community orientation, which includes fair

employee treatment, being environmentally cautious, and even sponsoring
charities. Being a “good citizen” may arouse positive feelings, like respect,
admiration, and liking, which support the creation of customer relationships. In
some cases it has even been seen to increase the stock return. Creating
differentiation and perceptions of social responsibility requires having a focus,
being consistent over time, linking corporate social responsibility programs to the
brand, and, finally, being branded. Innovation association, on the other hand, is
important for companies whose target groups appreciate technology and
innovation. The reputation of being innovative goes a long way: it can provide
credibility for new products and support the brand when the product or service in
question is not “the best” in the market. Locality of a product, on the other hand,
provides a tighter link to the company’s customers in specific areas but a global
brand can signal technological advancements and good resources. (Aaker 1996,
118-125, 128-130)
Organizational associations provide a value proposition that is based on functional,

emotional and self-expressive benefits, which then contribute to the creation of
48
customer relationships. Additionally brand-customer relationship can be based on
brand identity if the value proposition does not fully capture the relationship. Brand-
customer relationships are more likely to emerge when the brand is either based
on an organization or a person, rather than a product. These relationships are
based on positive feelings, such as admiration, having fun, or belonging, which
cannot be directly linked to the value proposition. (Aaker 1996, 95-103, 131)
When associations are linked to a corporate brand they provide credibility to other
product classes. Credibility increases when a spokesperson, or in this case a
company, is seen being expert, trustworthy and well liked. Being innovative is
considered the most powerful organizational association, enabling the firm to
diversify their offerings and appear credible (expert, prestigious, and trustworthy).
In addition, organizational associations have a big impact inside the organization:
they provide a means to clarify the culture and values inside the organization.
Employees need to agree with the values of the company and have a clear picture
what the company stands for in order to be motivated. (Aaker 1996, 132-135)
Corporate branding is part of a bigger concept of corporate marketing. According to

Balmer and Greyser (2006), corporate marketing should integrate corporate
identity, corporate branding, corporate communications, and corporate reputation.
Correspondingly, Balmer (2006) presents a corporate marketing mix, which
consists of six elements: character (corporate identity), culture (organizational
identity), conceptualizations (corporate reputation), covenant (corporate brand
management), constituencies (marketing and stakeholder management), and
communication (corporate communication). Additionally, Chang et al. (2012) state
that corporate branding involves numerous stakeholders and dimensions, including
strategy, brand leadership, brand-focused human resource management, and
brand communications. It is tightly linked with both internal and external brand
identity, and it supports the creation of coherent brand image and reputation, and
favorable brand identity perception. It can also help create a tighter relationship
49
between employees and the corporate brand. Furthermore, employees who feel
connected with the corporate brand have a tendency to serve customers beyond
their normal role requirements, which contributes to brand equity. Managers can
improve corporate brand equity by utilizing effective communication channels to
reflect a positive brand image. (Chang et al. 2012)
3.3 Marketing communications and branding
Marketing communications has a significant role in the development of brands and

it enables company’s stakeholders to make brand-related associations. In order to
create a unique brand through marketing communications it is vital to understand
which elements brands consist. Communicating the brand strengths and
differences, the value it brings to the customer, and reinforcing these messages
consistently brings integration to a brand. (Fill 2006b, 405-407) Corporate
communications assists organizations in creating compelling and differentiated
images of the company and building a strong corporate brand and reputation. In
fact, one way to measure communication’s effectiveness is to examine its effect on
brand equity. (van Riel & Fombrun 2007, 7, 36) Among corporate communications,
corporate advertising and ad-like communication activities are seen as the best
way to affect corporate brand knowledge and ultimately corporate brand, since
they are easily manageable tools. (Ormeño 2007, 125) Creating a corporate story
can be a powerful tool in differentiation. Effective corporate story should be
relevant (to the target groups), responsive (allow interaction between the audience
and company), realistic (showing company’s unique and enduring characteristics),
and sustainable (satisfying needs of target groups and the company). (Percy 2008,
69-71)
Building corporate brand through integrated marketing communications (later IMC)

is in most parts similar to building product brands through IMC. Building strong
brands with IMC requires consistent brand positioning and communications
50
strategy throughout the market, which together result in positive brand attitude, and
ultimately leads to strong brand equity (Percy 2008, 33). Percy (2008, 55) looks
into the concepts of company as a brand through IMC’s role in the areas of
corporate and organizational identity and imagery, and corporate reputation.
However, IMC is generally focused more on corporate imagery and identity, which
means the image that is projected to the external stakeholders, rather than
organizational identity and imagery. IMC stresses that brand and corporate
messages need to be consistent, which means in practice that corporate
communications, and especially corporate advertising, is in line with the general
marketing communications. (Percy 2008, 55-56)
According to Aaker (1996, 176), brand position statement creates the basis for a
communications program. The four characteristics of a brand position include
being part of the identity and value proposition, having a clear target audience,
active communication and demonstrating advantage. Part of active
communications is comparing brand identity (the goal) with the brand image
(current reality), which helps marketers gain insight for creating brand position
statement and communications plans. Demonstrating an advantage means
resonating with customers and differentiating from the competition. (Aaker 1996,
176-183) Kotler and Keller (2009, 516-531) state that the eight steps for developing
an effective communications plan are: identifying the target audience, determining
objectives, designing communications, selecting channels, establishing budget,
deciding media mix, measuring results, and managing integrated marketing
communications.
Malmelin and Hakala (2009) propose a framework called integrative brand

management, which means that organization’s different units and experts are
integrated in order to enhance the development of business and communications.
They suggest that marketing should be based on company-wide brand thinking
instead of solely advertising products, and in communications the internal and
51
external communications should be combined in order to gain a coherent corporate
communications. Integrative brand management has three dimensions (Malmelin &
Hakala 2009):
1. Organisation guided by the brand: brand values and visions guide all the
operations, activities and communications
2. Communications guided by the brand: when organizations puts their brand
in the centre of their communications a coherent image can be reflected to
all the stakeholders.
3. Reputation guided by the brand: all the narratives are shaped by the
reputation which then enhances the formation of brand value.
When brand forms the centre of communications it guides the whole

communications of an organization. It steers the goals and objectives,
communications channels and strategy implementation. (Malmelin & Hakala 2009)
According to Kotler and Pfoertsch (2006, 167), consistency is they key when
creating brands through communication and they present the concept of holistic
marketing approach, which means that the brand is communicated throughout a
branding triangle by using external, internal and interactive marketing. External
marketing communications is the channel through which a company image is
mainly formed. Nevertheless, internal marketing communication is also important in
order to make employees part of the company they are representing. By taking
care of both external and internal communications the company can ensure a
coherent brand image. (Kotler & Pfoertsch 2006, 55-56)
Using interactive digital channels, which enable two-way communication, brands

can deepen the relationship with their stakeholders (Chesebro et al. 2014).
Interactive marketing communications (later IAMC) can have a positive impact on
every brand building block presented by Keller (2009):
52
Salience: Internet facilitates the creation of brand awareness through
targeted messages to online customers. In other words, IAMC enables
marketers to increase the depth and the breadth of brand awareness.
Performance and imagery: IAMC allows marketers to create various

differentiating factors compared to competing products. It is also easy to
support the brand imagery with additional information on the brand and
company. By creating interesting content marketers can also affect the
brand personality online.
Judgments and feelings: IAMC allows sight, sound and motion, which can
create impact through experiential messages.
Resonance: IAMC is probably most useful in creating resonance among

customers. Online marketing allows companies to interact with their
customers daily, which can strengthen brand attachment. It helps enhance
brand community among consumers and between the company and
consumers through bulletin boards and blogs. However, the most impact
that IAMC has is on active engagement since customers can communicate
and bond with other customers.
53
4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The empirical part of the research aims at gaining an in-depth understanding on

how Finnish companies utilize live streaming as part of marketing communications
and corporate branding. The research is qualitative in nature and was carried out
through five semi-structured interviews. This chapter will elaborate on the research
methodology: the design of the research, data collection method, data analysis,
and ultimately, the reliability and validity of the research.
4.1 Research approach and design
The approach of the research is inductive, which means that the research aims at
developing a theory based on the collected data and data analysis. Deductive
approach, on the contrary, has an objective to test hypotheses, which are formed
based on prevalent theories. According to Saunders et al. (2009, 127), inductive
research approach is suitable when the research topic is new and there is only a
limited amount of existing literature on the phenomenon. Since live streaming as
part of digital marketing communications is a very contemporary topic, and there
are nearly no researches conducted on the subject, this research aims at building
an initial theoretical framework from the collected data. Even though the inductive
research approach allows more flexibility during the research process than
deductive approach, it involves more risks since useful data patterns or theories
might not always emerge. It should also be noted that the preferences and
interests of the researcher play a role in the progress of the research. (Saunders et
al. 2009, 127)
Saunders et al. (2009, 136-137) describe research design as the general plan on
how the researcher will be answering the research questions. This plan includes
objectives that are derived from the research questions, intended data sources,
54
research constraints, and ethical issues, which should all reflect that the plan has
been thoroughly made. After the design, follows the research tactics, which include
the data collection techniques, either quantitative or qualitative, and the suitable
data analysis procedures. (Saunders et al. 2009, 136-137)
The most important thing in choosing the right research method is to evaluate
whether it will enable the researcher to answer the research questions and meet
the objectives. The chosen strategy will depend on the research questions and
objectives, the amount of existing knowledge, the available time and other
resources, and the researcher’s philosophical base. (Saunders et al. 2009, 141)
The chosen strategy for this research is the case study method. According to Yin
(2009, 4), case study method is especially relevant when the research aims at
gaining an extensive or in-depth understanding of a current phenomenon through
“how” or “why” questions. Thus, examining live streaming with the case study
method is arguable due to the contemporary nature of the topic and the form of the
research questions that aim at finding out how companies are using live streaming
and how it fits in the theoretical framework of marketing communications and
corporate branding. Additionally, the study incorporates a multiple-case design and
examines five different cases. The clear advantage with including multiple cases,
instead of only one case, is that the study is usually considered more robust due to
the diverse results (Herriott & Firestone 1983 in Yin 2009, 53). However, multiple-
case studies usually require a lot of resources and time (Yin 2009, 53).
Creating a theoretical framework is essential in the case study method because it

supports the planning of the research design by providing a strong base for
determining what kind of data needs to be collected and how, and ultimately, how
the collected data should be analyzed. However, in some instances, the prior
literature on the subject is poor or non-existing, and thus theoretical statements
cannot be formed, which is the case in this study. (Yin 2009, 35- 37) Therefore,
prior literature and researches were gathered around corporate branding, digital
55
marketing communications, and video marketing, which provided a good frame of
reference.
Saunders et al. (2009, 139) state that a research can have one or multiple
purposes, which can be exploratory, descriptive, or explanatory. The lack of prior
literature on live streaming determined the nature of the research to be mostly
exploratory, which is suitable when the researcher aims at deepening their
understanding of a problem. The three main ways to conduct such study are a
search of the literature, expert interviews, and focus group interviews. The chosen
methods for this research are expert interviews and search of the literature.
(Saunders et al. 2009, 139-140)
4.2 Data collection
The study is cross-sectional, which means that it studies one phenomenon, in this
case live streaming, at a particular time and it is based on interviews carried over a
short period of time (Saunders et al. 2009, 155). Following the qualitative design of
the study, the collected data is non-numerical (Saunders et al. 2009, 151-152), and
primary data was gathered from semi-structured interviews. The collection of
primary data follows multiple-case design, and it studies five different case
companies. The case companies were selected based on their experience in live
streaming. Since live streaming is a relatively new marketing communications
method and not many companies utilize it yet, the cases were selected from
different industries and from both B2B and B2C markets. Making too strict
delimitations would have possibly limited the amount of collected data, and the aim
of the study was to gain a robust picture of live streaming practices in Finnish
companies. The selection of some case companies was based on the company’s
modern way of doing marketing communications, whereas with other companies
the selection was based on the industry or the market, which would possibly
provide refreshing points of view.
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The case companies were contacted via e-mail in order to request their willingness
to participate in the research. The data was collected through four semi-structures
phone interviews, due to the geographic distance, and one semi-structured email
interview, due to the time limitations of the interviewee. Four of the interviews were
carried out in Finnish and one in English, and they were conducted between
November 2016 and January 2017. The length of the calls varied between 50
minutes and 1 hour 24 minutes. However, the data gained from the email interview
was not as thorough as the data from the phone interviews, so it cannot be
considered as a good representation of the case company’s live streaming
practices, but more as an addition to the findings of the phone interviews.
According to Saunders et al. (2009, 320, 322), semi-structured interviews can be
used for exploratory studies, and in such interviews the researcher typically has a
list of themes and questions that will to be covered, although the emphasis of the
themes or the order of questions can change depending on the interview, or there
might be a need to ask further questions outside the pre-selected themes.
The interviews were anonymous but the job title of the interviewee, the company
industry and market, the amount of employees, the experience in live streaming,
and whether the company has international operation, were revealed as the
background information. The interview structure was based on the theoretical
framework and it consisted of three parts: overall brand management of the case
company, digital marketing communications practices of the case company, and
finally, live streaming practices of the case company. The questions were
presented in a neutral form in order not to influence the interviewee’s answers. The
themes of the interview were sent to the interviewees beforehand in order to allow
them to get to know the questions prior to the interview. In addition to the main
topics of the interview, more detailed question were prepared in order to gain as in-
depth picture as possible on the live streaming practices and also to support the
flow of the interview. The interviews were carried out in a relaxed manner where
the interviewee was encouraged to answer as much as possible and with details.
57
During the interviews additional questions were asked as the topics arose. The
questions of the semi-structured phone interviews can be seen in Appendix 2 and
the questions of the email interview (in Finnish) in Appendix 3.
4.3 Data analysis
According to Saunders et al. (2009, 482), qualitative data analysis is based on

meanings that are expressed through words, and it requires classifying the
gathered non-standardized data into categories and forming the analysis through
conceptualization. In this research, coding was applied in the data analysis.
According to Miles and Huberman (1994, 56-57), coding means creating specific
codes, in other words tags or labels that are used for assigning units of meaning,
and which facilitate retrieving data and organizing it into different themes.
Table 2. The list of codes

