The development and communication of a new brand via social media; focussing on Instagram. Case company: Melsinki.

The following thesis is based on a six-week project aiming to promote a Finnish start up design brand called Melsinki. Even though I was quite a novice with the inner workings of social media platforms, I saw the opportunity to embrace this project as a professional chal-lenge and chance to up skill on essential tools for a modern marketer. The objective of this project was to create awareness of the brand and therefore a customer base with the ultimate goal being sales and profit for the company. Working closely with the owner, the vast product offering was whittled down to simply focus to scarves and bags. As with the commencement of any company, the potential scope of branding a new company was enormous. This thesis focuses on four main areas which a company such as Melsinki requires to perfect in order to succeed in communicating its brand. Before opening its virtual doors, it was vital to decide on Melsinki’s target market. This pro-cess took several twists and turns throughout the project as we attempted to identify a niche group. The largest obstacle was deciding which segment would be the best fit and easily accessible with Melsinki’s limited resources. Another aspect which needed to be established prior to opening was the branding element. What would it look like, what did it stand for, how would we refer to it, what language would be used, which style of font or colour would be associated with the brand? These elements are essential in connecting with the target market and the decision would determine what consistent message would be conveyed. Once the website opened, the objective was to attract customers of which there were none. The project started from a zero-customer base, however, a campaign commenced prior to launch date to create anticipation and interest. It is important to choose which online plat-forms to utilise, providing the greatest chance of reaching the target audience. This project focuses on promotion through website, blog, email, Facebook and Instagram. These plat-forms worked in unison and were communication channels frequented by the target group. The major social media focus of this thesis was on the Instagram marketing aspect of Mel-sinki’s communication array. Being a widely employed tool for modern marketers it was both interesting and powerful to focus on the inner workings of such a platform. This coupled with the low overhead costs made it an appropriate tool. My hope is that this study can be of benefit to small businesses as a guide to the elements which need to be established as part of establishing a new business