Brand equity building through social media marketing : case: EasySoda Finland Oy

Marketing channels are constantly changing and companies’ focus is switching from traditional media into social media. Social media gives companies the chance to communicate with their customers even more profoundly and therefore the importance of strong brands becomes greater. This thesis is a case study assigned by EasySoda Finland Oy, a Finnish company producing innovative bottle caps. By the time of writing the company is undergoing a major brand renovation. The aim of the thesis is to to look into how a company can grow its brand equity through social media marketing. Hence, the different ways of social media marketing the case company should use are analyzed. Primary data was collected from an interview with the chief operating officer, COO, of EasySoda Finland Oy, Kimmo Rannisto. The interview concentrated mainly on the company’s re-branding process and the channels in social media marketing the company is planning to use. Secondary data was gathered from various academic journals, books and studies. The case company’s brand equity building actions in social media marketing are examined through multiple different models in order to help the company clarify their social media marketing plan. The thesis concludes that in order to reach out to the right target groups with social media marketing and in order to build a greater brand equity, the company should concentrate on multiple social media platforms. A clear divide between older and younger people’s social media usage should be noted, and thus, customize the contents on each social media network. Additionally, in order to achieve greater brand equity, the importance of activating customers to interact with the company is highlighted