Branding BR
Aspired brand associations BR-A
Strategy and objectives BR-SO
Marketing communications MC
Strategy and objectives MC-SO
Different digital marketing communications channels MC-D
Videos in marketing communications MC-V
Live streaming LS
Motives LS-M
Usage purposes LS-UP
Objectives LS-O
Benefits and challenges LS-BC
Process LS-P
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Before coding the phone interviews were recorded and transcribed in order to
facilitate further analysis. Four of the interviews were transcribed from an audio
recording and one of them, the email interview, was already in a written form. One
of the phone interviews was conducted in English but three of them were translated
from Finnish into English. The codes were created based on the three main
themes of the study: corporate branding, marketing communications, and live
streaming. Since the research literature on live streaming as a marketing
communications channel is very limited, the researcher’s knowledge on the subject
deepened during the course of research, and it was possible to identify more
specific categories. The data was coded and analyzed based on the list shown in
Table 2. During the coding, the different case companies were marked with
different colors. An example of the coding can be seen in Appendix 4.
4.4 Reliability and validity
In order to analyze the quality of the findings, reliability and validity of the research
are examined. Reliability refers to whether the data collection techniques and data
analysis procedures produce consistent findings (Saunders et al. 2009, 156; Miles
& Huberman 1994, 278). The main issue in evaluating the reliability of a research
is whether the same results and similar observations would be achieved in other
occasions and by other observers (Miles & Huberman 1994, 278). Validity, on the
other hand, means whether the findings are valid as independent findings but also
in a broader context (Saunders et al. 2009, 157). Thus, internal and external
validity are examined separately.
One of the main elements in examining the reliability concerns the chosen
research method. In this case, the case study research design was well suited due
to the contemporary nature of live streaming. It was especially relevant because
the research aimed at gaining an in-depth understanding on live streaming through
the main research question “How are Finnish companies utilizing live streaming in
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marketing communications and corporate branding?” Additionally, the semi-
structured interview incorporated “how” and “why” questions, which made the case
study method especially suitable. The theoretical framework on marketing
communications and corporate branding literature guided the whole research
process. The research gap and the research question were formed based on
earlier literature, which also created the base for the semi-structured interview
questions. Overall, the central objective in the research was to find similarities and
differences between the theory and the empirical results.
The researcher’s decision to include multiple cases in the research contributed in

the robustness of the research. Even though the differences between the case
companies enabled capturing diverse experiences, having certain mutual
variables, such as being a Finnish company, having used live streaming in
marketing communications, and having international operations, ensured the
comparability of the results. Possible observer and participant errors were taken
into account as well (Robson 2002 in Saunders et al. 2009, 156-157). Designing
the interview questions to be clear, easy to interpret by the respondents, and non-
leading minimized the possibility for any observer error. This also facilitated
analyzing the results later on. Four of the interviews were conducted via phone and
one via email, which meant that no visual observations could be made and the
researcher had to rely on audio recordings when interpreting the data. However,
testing the recording programs beforehand ensured the quality of the recordings.
Also additional questions were asked during the interview in order to gain a
broader picture on the subject or specify any unclear answers. When transcribing
the results the unclear parts were listened multiple times to ensure that the
researcher understands the responses correctly. Overall, the data analysis was
attempted to describe as transparently as possible and the objective was to
provide results, which could be obtained by other researchers as well.
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Interviewing people who have first-hand experience in live streaming and a very
good understanding on marketing and communications practices in the company
minimized the participant error. Additionally, all of the respondents had a positive
attitude towards the research topic, which increased their willingness to provide
truthful and thorough answers. To further ensure the reliability of the responses,
the interviewees were reminded in the beginning of the interview that the answers
stay anonymous, and they were encouraged to respond as much as possible
without interruptions. The interviewees were also provided with a list of the
interview themes beforehand in order to allow them to prepare for the interview.
Validity of the results is analyzed from the internal and external perspective. Miles
and Huberman (1994, 278) describe internal validity as whether the results make
sense to the readers, and whether they are valid independently. The results can be
stated to be internally valid since certain patterns similarities and between the case
companies emerged from the collected data. Some of the results also
corresponded to the earlier theory on digital marketing communications and video
marketing. Throughout the data collection and analysis the researcher searched for
connections and made comparison with the earlier theory. The interview responses
were also analyzed by questioning whether, for example, the experience in live
streaming or the industry of the company could affect the responses in any way.
Especially in the early stage of the research the ambition to find patters and
connections might have resulted in a more positive perception of the responses,
but as the study proceeded the researcher tried to take as objective point of view
as possible. The results of the research provide a quite sensible and thorough
picture of live streaming practices in the case companies but it should be noted
that further research is needed to confirm the findings since this is a preliminary
study on an emerging topic.
External validity, on the other hand, refers to whether the results are valid in a
broader context (Miles & Huberman 1994, 279). The results match to a great
61
extent with the earlier researches on digital marketing communications, which
means that they have a place in the earlier literature. However, there are
weaknesses in the generalizability, since the study only represents five different
cases, but the delimitations of the study are clearly stated. The study describes live
streaming practices in Finnish companies and provides an initial framework for live
streaming. Since live streaming is a new area of study, the findings have not been
replicated in other studies. However, further research avenues are stated.
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5 EMPIRICAL RESULTS AND ANALYSIS
This chapter will elaborate on the empirical results of the research. The
descriptions of the case companies are provided, and followed by the case-specific
results of the semi-structured interviews. Additionally, a cross-case analysis is
conducted and connections are drawn to the theory. The semi-structured interview
consisted of three themes: branding, marketing communications, and live
streaming, of which live streaming was in the biggest role.
5.1 Case descriptions
The empirical part of the research was carried our through semi-structured
interviews for five case companies. The case companies were chosen based on
the following criteria: they are all Finnish, and they have some experience in
utilizing live streaming as part of marketing communications. Most of the
companies have 1 or 2 years of experience in using live streaming in marketing
communications, as it is a fairly new marketing communications method. The case
companies were selected from different fields in order to gain a diverse picture on
how Finnish companies are utilizing live streaming while still trying to discover
similarities in streaming practices. All case companies operate internationally either
within B2B or B2C markets, or both, but the amount of employees varies. All of the
interviewees had first hand experience in streaming, and they were marketing or
communications professionals, either managers or coordinators, which was
important in order to capture the overall brand and communications perspective.
The background information of the case companies includes the job title of the
interviewee, field of the company, amount of employees, international operations,
and the timeframe of how long they have been doing live streaming. The summary
of the case companies can be seen in Table 3.
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Company A
The first case company operates internationally within the energy sector in both
B2B and B2C markets. The company has 5 000-10 000 employees and they have
been doing streaming for 5 years internally and for investor relations, and
externally with novel video platforms for about a year. Digital Communication and
Marketing Manager was interviewed.
Company B
The second case company is a B2B company, which operates within media
services, and they have about 70 employees in Finland and Sweden. The
company has been doing streaming externally for 2 years and internally for 6
months. Sales and Marketing Manager, who is also a member of the board of
directors, was interviewed.
Company C
The third case company is a Finnish IT services company, which operates in the
B2B market, and which has about 500 employees in Finland and Sweden. They
have been doing streaming for 1-2 years: they had their first experience with
Periscope a year ago, but before that they have not been doing streaming in a
bigger scale. Marketing Coordinator was interviewed.
Company D
The fourth case company is a Finnish B2B company, which operates

internationally within the field of container handling, and they have 12 000-18 000
employees. They have been doing streaming internally for many years and for
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investor relations, but a year ago they used live streaming in their product launch.
Product Marketing Specialist was interviewed.
Company E (questionnaire via e-mail)
The fifth case company was interviewed through an e-mail questionnaire. The
company is a Finnish B2C travel company, which belongs to a bigger international
organization, and they have about 50 employees in Finland. They have been doing
streaming externally for about 1 year. Social Media Manager was interviewed.
Table 3. Summary of the case companies

Company Sector International Nro of Experience in Title of the
(market) operations employees streaming interviewee
(years)
A Energy yes 5 000-10 000 Externally 1 Digital
(B2B and Internally 5 Communications
B2C) and Marketing
Manager
B Media yes 70 Externally 2 Sales and
services Internally 6 Marketing
(B2B) months Manager
C IT yes 500 Externally 1-2 Marketing
services Internally Coordinator
(B2B)
D Container yes 12 000- Externally 1 Product Marketing
handling 18 000 Internally several Specialist
(B2B) years
E Traveling yes 50 Externally 1 Social Media
(B2C) Manager
5.2 Branding strategy and objectives
In order to understand the role of live streaming in corporate branding, more

detailed information on aspired brand associations and branding objectives were
asked.
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Company A: “Forward-going and sustainable”
The company uses their name as an umbrella brand for all their products. The
cornerstone of the brand is their slogan, which addressed the forward going nature
of the brand. They also want to be known for providing sustainable options. The
desired brand attributes are open, reliable, and brave, and their visual identity is
clean and fresh. The objectives of branding are tightly interlinked with the
marketing communications objectives, which are both derived from the overall
business objectives. They are striving to establish a brand presence by co-
operating with different partners: through sponsoring, events, and people.
Company B: “Creating experiences that are worth sharing”
The company’s brand can be put in one slogan: they want to create experiences
that are worth sharing. The aspired brand attributes of the company are close,
professional yet relaxed, humane, curious and interested, brave, opinionated,
businesslike, and having a face. The company wants to highlight their experts and
their opinions, and create a brand promise through that: “We want to bring out our
people with their faces, in addition to our products, due to the tough competition in
the digital services industry. Everything we do comes down to our people, who are
excited about the world, future, and customer work, and our rocking company
culture.” With branding the company aims at bringing out their expertise and
reliability. They also want to highlight thought leadership. Recently they have also
been going through a brand change: “Earlier we have been known as a social
media agency but now we have been able to extend our brand into other services,
like marketing, engagement, and content strategy, and we have established a good
position in the market.”
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Company C: “Experts in digitalization”
Being the experts in the field of digitalization is the cornerstone of the brand and
everything the company does, and thus, digital ways of operating are at the heart
of the company. They are an agile company, and instead of having strict branding
principles, their branding and marketing communications is guided by their values,
braveness, relaxedness, caring, and passion, which are also the aspired brand
associations: “We are an agile company, and we try to do our marketing, sales and
everything else according to our values -- We want to do marketing and
communications in our own, relaxed way, different than traditional companies. We
want to be able to communicate about our amazing company spirit and great
people, but also the expertise that we have.” Additionally, issues like employer
image, employee satisfaction, and employee commitment, are important for them,
and they want to bring out their people with their faces. They also have a small
brand book in order to keep the visual identity of the brand consistent throughout
all communications channels, and to contribute to the salience of the brand in the
market where there are many competitors.
Their brand position statement is to be the middle player in the market. They want
to be more agile than bigger companies, but not as small as their smallest
competitors. They want to be relaxed and unique so that people are not afraid to
choose them but at the same time have adequate service offering for delivering
bigger projects as well. With branding the company aims at generating leads,
transferring their company culture further, and creating brand awareness: “Being
known is as important as generating leads. We are still on our way to the point
where people know who we are without having to explain. We want to raise
awareness and differentiate ourselves from the competition.”
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Company D: “The best quality supplier and the most technologically
advanced”

The fourth case company is very international with several individual brands, which
live their own lives. Thus, the brand of the company is complex. As the company is
operating in a field, which is extremely conservative and practical, and where
investments are big, their products and technology drive the branding: “Our
branding is very technology and product driven, and we are promoting the
differences that make us better than the competitors. Our customers are very
knowledgeable so we don’t only do image marketing.” They also want to be known
as the most technologically advanced: “We want to make sure that our products
are the best in the industry when we are serving our customers. -- We are always
pushing forward, getting better and introducing new technology. We want to be
known as the best quality supplier and the most technologically advanced.” The
objective of their branding is to be the number one Western supplier in size,
revenue, market recognition, and respect, and all their branding activities are built
around that.
Company E: “Heartfelt traveling brand”
The fifth case company wants to identify themselves as a heartfelt traveling brand
and provide “the best weeks for families and adults”. They want to establish
associations like heartfelt, professional, aware of customer needs, customer-
centric, and brave. They also have clear branding objectives: “With our branding
we want to strengthen our market position in Finland and increase top-of-mind
conspicuousness. We want to be the travel agency that comes to the customers’
minds first.”
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5.3 Marketing communications
In order to gain an understanding on how live streaming fits the overall marketing
communications strategy, more detailed information on the strategy and objectives
of marketing communications were asked.
5.3.1 Strategy and objectives
Company A: “Open and forward going”
Openness in communications is very important for the first case company. In order
to comply with their brand attributes, open, reliable, and brave, it is a necessity to
be present in various channels and ready to participate in diverse conversations
with stakeholders. As the company aims to be forward going, they want to
introduce new marketing communications tools as well. The objectives for their
marketing communications are derived from the overall business strategy, because
marketing and communications need to support the business objectives.
Company B: “Content marketing and thought leadership”
Case company B mentions that their marketing communications activities are very
integrated and the objectives of marketing communications are partly derived from
their business objectives. Although at times they might take a little bit different
focus in some channels, they do not draw a clear line between different channels,
because they believe that their content is worth sharing in every channel. The
overall objective of marketing communications is to strengthen their image as an
expert: “We are interested in what happens in the market and in the world in
general. We don’t want to be seen as a ’hard’ agency but want to highlight soft
values, like empathy, sympathy, and humanity. We want to bring out individuals
and their expertise.”
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Company C: “A mix of expertise and relaxedness”
Company C states that they want to have the same tone in all communications.
Additionally, they want to emphasize the use of digital channels in their marketing,
according to their values and essence of the brand. They want to address their
customers but at the same time keep their communications relaxed and humane:
“Communications doesn’t always have to be so serious. It can be transmitting the
culture of the company. We want to be approachable and human-to-human.”
Company D: “Behind the digital technology curve”
Company D differs from the other case companies due to the traditional nature of
the industry, where industry-related releases and publications play an important
role. The industry is behind the digital technology curve, although they are
gradually moving into a more digital direction with their marketing communications.
Additionally, they want to have the same tone in all their channels, and the
objective of their marketing communications is to reach all the important people in
the industry. The fact that everyone in the industry knows each other places certain
requirements for the marketing communications as well.
Company E: “Pioneer in travel marketing”
Case company E mentions that their channels are very interlinked and support
each other. All their marketing communication efforts form an entity, and the most
important things in digital marketing are targeting the messages and measuring the
results. The company was one of the first travel brands to launch Facebook Live
streams, and they want to be a pioneer in travel marketing. “With our marketing
communications we want to be fresh, experimental, and modern rather than
traditional.” The main objectives of their marketing communications are branding
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and sales. They also mention that most of their sales happen online so tracking the
web site traffic is important.
5.3.2 Digital marketing communications channels
All the interviewed companies mention that their marketing communications

channels are very integrated and need fit their overall marketing communications
strategy and support the business objectives. Despite the integration, most of the
companies can note differences between different channels. Thus, taking a closer
look at the different digital channels used by the case companies, which are
presented in Table 4, will assist in examining the role of live streaming in the digital
marketing communications mix.
Table 4. Digital marketing communications channels used by the case companies

A B C D E
Used social Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook
media LinkedIn LinkedIn LinkedIn LinkedIn LinkedIn
channels Twitter Twitter Twitter Twitter Twitter
Instagram Instagram Instagram Instagram
Video or YouTube, YouTube, YouTube, YouTube YouTube,
real time Instagram Facebook Live Periscope Facebook
video Stories (internally) Live,
platforms Snapchat
Other Website, Website, Website, Website, Website,
digital SEM, brand content content digital SEM, content
channels campaigns marketing and marketing, marketing co-operation,
and thought blogs, digital digital
programs, leadership, marketing, marketing
newsletters, blogs, partners and
partner marketing networks,
collaboration, automation, SEO and
employee partners and SEM, e-mail
advocacy networks, newsletters
newsletters
Rarely Snapchat Snapchat Slideshare
used digital Periscope Slideshare
channels
Planned Facebook New tools for
channels Live streaming
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Companies C and D mention that their company web site is the center for all
marketing communications. Case company C uses web site for promoting different
events, managing search engine marketing, but also for sharing blog content. On
the web site they have a lot of pictures of their employees, which creates a more
intimate feeling, almost like the web site visitor would join their office. However, the
interviewee mentions that the web site is not as interactive as their other channels,
even thought the tone of communication is the same. For Company D, web site
represents the most important marketing communications channel: it is the key
presentation of their products and services. The interviewee mentions that they
place many videos and campaign sites on their web site. The importance of the
company web site for Company D is most likely due to the traditional nature of the
industry where customers are more comfortable searching for information on a
company web site rather than other social media or digital marketing channels.
Additionally, web site is the best way to present the variety of products and
technology that the company offers. However, it should also stated that all the
interviewed companies have quite advanced web sites, and thus, it can be argued
that web site play an important role for them as well. In addition to web sites, all the
interviewed companies use social media in their communications. “Social media is
a medium for us to bring out our voice and messages”, says the interviewee of
Company C. The interviewees can identify certain differences between Facebook,
Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Youtube.
Company A mentions that they use Facebook for brand building, since it has big
effectiveness and many of their most essential target groups are there: “Facebook
is a mass communications method, which makes it wise to be there.” For company
C Facebook is the most active channel where the objective is to transmit a relaxed
company image and post bold updates. They post quite freely about any company
news, projects, or events. For company B Facebook is also a fairly active channel,
where they post more relaxed updates, such as pictures of their company’s
sporting events. They have also noticed that uploading a video directly on
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Facebook, which is not possible on Twitter or LinkedIn, will create more
engagement than just sharing a link to a YouTube video. Additionally, the company
uses Facebook groups and Facebook Live for internal communications if there is a
need to share information or video content for the whole organization. For
Companies A, B, and C Facebook seems to me a medium for reaching B2C
customers and potential future employees rather than B2B customers.
Twitter, on the other hand, is the most active social media channel for company B.
There they publish all their content, such as blogs, stream links, and info graphics.
Company B and C agree that Twitter requires more ad hoc than Facebook.
Company B considers the ad hoc nature of Twitter as an opportunity to engage
with customers by having conversations with clients and by sharing trending topics
that are related to the customers’ business. Twitter also strengthens the company’s
expertise and conspicuousness. Company A agrees that Twitter allows companies
to profile themselves as leading experts in a certain field. Company C uses Twitter
for communicating current topics. The interviewee reminds that due to the ad hoc
nature of Twitter you need to be ready to react if something happens, negative or
positive. You also have to consider the tone of your tweet to prevent any
misunderstandings. Company D sees that Twitter is a constant, immediate flow of
the company’s actions where they can make their products very concrete to their
audience by for example tweeting a photo. Twitter allows them to “communicate to
the market place that this business is happening right now”, and this is something
they should be doing more according to the interviewee. Companies B and C use
Twitter in a more conversational way to engage with customers or communicate
about current topics, whereas Company D uses it more for sharing business or
products news. Even though all three companies operate in B2B market, the fields
of the companies differ, which means that their target groups might have totally
different interest and the content that resonates with the target groups of
Companies B and C might not work for the target groups of Company D.
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Company A sees similarities between Twitter and LinkedIn. Similar to Twitter,
companies can use LinkedIn to profile themselves as leading experts. However,
LinkedIn is more linked to certain business segments and it is a slower channel.
Company B agrees that LinkedIn requires a lot less ad hoc. It is more serious, but
very important channel for sharing streams because LinkedIn followers tend to
react more positively to streams than for example Facebook followers. The
interviewee of Company C mentions that LinkedIn is a more businesslike channel,
but very important due to the growing number of visitors. Like their web site,
LinkedIn is a medium to share blog content. Company D uses LinkedIn in a similar
way than Twitter: to communicate current news to the market place.
Company A uses Instagram for brand building purposes: “Instagram offers a good
way to profile ourselves differently than what our kind of companies have
traditionally profiled themselves.” They have also noticed that Instagram Stories
has a higher engagement rate than normal posts. Company B considers Instagram
as their most relaxed channel where they have different campaigns, where they
promote their blogs, and show events they are attending. Additionally, they want to
transmit their fun and playful company culture through Instagram. Company C uses
Instagram in a similar way: their recruitment team posts pictures of events and
everyday work at the office, but also tell career stories, which makes it an important
channel for employer branding. Hence, Instagram can work for both B2B and B2C
companies because it allows companies to brand themselves and show a more
relaxed side of the company.
YouTube is a less interactive channel according to all interviewed companies.

Company A mentions that YouTube is more for people to find them and they do not
develop the channel itself. Companies B, C and D upload their videos on YouTube
from where the videos can be easily shared. Company B mentions that they
stream directly to YouTube, and then share the streams on their main channels.
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Content marketing creates a key element in marketing communications activities
for Companies B and C, who both want to promote their expertise through
marketing communications and show their employees with their own faces.
Company B mentions that blogs are the most influential way to showcase their
expertise. Those represent the value proposition of the company and introduce
their writers to current and potential customers. The topics on the blog are about
the life, career, values, and needs of their employees. Blogs have also had a big
role in the rebranding of the company. Content-wise the company aims at moving
towards bigger topics, such as future, technology, and automation, because they
have noticed that their customers are interested in receiving new ideas. The blogs
are then shared in all their social media channels. Like any content, blogs are an
important channel for company C as well: “Blogs support our strategy to have our
people there with their own faces. It’s a good way to bring out our people.” The
interviewee thinks that blog and other content, like videos, are truly interesting
areas that have gained more importance in the last years.
Newsletter has been an important tool for Company B to drive their brand change.
Company C, on the other hand, uses newsletters for sending invitation and
reminders to events, and for after marketing. Additionally, both companies mention
that events are important for them, which goes hand in hand with the fact that they
want to bring out their people. Company C wants to meet their customers face-to-
face, while company B thinks that events are a good way to arouse the interest of
marketing and communications managers, which are their target group. Both
companies also use Slideshare to share presentations after events. The
characteristics of different digital marketing communications channels used by the
case companies are illustrated in Figure 9. The usage of videos as part of
marketing communications is discusses separately in Chapter 5.3.3 due to its close
linkage to live streaming.
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Facebook (relaxed) brand and image building
LinkedIn (businesslike, profiling the company as a

slower) leading expert
customer engagement,
Social media profiling the company as a
marketing Twitter (ad hoc) leading expert, gaining
conspicuousness
Instagram (relaxed) brand and image building

Digital marketing
communications
YouTube (static) showing videos
thought leadership, profiling

Content marketing blogs the company as a leading
expert
center for communiations,

web sites not so interactive
Other digital
marketing
brand change, informing
newsletters purposes
Figure 9. Characteristics of the different digital marketing communications

channels used by the case companies
When the interviewees were asked what do they think is the next big thing in
marketing communications, most of the companies thought that different video
features and contents will be a big thing in the future in both B2B and B2C sector.
In addition to videos, companies see that content marketing, and data collection
and analytics are going to in a big role. Companies A and E think that content
marketing is going to evolve, since people are getting distracted by interrupting
ads, which don’t serve the customer or the company. The interviewee of Company
E thinks that companies are going to focus on better usage of content marketing:
“Companies need to come up with totally new ways to do marketing, and content
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marketing answers this trend.” The interviewee of Company B thinks that good
data analysis will be in a central role in the future to help gain a better
understanding of target groups and how to make better content for them. In
general, the interviewee sees potential in technology: “I believe in the possibilities
of data, analytics, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and other opportunities
that technology provides for marketing professionals.” As the digital environment is
constantly changing, the interviewee of Company A remarks that the most
important thing is to be flexible with new digital channels: “The most important thing
with new channels is to be ready to take them into use quickly but also to be ready
to give them up when they don’t work. Digital marketing communications field
changes so quickly.”
5.3.3 Videos in marketing communications
Companies A, C, and D mention that they do not have an own strategy for videos,
but the objectives are derived from the bigger business and marketing
communications strategy. “Everything comes down to the overall business strategy
and how to build the brand, only the ways and channels change”, says the
interviewee of Company A. Since the role of videos can change into a totally
different direction in a year, Company A does not want to build a special strategy
for videos, however they have an own concept for social media videos. Company
C makes videos based on their agile company culture: “We don’t have a very tight
strategy for videos but if something big happens in the company or there is a big
event, we usually make a video.” They try to adapt to situations, act in the moment
and be flexible and do videos according to that as well. Additionally, they want to
show their values by storytelling with videos. For Company D video is the main
method to communicate messages in different regions and countries. The
interviewee says that using videos is part of their marketing communications plan,
and that video is simply a part of communicating their message: “First comes the
message what we want to say, then comes how we say it, then video will come
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quite quickly into the picture.” He also notes that they do videos based on their
corporate values: “We are an honest and simple engineering company -- and that’s
how we want to be known in the market place. We do our best, keep our promises
and take responsibility and this is how we do our videos.”
Companies A, B, C, and D see videos as an important, increasing mode of

communication. Company A is producing more and more videos, and they also
have an own concept for social media videos. On LinkedIn the company
sometimes shares full YouTube videos but for social media they make optimized
videos. Those videos are typically shorter and differently produced than longer
videos, and they have proven to work better. When making videos, the company
always thinks of the effectiveness they want to achieve. If there is a theme the
company wants to address, they think whether video is the best way to transmit the
message. If they decide to make a video, they think for which channels it should be
produced: “We might produce it only for social media, or then make a longer video
for our web site and then shorter videos to support it.” According to the interviewee,
using videos has clear benefits: “Compared to a still picture or a text, video is the
best way to tell stories in a compact form and create an emotion-based dimension
to any experience.” The interviewee mentions that consumers are willing to watch
videos and different channels are guiding companies towards using videos, for
example Facebook’s algorithms which support videos.
Company B produces videos and streams for client projects, thus the role of videos
is very important for them. The company also produces videos for own marketing
communications purposes, and shares them on YouTube and other channels.
They also use videos for internal communications or to practice for customer cases
if there is a new thing they need to pilot before suggesting it to a client. Videos
have an important role in internal communications as well. Overall, videos work as
a concrete work sample of the company, and through streams the company aims
at maximizing coverage.
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For Company C videos are a way to show in a relaxed way what they are as a
company: “With our videos we want to bring out what we do and who works here,
and of course our projects. We want the potential customers and job seekers to get
interested in us. -- For example I got interested in working here because I saw a
video about our company culture and values.” They have also recently launched an
external tool for filming and editing videos for internal communications.
Company D invests a lot in videos and believes that they are a good way to
communicate sophisticated technical information to their current and potential
customers instead of multi-page product brochures. With their new product line
they produced an animated 3D video that showcased all their products in one
video. Additionally, videos have a big role in internal communications. The
interviewee believes that videos are the best way to communicate important news,
such as organizational changes or acquisitions, and adds, “pictures and videos are
increasingly the mode of interaction and communication.”
Most of the companies think that videos will be a big thing in the future. The
interviewee of Company B believes that different video features and contents will
be important especially in the B2C market. Company C thinks that using videos will
a big thing in the future in both B2B and B2C sectors: “Already now you can see
various videos, shorter and longer, in social media, and I would see that using
videos will increase. I am not sure how much live streaming, but I think that both
will be present in everyday business: in events, creating employer image, and
promoting a company.” The interviewee of Company D thinks that the importance
of video as a mode of information is just going to increase, but notes that the
meaning of video might change quickly: “Already now you see that video means a
different thing.” The interviewee sees a trend in 3D animations, which will
presumably get better and cheaper in the future. Additionally, the interviewee of
Company E mentions that, “Live streaming and ’my day’ type of documenting can
be seen in many social media channels and I think companies are there soon too.”
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5.4 Live streaming
The central theme in the semi-structured interview was live streaming, which is
handled more in-depth in this chapter. The motives, usage purposes, objectives,
benefits and challenges, and process of live streaming are opened.
5.4.1 Motives
Companies A, C, and E mention that a big internal motive to start live streaming
was the forward going nature of their company and brand. They mention that they
are open for new communications channels and willing to try new things and ways
to communicate. The interviewee of Company A mentions that their company has
a positive attitude towards piloting new tools, and the interviewee of Company C
says that Periscope was an easy way to start streaming and to test for free
whether a bigger stream would work as well. For company E streaming was also a
way to differentiate and support their brand attributes: “Live streaming was part of
our experimental marketing. We felt that starting live streaming would strengthen
our position as a vanguard when it comes to the brand.” For company D live
streaming was a new way to support their product launch.
In addition to internal motives, companies A, B, and C started live streaming due to

external motives and practical purposes. Company A mentions that before starting
Periscope they were wondering whether they are too forward thinking, but after
benchmarking others and realizing that many companies use it as well they
decided to give it ago. All in all the company was considering the possible risks of
the channel and whether other companies use it, and decided that if some other
credible company has used it they can use that as a justification. The interviewee
of Company B points out that there is a need for streaming events in the market:
sometimes their customers cannot join certain events in person, but would still like
to be able to participate. Also Company C mentions that they want to share the
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content for those who cannot attend. In addition to responding to customer needs,
Company B mentions that they want to create good customer experiences: “There
is a need for events streams in the market. We want to bring our events close to
the people, and create and share good customer experiences.” Taking into
consideration the nature of the target groups of Companies B and C, which operate
in B2B market, it can be assumed that B2B customers are more willing to
proactively watch expert speeches and industry events, and thus, there is a clear
demand for live streaming. The internal and external motives for live streaming are
illustrated in Figure 10.
Internal motives External motives

• Marketing • Other companies use
communications strategy streaming
• Company culture, values, • Customer needs
and attitudes
• Brand attributes
• Brand differentiation
• New way to do marketing
communications
Live streaming
Figure 10. Internal and external motives for live streaming
5.4.2 Usage purposes
For Company A streaming is not a permanent channel and they do not do

continuous storytelling with streams, but it adds to the selection of communications
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channels. They have done webcasts externally longer than internally, and it has
been an important tool for reaching investors and analysts. They have used
streaming in some of their events and in some occasions for media and clients,
and could consider using streaming for example in a campaign to reach a specific
target group. Internally they use streaming for staff information meetings so that
people can join in globally. Streaming is used mostly for staff meetings and bigger
events, instead of daily communication. The interviewee thinks that there are many
possibilities to use it internally but, partly due to technical limitation, their external
communications develops faster than internal communications. The company has
considered starting using Facebook Live, since it is a new way to reach people.
They could think of using it in partner co-operations, for example work with a
person or a community. They are not using Periscope actively, but could consider
using it in a suitable event.
“The themes and topics of our streams are pretty similar with our other content
marketing”, says the interviewee of Company B. The company wants to produce
streams that people are interested in and that are worth sharing: “We produce
content that we think our networks want to share as well, for example about
automation, technology, trends and marketing management.” Most of the streams
the company produces for their B2B and B2C clients. These streams can be
seminars or events but the company produces similar streams for their own
marketing communications purposes as well. Company B stresses the importance
of reaching people who cannot attend certain events in person, and has gotten
positive feedback on their event stream. In the future they would like to utilize their
streams even more, for example after a year from the stream write a blog post
around it to increase the conspicuousness of their experts. In addition to external
streams, internal streams are as important for company B. They stream internal
training sessions and meetings to enable people who are not at the office to join
the streams. Streaming is also the channel to communicate bigger and more
important company announcements.
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Company C streams client and internal events through Periscope or with an
external partner. The company organizes smaller meet-ups and after-works, which
they stream through Periscope either for their own employees or external
audience, who cannot attend in person. Additionally, they are planning to start
using streaming for internal communications and information sharing, and to use
Facebook Live and YouTube Live in a smaller event. Both Companies B and C
promote their streams afterwards. The interviewee of Company C thinks that
streams and smaller videos are very important assets when it comes to the after
marketing of an event: “Afterwards we can break down the speeches into smaller
videos and use them for marketing the event and our company.” Company B
promotes the recorded streams afterwards more than other content because it
takes more resources to produce them.
For company D, taking into consideration the fairly conservative nature of the
industry, live streaming a new way to promote products. With their product launch
they did a live stream, where people could log in, listen to the presentation, and
post questions: “It was the first time we did it. It was partially good but it was a
good learning experience.” Externally they have a long tradition of doing corporate
level streams for investors and analysts but they see other possibilities for
streaming as well. The interviewee mentions that they have been thinking of
executing a roadshow kind of live stream, or doing a webinar with experts in order
to share industry expertise and knowledge. Internally they have not done streaming
yet but the interviewee sees an opportunity in using streaming for cross-continental
communication or streaming internal news: “It (streaming) could be used in internal
communications, for example to bring different offices together. Bringing people
virtually together would be the most important use for us this year.”
For company E live streaming represents a totally different way of doing marketing
communications and they make streams for different reasons than other videos.
They did a live stream where they had a host and two competing couples
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completing challenges abroad during a week: “It was a totally new way to do things
and I think we could differentiate ourselves pretty well from the competition with
that campaign.” The main objective for the company in a stream is to engage their
customers already during the stream, and for that particular stream the audience
could participate by commenting and voting for the winner. All the current and
planned internal and external usage purposes for streaming mentioned by the case
companies are presented in Figure 11.
EXTERNAL INTERNAL
Investor and analyst calls Internal info sessions and

announcements
CURRENT
Media relations
Seminars and events Internal training sessions
Product launches Internal meetings
Campaigns Internal events
-
PLANNED
Roadshows
Webinars
Figure 11. Current and planned external and internal live streaming usage
purposes
Companies A and D are both big international companies with thousands of

employees, so using streaming for investor relations call is an important usage
purpose for them. Company A seems to be more forward going than Company D
when it comes to taking new marketing communications channels into use, but it
needs to be noted that Company A works also in B2C market whereas Company D
operated in a conservative B2B market, where it might be more difficult to
introduce new marketing communications channels. Companies B and C seem to
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use live streaming for similar purposes, for external events and seminars, and
internal communications. This might be due to the similar nature of the companies.
They are both B2B companies operating in Finland and Sweden, and their target
groups are possibly very interested in streamed events, and they are easy to reach
through Twitter or LinkedIn. Both of the companies also want to bring out their
experts and expertise, so streamed events and seminars are a good way to do
that. The interviewees of both companies also think that streaming is a useful tool
for internal communications, and for sharing internal events and news. For
Company E, which operated solely in B2C market, live streaming is a new way to
do marketing communications and engage with customers.
5.4.3 Objectives
All the interviewed companies mention that individual marketing communications

channels need to support the overall marketing communications strategy and
business objectives. However, Companies B, C, and E have set some individual
objectives for streaming. Company B has set clear objectives, which come partly
from their overall marketing communications strategy, which highlights producing
content that is worth sharing. The company wants to produce quality content that
helps their target groups and reaches many networks: “We want to produce
content that is worth sharing. We don’t produce streams if people are not
interested in them. The most important thing is to have customers, partners and
stakeholder interested. It gives a possibility to grow our and our partners’
business.” Creating quality content is also linked with creating good customer
experiences. The objectives are also brand-related: “We want to bring our brand
forward, and create awareness with our live streams. We are well known for what
we do, but we want more conspicuousness for our video production expertise.”
Company C aims at increasing the coverage of their events: “Stream enables

people who cannot attend the event in person to be virtually present. -- In the end
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we realized that it’s a great way to double or even triple the amount of attendants.”
They also want to transfer their relaxed company culture and the approachable
feeling of their meet-ups. Thus, the objectives for streaming are partly similar for
companies B and C: brand and image related. For company E the objective of
streaming is to engage their customers: “We want to think how to engage our
customer already during the video. This is also the challenge.”
Since brand and identity should guide the corporate communications (van Riel &
Fombrun 2007, 35), and since one of the mentioned objectives for live streaming
was brand and image building, it is worth examining how well live streaming
supports corporate branding. The relationship between live streaming and the case
companies’ brand strategy is examined based on live streaming ability to support
the aspired brand attributes and branding objectives of case companies. Another
dimension is to examine which five branding principles, consistency, clarity,
continuity, visibility, and authenticity, presented by Kotler and Pfoertsch (2006)
does live streaming support.
Live streaming can be said to support the brand strategies of the case companies.
Table 5 illustrates the brand associations and branding objectives of the case
companies, which live streaming supports. Companies A, B, C, and E named
brave as one of their aspired brand associations. Live streaming supports this
association, since taking a new marketing communications tool, such as streaming,
into usage reflects the braveness of a company. Additionally, Company A mentions
that live streaming supports the forward-going nature of their brand, where as
Company E thinks that live streaming differentiates them as a vanguard among
other travel companies. Company D, however, differs from the other companies
due to the conservative nature of the industry where branding needs to be
technology and product driven. Live streaming also allows Companies B and C to
bring out their employees with their own faces, which reflects associations like
close, humane, and having a face. For Company B live streaming is a way to show
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the relaxed nature of their brand. Thus, live streaming is considered a new, bold
way to interact with stakeholders and show the people behind the company.
For Company B live streaming is a way to increase brand awareness and

showcase their video expertise, but at the same time bring out their experts and
their experience and by this drive thought leadership. Company C also wants to
bring out their employees, and live streaming provides a great tool for creating
brand awareness and bringing out the company culture. Additionally, live streaming
fits the overall business strategy of both companies since they mention that being
digital is the basis for everything they do. For Companies D and E live streaming is
a new way to do marketing communications, but the interviewee of Company E
mentions that it also helps to create top-of-mind conspicuousness by allowing them
to differentiate themselves.
Among the five branding principles of Kotler and Pfoertsch (2006) live streaming
supports especially visibility and authenticity. Live streaming allows companies to
increase the visibility of their brand by reaching wider audiences and differentiating
among competitors. It is also an authentic communications method, which allows
stakeholders to form feelings of the uniqueness of the brand. By creating a
coherent visual layout for a stream in forms of presentation and slides it is possible
to keep the brand consistent. However, new digital communications platforms do
not always allow using the exact brand font or color, which might pose a challenge
for the visual identity of a brand. Doing marketing communications according to
vision, mission, and values of the company supports clarity, but also the continuity,
of a brand. For Companies B and C digital is the basis for everything they do, and
thus live streaming suits well in their overall strategy. Additionally, it allows
Company B to show that they are interested in different phenomena, and Company
C to transfer their company culture.
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Table 5. The brand associations and branding objectives supported by live
streaming
Supports
Company
Brand associations Branding objectives
A Open, brave, forward-going
B Close, brave, humane, Creating awareness for their video
opinionated, having a face expertise, thought leadership,
bringing out expertise, (digital way
of doing business)
C Brave, relaxed Bringing out people and company
culture, creating brand awareness,
(digital way of doing business)
D Supporting product expertise in a
new way
E Brave Increasing top-of-mind
conspicuousness
5.4.4 Benefits and challenges
Companies B and C see that streaming is as a good way to increase the amount of
participants in an event. “Through stream you can get a lot more audience and you
have a chance to communicate your message and your brand to a bigger audience
that what is present. Stream enables people who cannot attend the event in person
to be virtually present”, says the interviewee of Company C. The interviewee of
Company B believes that live streaming gives a lot to the viewer if there is an event
and the viewers are not in the Helsinki region.
The interviewee of Company A states that streams have similar benefits than
traditional videos, but they are more authentic. However, authenticity can be both a
negative and a positive side: “If you have a place where you have a great
atmosphere it is purely positive, but at the same time there can be sounds on the
background and elements that cannot be controlled. It is more unpredictable than
traditional video production but at the same time the benefits can be bigger.” The
interviewee of Company C thinks also that the authenticity of streaming can be
both a good and a bad thing. According to the interviewee, streams include more
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spontaneous elements than traditional videos, but also feelings that happen in the
moment: “With traditional videos you can retake a scene many times and cut all the
small mistakes but in streams you can’t. It is an honest and unforgivable method
because there is no time to correct the mistakes. Streaming is a more genuine and
real way to communicate what is happening at the moment. It’s more current. It’s a
media of this moment.”
Companies A and E think that live streaming supports their brand in a positive way.
“Live streaming fits our brand because we want to be forward going”, notes the
interviewee of Company A, and the interviewee of Company E agrees: “We believe
it strengthens our position as a vanguard and a brave travel agency.” For company
C streaming is a clear way to transmit their relaxed company culture: “Through live
picture we can communicate what kind of people work here better than through
text. How our people and office looks tells about us as a company.” For Companies
A and E that operate in B2C market, streaming can be a new exiting way to
engage with customers, and for Company C it corresponds to the essence of their
brand to be digital. However, for Company D streaming as a marketing
communications method itself might not be enough to have a huge effect on the
brand because their target groups are not utilizing modern marketing
communications tools but more interested in receiving the content in the easiest
form possible.
Companies B, C, and E mention technical difficulties as a challenge for streaming.

“Technical details are the most demanding part of streaming. If technology fails
people tend to think that it’s the company fault, which affects the brand. The key
thing, however, is to keep going happily and bravely”, notes the interviewee of
Company B. The interviewee of Company C agrees: “The stream can also
backfire. It is not flattering for the brand if the stream has not been done properly, if
it’s unclear, or if you can only see a shoulder of the speaker”. Also the interviewee
of Company E thinks that technical challenges are a big factor in live streaming:
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“Technical issues are an everyday challenge with live.” During their campaign they
faced technical issues two days out of five, but the most important thing is to react
quickly. The interviewee of Company B also highlights the importance of improving
the readiness to react to technical issues.
Companies D and E think that attracting the audience is challenging in streaming.

Company D tried many marketing activities in order to gain audience for their
product launch stream: “We marketed directly to our customers, we had a local
person to market the stream, we used a mailing list, and we also promoted the
stream on LinkedIn. Ultimately, the audience came from LinkedIn and the local
marketing activities, and not a single person came from the mailing list.” The
interviewee notes that there is a big competition for people’s attention. Company E
has had similar challenges with their stream. The interviewee stresses that most of
the engagement should happen during the video, not after, and that’s the biggest
challenge in streaming: “It is difficult to get the people to watch the stream and
keep them there the whole stream. Engaging with customers is also the challenge
during live streaming.” The interviewee of Company D also thinks that engaging
with audience during the stream is a challenge: “You have to be very interesting
not to lose the audience, because it is so easy to just click exit.” Gaining an
audience for streaming might be a challenge for Company D due to the
conservative nature of the industry, where industry-related publications play a big
role. Thus, customers are more used to traditional marketing communications
channels and not yet ready to adapt new digital channels. For Company E the
difficulty might arise from nature the B2C market, where people are overloaded
with marketing messages even more than in B2B markets (van Riel & Fombrun
2007, 3, 6-7).
However, the interviewee of Company D has noticed that streaming does not fit all
purposes. The company produces many traditional and 3D videos of their
products, and in order to present the functionalities of a product the video and the
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angles need to be planned beforehand and edited in a certain way, and this is
something that live streaming cannot do. The interviewee also mentions two other
challenges: the experience of the speakers, and tracking the audience of the
stream. For the product launch stream it was essential to have own employees as
speakers due to the highly sophisticated technical details of the new product, but
since the speakers were not professional presenters, it was challenging. For the
same reason the company prefers to record their internal news beforehand: “We
don’t do internal news as live streams because it could be clumsy.” Another issue
that Company D faced with their stream was the fact that they could not track the
audience of the stream and reach them afterwards, although some people
provided them with their email addresses if they wanted to be contacted after the
stream.
According to Keller (2009), developing an integrated interactive marketing

communications program requires evaluated from both a micro and macro
perspective. Macro perspective refers to the overall efficiency of the program,
whereas micro perspective means how well a certain channel contributes to the
creation of brand equity. Thus, the mentioned advantages and challenges are
examined in the context of corporate brand building, and Figure 12 presents the
effect of each advantage and challenge on each brand building block: salience,
performance and imagery, judgments and emotions, and resonance.
Live streaming enables companies to reach wider audiences, when everyone does
not have to be physically present. Therefore it can have a positive effect on both
salience, in other words brand awareness, and resonance. It can reach new
customers or enhance the relationship among existing customers by offering a
chance to attend an event they could not normally attend. Authenticity on the other
hand has a positive impact on the judgments and emotions of the audience, since
the company has a way to realistically transmit the feelings of an event or the
essence of their company culture. This ultimately affects the resonance.
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Differentiating the company through the usage of streaming has a positive effect on
the performance and imagery since it results in differentiated perceptions of the
brand in the minds of the customers.
salience
bigger reach
resonance
judgments and
emotions
Advantages
authenticity
resonance
Live streaming
performance and
brand differentiation imagery
performance and
authenticity imagery
(technical and other
issues) judgments and
emotions
Challenges attracting audiences salience
judgments and
emotions
engaging audiences
resonance
Figure 12. The effect of live streaming on brand equity creation
The challenges on the other hand can hinder the development of the brand
building blocks. Authenticity can set challenges for the performance and imagery of
a brand if unexpected issues occur during the stream. Consumers might think that
these issues, content or technology related, reflects the company’s overall
performance. Technical and other issues can also hinder the development of
judgments and emotions. Attracting audiences affects directly the salience of a
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brand, since customers are not aware of the stream. If the company is not able to
engage customers during the stream it can prevent the development of judgments
and emotions, and ultimately resonance.
5.4.5 Process
The elements that were discovered regarding the process of live streaming include
strategic aspects as well as practical aspects before, during, and after streaming.
Strategy
Before starting streaming Company A sees that it is crucial to think strategically

what is the purpose of the stream, can the effectiveness and all the target groups
be reached, and what kind of brand image does the company want to reflect.
Additionally the company considers the possible risks, like in any new
communications channels: “You have to realize the risks related to the tool and
channel, and produce the streams professionally.” Company C has similar points:
“You have to think who is the audience, what is the content and what kind of
company image and brand you want to build with this stream.” Company D would
think of the audience as well: “If it is not relevant to the audience, don’t do it.”
Based on the results of the study, the decision to use streaming in digital marketing
communications has been applied to the social media channel selection process
presented by Tsimonis and Diminiatris (2014) due to the similarities between the
processes. Figure 13 illustrates the external and internal motives that drive
companies to use streaming, which together with expected outcomes (objectives)
affect the selection of the social media channels, in this case live streaming.
Additionally, other social media activities have an effect on the selection of the
channels as well as the results, which will then affect the internal motives to use
live streaming.
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OTHER MARKETING
EXTERNAL:
• Other companies use COMMUNICATIONS
streaming ACTIVITIES
• Customer needs
Choice of
Motives social media Streaming Results
channels
INTERNAL:
• Marketing
communications strategy EXPECTED OUTCOMES:
• Company culture, values,
• Growing coverage
and attitudes
(reaching networks and
• Brand attributes
remote audiences)
• Brand differentiation
• Customer aspect (quality
• New way to do marketing
content, customer
communications
experiences, engagement)
• Creating brand
awareness, image, and
conspicuousness
Figure 13. The process of selecting streaming as the used marketing

communications channel (adapted from Tsimonis & Diminiatris 2014)
When it comes to the stream itself, Company B mentions that it is crucial to have
an overall plan for the stream in terms of the target group, message, objectives,
channels, and promotion. The interviewee notes that the most important part is the
content, and the expert and their needs, but sharing and promoting the stream is
part of the palette. Thorough planning decreases the need for ad hoc: “We aim at
predicting 80% of the stream, so it would make our work easier, but some ad hoc
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and third party issues cannot be predicted.” Companies A and E also rely on
planning. “Even though people talk about live streaming these things are usually
thought beforehand and what to do if something goes wrong”, says the interviewee
of company A. Company E agrees: “Streaming requires a lot of planning
beforehand, both technique and content wise. You have to think where to film, at
what time, with what equipment, who films, how to get the voice sound proper,
what is the internet connection, what to say, how to make audience participate, and
who follows the conversation during the stream.” Additionally, Company B
highlights the importance setting numerical objectives for the streams, such as
number of views and viewers: “It cannot only be a nice YouTube video but it has to
bring business benefits and coverage.”
According to Company B, data analytics has an important role in gaining a better

understanding of the market, and this way producing better streams. Companies B
and D encourage trying out new things, both content and execution wise, in order
to produce better streams. “It is good to have established processes but if you want
to create a bigger phenomenon with your stream, you have to differentiate, put
yourself out there, and don’t be afraid to fail. Just go there and test”, says the
interviewee of Company B. The interviewee of Company E agrees: “It’s good to try
different contents to try what works for the target audience.” The interviewee of
Company A also encourages piloting new things.
In-house or external partner
One big theme for the interviewees was whether to produce the streams in-house
or with an external partner. According to most of the companies the content is the
most important part in a stream, and the intended usage purpose guides the
selection of the streaming method. However, the type of the audience and the
aspired brand image place certain quality requirements as well. Thus, the used
streaming method and its quality are very interlinked with the content of the stream
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and for whom the content is targeted for, which all together have an effect on the
brand image of the company.
The interviewee of Company A remarks that whether to produce the stream in-
house or with en external expert depends on the situation: “If we make a brand
campaign we want to do it with better equipment and think more how it is
produced. But we have also done streaming with a smart phone from one of our
events and have realized that it works as well. It really depends on the situation
when we use a partner and when we do in-house. If the content is relevant to have
available immediately for the audience it’s better to make it faster. Then we do it
lighter, and there is no time for editing.” Although content comes first for Company
A, the interviewee remarks that how the stream looks and sounds affects the
brand, and thus the quality of the used equipment is important as well: “The
braveness and forward going nature comes from the content, and the technical
aspect is a smaller detail. -- Content is the most important part of the stream, but of
course brand and quality criteria needs to be taken into consideration as well.”
Even though company C does not have a certain strategy for live streaming, they
execute event streams differently based on the size of the event. The interviewee
highlights that the nature of the audience places certain criteria for the quality of
the stream, and even though Periscope is a great tool for smaller events, there are
differences in the quality: “It is quite limited what you can film with Periscope, and
thus it is wise to have a partner if you want to film a bigger event, since they have
the technique and knowhow to produce the stream.” Bigger events, with for
example 400 participants, the company produces with an external partner who
takes care of the filming and editing, so that they can focus on other things during
the event. Smaller events, with less than 100 participants, Company C produce in-
house. Company D produces their videos and streams with an external partner,
who takes care of the technical elements.
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Producing streams in-house has certain advantages according to the interviewees
of Company A and C. “We haven’t gone in the direction where everything needs to
be professionally produced, because social media is about being authentic and
sometimes it is more valuable that the video is available immediate than produced
with professional equipment”, says the interviewee of Company A, and continues:
“In social media companies need to have an identity that can be grasped; they
need to be approachable and open. If the videos would be professionally
produced, they would be ads and that doesn’t work for us or for the customer.” This
suits well with their marketing communications strategy and objectives, which
highlight openness. Company C also aims for a more authentic feel with their
smaller streams: “What’s happening at the location is more important than perfect
execution. The real feeling is the most important thing.” Both companies mention
that they do streaming quite lightly and by experimenting. The interviewee of
Company C mentions that their Periscope streams are usually very relaxed. The
aim is to have free communication between the present and remote audience: “We
don’t have a certain script. We might have an agenda that builds frames for the
stream, but otherwise we want to communicate freely and authentically who we
are, and we want to bring a relaxed atmosphere into the event and stream.” This
aligns with their branding objectives since employer image and bring out their
company culture is an important aspect for them as well as transmitting a relaxed
feeling.
In addition to using an external partner, the most used in-house streaming

platforms among the case companies include Periscope, Facebook Live, and
YouTube. The streaming platforms used by the case companies are presented in
Table 6. Company C uses Periscope regularly. They have thought about taking
Facebook Live or YouTube Live into use even though they have experienced
Periscope as a useful tool: “Periscope is an inexpensive way to transmit quality
event content or an interesting speech. -- Periscope is a great way for us to
transfer our relaxed company culture and the approachable feeling of our meet-
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ups.“ However, the downside of the platform is that what you can film with it is very
limited or you have to have experience to find the best angles. For this reason the
company uses external partners for bigger streams.
Table 6. Live streaming platforms used by the case companies

A B C D E
Periscope One pilot X
Facebook Thought about Internally Thought about X
Live
YouTube X
YouTube Thought about
Live
External X X X
partners
Own X Planned X
streaming
platforms
Company A, on the contrary, sees more potential in Facebook Live, but has not
tried it yet: “Facebook live is a new way to reach people and we could think about
using it in partner co-operations, for example work with a person or a community.”
They think that the strength of Facebook Live is that it reaches masses. With
Periscope they realized that the audience is small and that they already have
better ways to do streaming: “We would need to come up with another way to use
Periscope, for example events, but at the moment we haven’t had any suitable
events.“ They think that Periscope competes with producing professional live
streams in some web service and sharing the link in social media. For the company
it came as a surprise how short Periscope’s travel was: “There was so much talk
about it that when we piloted Periscope we thought it was going to become one of
our established channels but soon it dropped out and now people are talking about
Facebook Live.” Company E uses mostly Facebook Live for streaming, but
mentions that one challenge with the platform is that most people watch videos and
streams without voice so subtitles would be essential, but it is not possible to add
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the subtitles until after the stream. Both Companies A and E operate in B2C
market, which means that their target groups are more present in Facebook than
the typical target groups of B2B companies, which makes Facebook Live a wise
tool for streaming. Whereas, for Company B that operates in B2B market,
Facebook Live is for sharing internal trainings, meetings, or info sessions.
Only Company B uses YouTube for streaming: they stream directly to YouTube
and then share the stream in their main channels. Company C mentions that they
upload some of their recorded streams on YouTube: “With Periscope the stream is
available the next 24 hours but there are services with which you can record the
stream, and it is also possible to put it on YouTube.” Most of the companies,
however, use YouTube only for traditional videos.
A rough process map of the selection of the streaming method can be drawn
based on the interviews (illustrated in Figure 15), even though sometimes the
selected method is very dependent on the situation.
What are the The selection

What is the quality of the
usage What is the
What is the aspired requirements method (in-
purpose and
content? brand (brand and house or an
the
image? content external
audience?
wise)? partner)
Figure 14. Live streaming method selection process
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Practical aspects
When the streaming method has been selected, there are several practical
elements that need to be taken care of before, during, and after the stream.
Practical preparations before the stream include planning the visuals, doing a
technical check, going through the stream step by step, training the speakers, and
taking care of confidentiality. During the stream the flow of the stream and
technical issues need to be managed, and after the streams companies focus on
post-marketing.
Company B has an extensive experience in streaming so they have certain

established ways to prepare a stream: “The beginning of the stream is mainly
about planning the visuals. We plan the visuals and go them through with the
participants. The overall look of the event in the visual sense needs to be pretty.”
The planning of a stream starts with receiving the speaker notes, which are then
attached to the stream. After that the visual materials, where the picture of the
speaker, Twitter handle, job title, and company name are visible, are prepared. In
addition to the visuals the company does a technical check and goes through the
stream step by step: how long does the event last, when does it end, and who are
the speakers. “If it’s our own stream we visit the venue and have a meeting with
their lighting, sound and video editors and experts and go through pretty thoroughly
what to do if something happens. We take technical details into consideration
because quality is important for us”, says the interviewee. They also organize
training for their own speakers.
Likewise, Company C streams events that include presentations from different

speakers. In bigger productions with an external partner, the company prepares
slides with the speaker’s name, job title, subject of the presentation, and title of the
event for the pauses: “When the stream starts it is very easy to link this slide to the
stream and then you have the next one ready for the pauses.” For Periscope, the
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company writes the name of the event and speaker, and the subject of the
presentation in the title section, which is a good way to profile the event, because
when people log onto the stream they might not know what kind of event it is. The
company also makes a technical check to make sure that all the needed
equipment is ready for the stream. The interviewee mentions that small practical
things, such as poor lighting can affect the quality of Periscope stream drastically,
and thus the camera needs to be close to the speaker. They also make sure that
they have permission from the speaker and everyone attending to event for using
the material afterwards. The interviewee highlights that one important thing is also
protecting sensitive information, because streaming enables information to go into
the Internet in real time and if the speaker is not knowledgeable of what their
talking about, it might be very harmful: “It is very important to inform the people that
it (event) will be streamed and make sure that there is nothing client sensitive
material on the background. You have to pay attention when filming in business
environments.” Overall, the streaming practices of Companies B and C align since
both of the companies stream events and speeches, which require similar
preparations.
The interviewee of Company A mentions that sometimes new digital channels

require improvisation: “Even though it would not be possible to use our exact brand
font, we have to come up with new ways that would reflect the visual and identity
aspects of our brand the best possible way.”
During the stream, Company C, which uses Periscope, has at least one person
supervising the stream for possible comments and likes, and tracking the amount
of viewers. The person also takes care of the technical issues, such as does the
stream work or is the battery running out. “We don’t just leave the phone to record
and go do other stuff. You have to be active during the stream”, mentions the
interviewee. Company E agrees: “You have to follow the conversation all the time
during the stream and make sure that there won’t be any technical problems.”
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Additionally, the interviewee of Company C reminds that the speaker needs to pay
attention to the remote audience as much as the audience that is present: “This is
a thing that many presenters are still not doing and which should be kept in mind.”
Also the interviewee of Company D notes that how you behave on the stream is
important, and whether you address your audience respectfully or thank them.
Company C was also thinking whether to enable Periscope’s comment section.

They thought that inappropriate comments could be a risk, but in the end decided
to give the audience an opportunity the comment because they wanted to have
open discussion between the participants of the stream. Company E also thinks
that it is very important to engage the audience during the stream.
Company D’s product launch stream was more scripted. During the stream they
were using a split screen where they showed slides on the other side and speaker
on the other side. Due to the use of a split screen the company was also able to
show product videos during the stream. The stream was produced with an external
partner, who took care of the technical issues, but they had a person monitoring
and taking down questions, which were then answered at the end of the stream in
order to avoid the stream getting interrupted. The company could consider doing a
similar stream again but with very different expectations and probably for different
reasons, and in much lighter way: “We were scripting too much, we were thinking
too much of a performance, when it should be more quick and dirty and maybe
more informal.” The company thinks that streams could work better if they were
done more often, and in a lighter and more conversational way. And so that there
are not so much money put into it. However, the interviewee considers the product
launch as a good learning experience for the company. Even though Companies
C, D, and E all differ from each other, a central aspect during the stream seem to
be ensuring the engagement with the audience.
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Most of the companies use the streams afterwards. “With streams we do more
after marketing than with blogs because they are bigger productions”, says the
interviewee of Company B. The company uses a lot of resources for filming, editing
and cutting. After the streams they cut the stream into shorter videos, which are
then shared in different channels. They also share the video with their speakers
and networks to increase the reach. Company C also reuses the streams after
confirming with the speakers that they have permission to use the material. With
Periscope the stream is available for 24 hours, but the interviewee notes that there
are services with which you can record the stream, and if wanted, upload it on
YouTube. The recorded streams can then be linked to some campaigns, other
marketing activities, or to promote future events. Company E also states that they
edit the streams, add subtitles, and promote the video. In addition, Company B and
E follow the analytics to make sure that the stream is meeting the objectives, and if
they are not, think what could have been done better. “We have to follow analytics
to see what our target group thinks of the video so that we are producing value and
experiences that are worth sharing”, says the interviewee of Company B.
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6 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
6.1 Findings
S1: What are the motives, usage purposes, objectives, and benefits and
challenges of live streaming?
Streaming is clearly a new way for companies to do marketing communications,

and the internal motives for streaming include the branding and marketing
communications strategy of the company, the company culture, values, and
attitudes, brand differentiation, and employing a new way to do marketing
communications. The fact that other companies are using streaming and the need
to respond to customer needs are external motives that drive companies to use live
streaming. Tsimonis and Dimitriadis (2014) have noticed similar motives for social
media usage in B2C environment: the possibility to spread the brand name, the
presence of competitors in social media, and corporate-level social media strategy.
Companies use live streaming in seminars, events, and product launches, and they
see opportunities in roadshows and webinars. Similar usage purposes have been
identified in online articles on live streaming but a variety of other usage purposes
have been mentioned as well, such as “how to” videos, brand release videos,
interviews, showcasing a product manufacturing process, and customer support
(Alton 2016; Calero 2016; Digital Information World 2015; Olenski 2015a), which
the case companies have not adapted yet. Overall, live streaming seems to fit well
in the content marketing context. According to the case companies, the key
aspects in video steaming is listening to customer needs and producing content
that is relevant and valuable to the target groups, integrating digital content
marketing with other marketing activities, and developing suitable metrics, which
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are also mentioned in the earlier literature on content marketing (Content
Marketing Institute 2016; Holliman & Rowley 2014; Tanni & Keronen 2013, 27).
The central objectives and expected outcomes of live streaming mentioned by the
case companies include growing coverage by reaching networks and remote
audiences, engaging with audiences, creating good content and customer
experiences, creating brand awareness, image, and conspicuousness, bringing out
the company culture, and differentiating the company. Similar objectives have been
identified in earlier literature on content and video marketing. Holliman and Rowley
(2014) mention lead generation and creating brand awareness and a trustworthy
brand as the main objectives in content marketing, and Meerman Scott (2010, 207)
mentions that video marketing should be about targeting the audience with
information that addresses a problem they are facing. However, additional
objectives with live streaming seem to be increasing the amount of audience,
bringing out the company culture, and engaging with customers, which are
identified also in online articles on live streaming (Calero 2016; Hackl 2016;
Olenski 2015a).
The benefits of live streaming, according to the case companies, include brand
differentiation, reaching networks and remote audiences, and authenticity. Similar
benefits have been identified by Litt (2014), Shai (2015), Thompson (2014), and
Tsimonis and Diminiatris (2014), who state that brand development and
differentiation are important advantages in social media and video marketing.
Articles on live streaming, on the other hand, have highlighted better exposure by
reaching wider audiences (Olenski 2015b) and authenticity (Kumu
Communications 2016; Vuoti 2017; Weiss 2012) as advantages. Mellin (2013)
states that live streaming is a way for open organizations and people to tell about
themselves, and Kumu Communications (2017) adds that streaming is well suited
for companies who want to transfer the reliability and professionalism of their
company to their audiences. Thus, authenticity seems to be the clear advantage in
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live streaming when compared to other digital marketing communications methods.
However, while streaming brings a more authentic side to the digital marketing
communications mix, it can be both good and bad. Authenticity enables companies
to transmit feelings that happen in the moment as well as reflect the company
culture, but it can also backfire if it is not done properly. Whereas traditional videos
can be edited, there is no room for mistakes in live streaming.
Live streaming requires more technical competencies than text-based content

marketing, and some of the challenges include technical difficulties, and attracting
and engaging audiences. Chaffey and Ellis-Chadwick (2012, 43) and Halvorson
and Rach (2012, 119) also mention the lack of attention as one of the challenges in
digital communications. However, attracting and engaging audiences conflicts with
earlier literature that states that live videos are suitable for connecting with
audience in real time, and increasing engagement (Calero 2016; Hackl 2016;
Olenski 2015a).
S2: What is the process of live streaming?
The study identified different stages of the case companies’ live streaming
practices: strategic decisions and practicalities before, during, and after the stream.
Even though streams are considered more authentic than traditional videos, there
is a lot of planning involved. A well-planned stream decreases the need for ad hoc
but the key thing is to keep the streams relaxed.
Before deciding to use streaming, the case companies think about the purpose,
effectiveness and risks of the stream, the brand and company image that will be
reflected through the stream, and the fit of the stream to the overall marketing
communication strategy. Likewise, Keller (2009) highlights the need for proper
planning, and states that when creating digital marketing communications strategy
it is crucial to choose the channels, which are the most cost-efficient in achieving
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communications and sales objectives. Respectively, the importance of brand and
image has been highlighted earlier in other researches and articles on live
streaming (Kurio 2015; Tivi 2015) and marketing communications (Keller 2009).
When companies have decided to use streaming in marketing communications, the

overall planning process includes identifying target groups, setting objectives,
defining a strategy and implement it, and finally measuring the results and
improving the streams. Creating useful and quality content with streams is also an
important factor for the case companies as well as using effective promotion
channels. Audience-centricity and responding to customer needs have been
pointed out as central elements also in literature on marketing communications (Fill
2006a, 6-10; Keller 2009; Kotler & Keller 2009, 516-531; Tanni & Keronen 2013,
39-40) and video marketing (Meerman Scott 2010, 207). Additionally, Chaffey and
Ellis-Chadwick (2012, 43-44) and Halvorson and Rach (2012, 119) mention that in
content marketing it is crucial to think the engagement value of certain content, and
what kind of content resonates with the target audience the best. The planning
process of live streaming mentioned by the case companies supports the earlier
theories on content and video marketing planning, where central aspects are
identifying the target groups, creating content that has engagement value to the
audience, reaching the audiences through promotion, measuring the results, and
making sure that the method fits the overall marketing mix (Chaffey & Ellis-
Chadwick 2012, 43-44; Halvorson & Rach 2012, 119; Meerman Scott 2010, 207;
Miller 2011, 22-28).
An important thing for the interviewed companies appeared to be the decision of

whether to produce the stream in-house or use an external partner, which is both a
strategic and practical decision. The used streaming method and its quality are
very interlinked with the content of the stream and for whom the content is
targeted, which all together have an effect on the brand image of the company.
The resources and capabilities of the company also guide the selection of the
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method: working with an external partner means that they are responsible for the
technical execution of the stream. Chaffey and Ellis-Chadwick (2012, 43-44) and
Halvorson and Rach (2012, 119) have identified that content marketing planning
includes deciding the type of content (plain text or rich media, such as audio or
streamed videos) and taking into consideration the needed resources to execute
these formats (time, knowledge). Even though sometimes the selected method is
very dependent on the situation, a rough process of the streaming method includes
the following steps:
1. What is the content?

2. What are the usage purpose and the audience?
3. What is the aspired brand image?
4. What are the quality requirements (brand and content wise)?
The case companies use Periscope, Facebook Live, and YouTube for streaming.
Periscope arouses mixed feelings among the case companies: one uses it
regularly and sees it as an inexpensive and easy way to share events while one
sees that the trend around Periscope is slowly fading. Using Facebook Live for
streaming, on the other hand, seems to be increasing, and it is more suited for B2C
companies because their target groups are more present in Facebook than the
typical target groups of B2B companies. All of these platforms have been
mentioned in online articles, but other streaming platforms include Meerkat, Blab,
Twitch, YouNow, Livestream, Streaming Media, and Ustream (Calero 2016; Hackl
2016; Olenski 2015b; Weiss 2015). Articles on different platforms do not note clear
differences between them. Kuulu (2016) mentions that Facebook Live streams
show primarily for Facebook followers but can spread efficiently through the
networks of the followers, whereas a Periscope stream can achieve a global
audience with an interesting title. The biggest difference between Periscope and
Facebook Live seems to be that on Periscope the stream is available for 24 hours
after the stream, whereas in Facebook the stream can be easily retrieved
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afterwards, which is also identified in several online articles (DeMers 2016; Kuulu
2016; Olensi 2015a; Smith, 2016).
In addition to the strategic choices, the practical planning of a stream includes

questions like:
• Where to film?
• When to film?
• Who films? With what equipment? (in-house or external partner?)
• What are the technical requirements?
• Who are the speakers?
• How long does the stream last?
• Who follows the conversation during the stream?
The practical planning also includes planning the visuals based on the speaker
notes (slides between the speeches), doing a technical check, going through the
stream step by step, training speakers if needed, and taking care of confidentiality
(when filming in a business environment) and asking for permission to film from the
speaker and everyone present. In general, the case companies want to keep their
streams relaxed and not too scripted. The main thing during the stream is to make
sure that there is someone supervising the stream: following the conversations,
comments, and questions, tracking the viewers, and making sure there are no
technical issues. If the company is doing a stream with an external partner, the
partner takes care of the technical aspect, which allows the company to focus on
other things. It is also important that the speakers pay attention to the remote
audience as well. Similar issues with regard to live streaming have been raised in
online blogs. Especially the technical competencies have been brought out, but
also ensuring engagement with the remote audiences has been highlighted (Mellin
2013; Pasanen 2017).
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After streaming most companies edit the streams for later distribution and cut them
into smaller videos that can be used in marketing afterwards. These smaller videos
can be linked to campaigns, other marketing activities, or to promote future events.
When streaming with Facebook Live, companies can add subtitles to the stream
afterwards, which enables watching the stream even without the sound.
Companies also follow the analytics, and make possible improvements
accordingly.
S3: How does live streaming support corporate brand building and corporate brand
strategy?
Another dimension of the study was to examine how live streaming supports
corporate branding, which has not been studied before. Live streaming is seen a
new marketing communications method, which supports brand attributes like
forward going and vanguard. It also helps to add a more personal touch to the
brand by letting stakeholder see another side of the company, which is also
mention in earlier literature (Calero 2016; Hackl 2016; Kurio 2015; Olenski 2015a;
Tivi 2015). The relationship between live streaming and the case companies’
branding strategy was examined based on live streaming ability to support the
aspired brand attributes and branding objectives of case companies. Another
dimension was added by examining which five branding principles presented by
Kotler and Pfoertsch (2006) live streaming support. Additionally, live streaming’s
ability to supports brand building was examined.
Live streaming can be said to support the brand strategies of the case companies.
The most important associations that live streaming supports are brave, forward
going, vanguard, close, humane, and relaxed. Taking a new marketing
communications method into use, in this case live streaming, can differentiate the
company as brave and forward going, or even a vanguard among the competitors.
It also facilitates creating associations like close and humane by bringing out
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employees with their own faces and allowing the viewers see the relaxed company
culture. Thus, live streaming is considered a new, bold way to interact with
stakeholders and show the people behind the company.
The main branding objectives supported by live streaming including creating brand
awareness and differentiation, bringing out the expert of the company and their
expertise, driving thought leadership, bringing out the company culture, and adding
a new channel to the marketing communications mix. Correspondingly, Kumu
Communications (2016) note that streaming is well suited for companies who want
to transfer the reliability and professionalism of their company to their audiences.
Additionally, other articles (Calero 2016; Hackl 2016; Olenski 2015a; Olenski
2015b) conclude that live streaming is great for increasing the amount of audience,
bringing out the company culture, and engaging with customers.
Among the five branding principles mentioned by Kotler and Pfoertsch (2006), live
streaming supports especially visibility and authenticity. Live streaming allows
companies to increase the visibility of their brand by reaching wider audiences and
differentiating among competitors. It is also an authentic communications method,
which allows stakeholders to form feelings of uniqueness of the brand. The brand
associations and branding objectives of the case companies that live streaming
supports were illustrated in Table 5.
The role of live streaming in brand building was examined more in-depth through
the effect of each advantage and challenge of live streaming on the brand building
blocks. The case companies mention that the biggest advantages of streaming
include gaining a bigger reach, authenticity, and brand differentiation, while the
biggest challenges are authenticity (technical issues), and attracting and engaging
audiences.
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Live streaming can be seen to affect the salience of a brand in positive way by
enabling the company to reach wider audiences. However, since streaming is very
dependent on a certain time, it might be difficult to gain a proper audience. But
once the audience has been established, live streaming can have a positive impact
on the performance and imagery of a brand by differentiating the company as
forward going and digital, even though unexpected technical or other issues might
result in a more negative perceptions of the overall performance of the company.
Authenticity of live streaming, on the other hand, can improve the judgments and
emotions of the target group by transmitting company culture and showing feelings
that happen in the moment. Although technical issues, the lack of engagement with
the audience, and uninteresting content can cause negative judgments and
emotions in the minds of the target groups, and ultimately hinder the development
of the highest brand building block, resonance. However, live streaming can have a
positive effect on resonance by reaching current customers in a new way and
enhancing the relationship by allowing them to digitally join an event or take a look
at what is happening inside the company. Additionally, authenticity, which builds
positive judgments and emotions, can have a huge role in creating resonance
between the brand and the customers.
Q1: How are Finnish companies utilizing live streaming in marketing

communications and corporate branding?
The main research question aims at complementing the conceptual framework

presented in Chapter 1.3 by comparing the different characteristics of live
streaming with marketing communications and corporate branding practices of the
case companies and the earlier literature.
All the interviewed companies mention that individual marketing communications

channels need to support the overall marketing communications strategy and
business objectives, which is also stated in the earlier literature (Chaffey 2016;
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Chaffey and Ellis-Chadwick 2012, 14). The case companies also highlight that their
marketing communications are very integrated, which complies with earlier theories
on marketing communications that highlight integration in marketing
communications (Keller 2009; Kotler & Keller 2009, 512; Mulhern 2009; Percy
2008, 33; van Riel & Fombrun 2007, 3). Some of the things, which guide the
marketing communications of the case companies, include openness and driving
thought leaderships through content marketing. Also being able to bring out a
relaxed company culture, operating in a digital way, and being the industry leader
are important. The objectives of marketing communications include strengthening
an expert image, reaching people, building brand, and driving sales. The main
objectives of live streaming, on the other hand, include reaching networks and
remote audiences, creating quality content, customer experiences and
engagement, and creating brand awareness, image and conspicuousness. Thus,
the objectives are similar and live streaming can be seen to support the marketing
communications of the organizations. This also confirms that the objectives for live
streaming are derived from the business and marketing communications
strategies, as stated by the case companies.
Although the marketing communications channels are very integrated, the different
digital channels have different characteristics, which were presented in Figure 9.
Facebook and Instagram are considered suitable for building the corporate brand
and transmitting a relaxed image, whereas LinkedIn, which is more business like,
and Twitter, which is more ad hoc, can be used for driving thought leadership.
According to the case companies, content marketing is useful for driving thought
leadership and profiling the company as a leading expert. Live streaming can be
seen to have similar characteristic than other digital marketing communications
channels. It is seen as suitable for brand building, transmitting company culture,
and driving thought leadership, and live streaming platforms Periscope, Facebook
Live, and YouTube Live can be seen to complement Twitter, Facebook, and
YouTube. However, streaming adds a new dimension to the content marketing
113
environment by allowing companies to transmit expert speeches and events to
their stakeholders in real time, and to execute product marketing in a new way.
Authenticity seems to be something that other digital channels cannot provide as

well as live streaming that allows stakeholders to gain a more intimate and direct
interaction with the company. Authenticity, however, can be both good and bad,
since it enables companies to transmit feelings that happen in the moment as well
as reflect the company culture, but it can also harm the brand if there are technical
problems or other uncontrollable elements. There might me more risks related to
live streaming, but at the same time the gains can be bigger. In addition to
authenticity, live streaming allows companies to reach audiences that are not be
able to attend their events or seminars in person. Live streams allow better
interaction in real time, whereas traditional videos are more static, but the content
of the stream has to be relevant and interesting to the target group.
Live streaming requires technical competencies, which some companies might

experience as a challenge due to lack of, either technical or time, resources. Even
though live streaming refers to filming live events, it requires a lot of planning
before, during, and after, just like traditional video marketing. Additionally, it should
be noted that the authenticity of the channel means that anything can happen
during the stream, good or bad. The process of live streaming is quite similar to
overall digital marketing communications planning (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick 2012;
Percy 2008, 25-26): identifying target groups, setting objectives, defining a strategy
and implement it, and finally measuring the results and improving the streams. One
of the biggest questions is whether to produce the stream in-house or with an
external expert. The used streaming method and its quality are very interlinked with
the content of the stream and for whom the content is targeted, which all together
have an effect on the brand image of the company. However, the idea is to keep
streaming relaxed. Engaging with the audience at the moment of the stream is
sometimes a challenge but afterwards the streams can be cut into smaller videos
114
and utilized in marketing. Thus, the lifecycle of a stream is much longer and not
limited to a certain time.
To conclude, live streaming is still a new way for companies to do marketing

communications, and there are many usage purposes for streaming that Finnish
companies are still not utilizing. However, there is a clear trend in real time videos
and live streaming (Gilman 2015; Hackl 2016; Kurio 2015; Tivi 2015; Weiss 2015),
and most of the case companies see that better usage of content marketing and
especially video content will gain more significance in the future. Video content is
seen as an important tool for storytelling, creating emotional-based dimensions,
communicating complicated information, and creating employer and company
images. Correspondingly, the results of the study reveal that live streaming
supports corporate brand building and corporate brand strategy. The effect of live
streaming on corporate brand building was examined through Keller’s six brand
building blocks, and its effect on corporate brand strategy through the case
companies’ marketing communications strategies and Kotler and Pfoertsch’s
(2006) corporate branding principles.
The different advantages and challenges of live streaming can have both a
negative and a positive effect on the six brand building blocks. Live streaming’s
ability to reach wider audiences contributes to the salience of a brand, while
streaming can also affect the performance and imagery by differentiating the
company. Authenticity, on the other hand, affects the judgments and emotions, and
ultimately the resonance, and allowing current customers to see another side of the
company can increase the resonance. The challenge of reaching audiences can
affect the salience negatively, and unexpected technical and other issues
(authenticity) can affect the performance and imagery. Additionally, the lack of
engagement with the audience and uninteresting content can cause negative
judgments and emotions and hinder the development of resonance.
115
Strategy and
Marketing objectives Corporate branding
communications
Supports
• brand building,
Authenticity, (ultimately creates
brand building, resonance)
and wider reach • brand attributes: open,
brave, relaxed, humane,
forward going
• visibility and authenticity
LIVE STREAMING
Process (strategic and practical planning)
usage benefits and

motives objectives
purposes challenges
Internal - seminars - growing Benefits
- marketing - events coverage - wider coverage
communications - campaigns (reaching - authenticity
and branding - product launches networks and - brand
strategy remote differentiation
- company culture, audiences)
values, and - customer aspect Challenges
attitudes (quality content, - authenticity
- brand customer (technical and
differentiation experiences, other issues)
- new way to do engagement) - attracting
marketing - creating brand audiences
communications awareness, - engaging
image, and audiences
External conspicuousness
- other companies
use streaming
- customer needs
Figure 15. Live streaming’s role in marketing communications and corporate

branding
116
Live streaming also supports brand attributes, such as open, brave, humane,
relaxed and forward going. Thus, live streaming is considered a new, bold way to
interact with stakeholders and show the people behind the company. Additionally,
live streaming increases brand awareness due to its wider reach. It is also a way to
drive thought leadership by bringing out the experts of the company. When it
comes to Kotler and Pfoertsch’s (2006) branding principles, live streaming supports
especially visibility and authenticity. In conclusion, live streaming supports
differentiation, creates brand awareness, and allows companies to show an
authentic and relaxed side of their company. Figure 15 presents the role of live
streaming in marketing communications and corporate branding.
6.2 Managerial implications
As mentioned earlier in this study, digital marketing communications is a fast

evolving area, which partly lacks useful frameworks. The main objective of the
research was to gain an in-depth understanding on how live streaming is utilized in
Finnish companies and provide a useful framework for companies who are
considering starting live streaming. The aim of the study was also to encourage
companies to take new digital marketing communication methods into use.
Live streaming adds to the collection of digital marketing communications

channels. However, it should be tightly linked to the overall business and marketing
and communications strategy, and there should be clear reasons to use live
streaming. Live streaming should also be well integrated with other marketing
communications channels, but also complement them. Live streaming is a great
way to differentiate and bring corporate brands closer to people, and bring out the
values and culture of a company. It is also a great tool for driving thought
leadership by transmitting the expertise of the company. Streams can be used for
all size events, seminars, product launches, and with specific marketing
campaigns. With streaming companies can gain a wider audience and interact with
117
remote stakeholders because streams are not tied to a certain location. Hence,
streams enable better engagement with stakeholders but the stream needs to be
well executed and the content interesting and relevant to the target groups.
Streaming is a new way to do marketing communications, which can result in
enhanced customer experiences, and as mentioned before, streaming can
differentiate the company as a vanguard and forward going. Live streaming’s clear
benefit lies in its authenticity. It allows companies to show a truthful picture of the
company, even though the fact that everything happens in real time creates some
challenges. However, with live streaming companies can improve the stakeholders’
judgments and emotions of the brand, and ultimately create resonance.
The process of live streaming includes strategic and practical planning. In addition
to making sure that live streaming supports overall business objectives and is well
integrated with other marketing communications, a more detailed strategic planning
involves identifying target groups, setting objectives, defining a strategy and
implement it, and measuring the results and improving. It is crucial to have a clear
picture of the customer needs and what kind of content resonates with the target
groups in order to attract and engage customers with the stream. Understanding
the target group creates the base for a successful stream. It also guides the
selection of whether to produce the stream in-house or with an external partner.
The content and the target group of a stream sets requirements for the quality of
the stream, which then has a clear effect on the corporate brand.
Practical planning before, during, and after the stream comprehends questions like
when and where to film, who films, what is the content, and who follows the
conversation and technical issues during the stream. Visual planning is also
necessary as well as taking care of permissions to film, and information security
when filming in a business environment. A big element in live streaming is to plan
how to engage with the audience, whether it’s creating questions or enabling
commenting. Afterwards the stream can be cut into smaller video, which can be
118
utilized in other marketing. Thus, the life cycle of a stream is longer than just a
stream happening at a certain time. Also following the analytics and making sure
that the set objectives have been met, is important, and if not, think about what
could be done differently next time.
Additionally, it should be noted that live streaming requires more technical

competencies than traditional text-based content marketing. However, live
streaming can be done together with an external partner who has the technical
knowledge. Streams of smaller events can be done with own equipment, with a
mobile phone or another recording device, and there are multiple platforms, which
can be used, for example Periscope, Facebook Live and YouTube Live. Facebook
Live is especially useful for B2C companies, since many target groups can be
found on Facebook.
Even though streaming requires planning, it is a relaxed channel where audiences

can experience real feelings and interact directly with the company. Even though it
is good to ensure beforehand that possible issues can be reacted quickly during
the stream, the stream should not be too scripted. However, content is the king
also in live streaming. Without good content it is difficult to attract and engage
audiences, because the competition for attention is tough and people have power
to choose when and where to read messages and watch videos. However, there
are more benefits than risks in live streaming, and today’s companies should be
fearless about employing new marketing communications method, which allow
better interaction with stakeholders.
6.3 Limitations and further research
Live streaming is a fairly new way of doing marketing communications, and thus,
requires further research. This cross-sectional study aimed at shedding light on the
topic by examining how five different case companies are currently utilizing live
119
streaming in marketing communications and corporate branding. Thus, the study is
limited to external communications, and more precisely marketing communications.
It also examined the role of live streaming in corporate branding, and other
branding areas were left out. It should also be noted that there are weaknesses in
the generalizability of the research because it examines five different cases in the
Finnish market. Thus, the results should be examined in their context.
Using live videos as part of marketing communications and corporate branding

should be studied further to gain a broader understanding of the topic. However, in
addition to using live streaming in marketing communications, some case
companies mentioned that live streaming has an important role in their internal
communications. Thus, a possible future area for research could be examining live
streaming’s role in other areas of corporate communications, such as internal
communications. Another interesting research avenue could be related to employer
branding, for example what is live streaming’s role in supporting employee
engagement or attracting possible future employees. As traditional video marketing
has been widely studied from the customer’s perspective, this could be an
interesting perspective to take with regard to video streaming as well. Some of
companies also used other real-time video platforms, such as Snapchat and
Instagram Stories, and thus, “my day” type of videos would also be an interesting
area for further studies.
120
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1. Brand construct and the role of marketing communications in

branding (adapted from Aaker 1996; Keller 2009)
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES
Brand
awareness
Brand
knowledge
Brand image
Brand name awareness
Perceived quality
Brand equity
Brand loyalty
Brand associations
Brand
Brand value
proposition Brand identity
RELATIONSHIPS
BUILDING WITH
STAKEHOLDERS
functional benefits core (i.e. values)
extended (i.e.
emotional benefits slogan and brand
personality)
self-expressive
benefits 1
APPENDIX 2. Questions of the semi-structured phone interview
Live video streaming and corporate branding
This study aims at finding out how Finnish companies utilize live video streaming in
marketing communications and corporate branding. The research is qualitative in
nature and the answers will stay anonymous.
The duration of the interview is approximately one hour and it consists of three
parts. In the first part you are asked questions regarding your company’s corporate
brand and brand management. The second part will focus on the overall marketing
communications practices. However, the emphasis is on the third part, which aims
at finding out how live video streaming is used in your company and how it is
connected to your marketing communications and corporate brand.
I: Corporate brand
1. How would you define your corporate brand? (i.e. brand identity, brand
promise, or position statement)
2. Which corporate associations does your company want to establish?
3. What do you want to achieve with corporate branding? What are the
objectives?
II: Marketing communications
4. Which are the key elements and objectives in your marketing and
communications strategy?
5. Which digital marketing communications channels does your company use?
What is the purpose of each channel? What are the advantages and
disadvantages of each channel?
2
III: Live video streaming
6. How long have you been doing live video streaming internally and externally?
7. What were your expectations when you first started live video streaming? For
example was there any hesitation in the beginning?
8. Which platforms do you use for streaming? How do you use them internally and
externally? Are there any differences between platforms?
9. Do you have a strategy for live video streaming? If not, what guides the
streaming?
10. What is the role of live video streaming in your marketing communications mix?
11. What does it give to your corporate brand?
12. What is the role of live video streaming among other digital channels and
traditional videos? What are the pros and cons compared to other channels
(practical aspect and corporate brand wise)?
13. How would you describe a normal “process” of live video streaming? Planning,
execution, follow up?
14. What is the role of the content in the streams? What kind of content do you
have and does it differ from your other content marketing activities, such as
blogs and traditional videos?
15. Describe a live video streaming experience/campaign that has been very
successful. In your opinion, which elements made it successful?
16. Describe a live video streaming experience/campaign that has not gone as
planned? In your opinion, which elements made it not so successful?
17. What do you think are the most important things, which need to be taken into
consideration when streaming?
3
APPENDIX 3. Questions of the e-mail interview (in Finnish)
Livestriimaus ja yritysbrändi
Tämän haastattelututkimuksen tarkoituksena on kartoittaa, miten suomalaiset

yritykset hyödyntävät livestriimausta osana markkinointiviestintää ja
yritysbrändäystä. Tutkimus on kvalitatiivinen ja vastaukset tullaan käsittelemään
anonyymisti.
Haastattelu koostuu kolmesta osasta. Ensimmäinen osa käsittelee yrityksenne

yritysbrändiä ja sen eri elementtejä. Toisessa osassa kartoitetaan yrityksenne
markkinointiviestinnän keinoja. Haastattelun pääpaino on kolmannessa osassa,
jossa keskitytään livestriimaukseen niin strategisella kuin käytännön tasolla.
Taustakysymykset:
• Kauan olette tehneet striimausta sisäisesti/ulkoisesti?

• Toimitteko kansainvälisesti?
• Kuinka monta työntekijää yrityksellänne on noin suurin piirtein?
• Millä sanalla kuvailisitte toimialaanne?
I: Yritysbrändi
1. Miten määrittelette (yritys)brändinne? Voitte kertoa esimerkiksi, mikä on brändi-

identiteettinne, brändilupauksenne tai brändipositionne.
2. Millaisia mielleyhtymiä/brändiassosiaatioita haluatte liitettävän
yritysbrändiinne?
3. Millaisia asioita haluatte saavuttaa brändäyksellä? Mitkä ovat brändäyksen
tavoitteet?
4
II: Markkinointiviestintä
4. Mitkä ovat markkinointi- ja viestintästrategianne kulmakivet ja tavoitteet?

5. Mitä digitaalisia markkinointiviestinnän keinoja yrityksenne käyttää, sisäisesti ja
ulkoisesti? Mikä on eri kanavien rooli, entä niiden hyvät ja huonot puolet?
III: Livestriimaus
6. Ennen kuin aloititte livestriimauksen, mitkä olivat ennakko-odotuksenne?

7. Mitä livestriimausalustoja yrityksenne käyttää? Entä muita uudenlaisia
videoalustoja (esim. Snapchat, Instagram Stories)? Mihin tarkoitukseen
käytettä niitä sisäisesti ja ulkoisesti? Mitkä ovat niiden hyvät ja huonot puolet?
8. Onko yrityksessänne laadittu strategia livestriimauksen suhteen? Jos ei, minkä
pohjalta mietitte livestriimauksen tarpeellisuutta ja tavoitteita?
9. Miten koette livestriimauksen yhdistyvän markkinointi- ja
viestintästrategiaanne? Mitä strategian elementtejä se tukee/ei tue?
10. Miten koette livestriimauksen yhdistyvän (yritys)brändiinne? Mitä brändin osa-
alueita se tukee/ei tue?
11. Mikä on livestriimauksen rooli muiden digitaalisten kanavien, ja etenkin
perinteisten videoiden (YouTube tai verkkosivuilla julkaistavat videot),
joukossa? Mitkä ovat sen hyvät ja huonot puolet verrattuna muihin kanaviin
(käytännön toteutuksen kannalta ja vaikutus brändiin)?
12. Miten kuvailisitte normaalia livestriimausprosessianne tai -tilannetta? Mitä
tapahtuu ennen striimausta, sen aikana ja jälkeen?
13. Mikä on sisällön rooli livestriimauksessa? Millaista sisältöä tuotatte, entä
eroaako se muusta sisältömarkkinoinnista tai perinteisistä videoista?
14. Kuvailkaa livestriimauskokemus/-kampanja, joka on ollut erityisen onnistunut.
15. Kuvailkaa livestriimauskokemus/-kampanja, joka ei ole sujunut täysin
suunnitelmien mukaisesti.
5
16. Mitkä ovat mielestänne keskeisimmät asiat, jotka tulee ottaa huomioon
livestriimauksessa? Esimerkiksi kolme tärkeintä asiaa.
17. Minkä koet olevan seuraava ”big thing” markkinointiviestinnässä?
Kiitos ajastanne!
6
APPENDIX 4. An example of the coding
Which platforms do you use for streaming?
I don’t know, we work with partners that are specialized with that. Our partner had
two of their guys setting everything up. LS-P
So when you do live video streams, do external experts mainly do it?
Yes, we have partners. LS-P And on corporate level when we do internal videos
and when we do the investors relations call LS-UP, it is done with partners. We
don’t have people in-house to do it independently, and why would you, I don’t think
anybody does so.
Do you have a special strategy for streams? How do you link these live video
streams to support your strategy?
The video activities, whatever they are, are part of our marketing communication
plan. LS-P AND MC-V Now things are in a bit of a state of flux, but step by step we
have an overall plan for the year what we are going to communicate and we are
going to do many things. We have a list of tradeshows we are going to, and we
have to think what we are going to communicate there. And video is simply a part
of communicating our message. First comes the message, what do we want to
say, and then comes how do we want to say it, and then the video will come quite
quickly into the picture.MC-V We have to plan what is our budget, and we still have
ad hoc things, but you cant be making up this top level stuff, because then you
become incoherent, so you have to repeating this message in different ways in the
marketplace, in different countries and regions, and video is the main way.MC-SO
AND MC-V

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LAPPEENRANTA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

LUT School of Business and Management

THE ROLE OF LIVE STREAMING IN MARKETING

1st Supervisor/Examiner: Professor Sami Saarenketo, LUT

Author: Katja Keinänen

Tekijä: Katja Keinänen

Tämän työn tavoitteena on selvittää, miten suomalaiset B2B- ja B2C-yritykset

Tutkimus on kvalitatiivinen tapaustutkimus, jossa haastateltiin viittä eri alalla

Lahti, 11th April 2017

4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ........................................................................54

5 EMPIRICAL RESULTS AND ANALYSIS.........................................................63

6 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS .............................................................104

The environment where today’s businesses have to operate in is shaped by

The literary review is based on the academic literature on corporate branding,

Branding is a broadly examined area, and several researches can be found on

Additionally, there is a good amount of literature on corporate brand building and

Corporate branding is part of a bigger concept of corporate marketing. According to

A central topic in research is marketing communication’s role in corporate

1.2 Research problem and questions

Q1: How are Finnish companies utilizing live streaming in marketing

Additionally, three sub-questions were formed to facilitate answering the main

S2: What is the process of live streaming?

Earlier literature on marketing communications and corporate branding forms the

Strategy and objectives Strategy and objectives

Digital marketing Corporate brand

usage benefits and

Figure 1. The conceptual framework of the research

1.4 Definition of key concepts

Corporate branding refers to a set of activities performed by the company in order

Marketing communications consists of communications activities that support the

Chaffey and Ellis-Chadwick (2012, 10) define digital marketing as “achieving

Digital marketing communications

Digital marketing communications can be characterized with infinite reproduction of

Social media marketing

Content marketing refers to creating, distributing, and sharing compelling, valuable,

Live (video) streaming

1.5 Delimitations of the study

1.6 Research methodology

Live streaming as part of digital marketing communications is a very contemporary

1.7 Structure of the thesis

As marketing communications is becoming increasingly digital companies have

In order to understand the concept of marketing communications, it is crucial to

In general, marketing communications consists of communications activities that

Marketing communications messages are transferred through different tools, in

The selection of marketing communications tools depends on four factors: the

• What image does a certain communication channel create?

Additionally, marketing communications is affected by internal, intermediate and

Percy (2008, 5) defines integrated marketing communications (later IMC) as

The framework for integrated marketing communications, which includes consumer

Figure 3. The planning process of integrated marketing communications (adapted

• Infinite reproduction and sharing: media content can be shared in a digital

Digitalization has a massive effect on marketing communications. It enables infinite

The main challenges in digital communications include complexity (configuring

Chaffey and Ellis-Chadwick (2012, 10) define digital marketing as “achieving

Digital marketing strategy should be based on multichannel marketing, which

• align with the overall business strategy.

Digital marketing strategy development process involves four stages: setting e-

DIGITAL CHANNEL SELECTION

Digital marketing communications includes various concepts, which evolve