I Rätt Tid, i Rätt Ton

Sammanfattning

In the Right Time, in the Right Tone: A qualitative interview study on how consumers create meaning around reactive marketing. Reactive marketing has become an increasingly common strategy in a digital media landscape characterized by information overload, trend-driven communication, and intense competition for consumers' attention. Previous research has primarily focused on strategic execution, timing, and engagement, while less attention has been given to how consumers interpret and create meaning around this type of communication. The aim of this study is therefore to explore how consumers create meaning around companies' use of reactive marketing and how these interpretations shape perceptions of brand credibility and brand image. The study is based on a qualitative interview design using semi-structured interviews and image elicitation, in which students at Lund University reflected on and interpreted various examples of reactive marketing campaigns. The analysis is grounded in a sensemaking perspective alongside theories of brand credibility and brand image. The findings show that consumers' interpretations are highly influenced by the perceived fit between the brand, the trend, and the tone of the communication. Communication perceived as consistent with the brand’s established identity is more likely to be interpreted as authentic, relevant, and credible, whereas a lack of fit risks generating associations of opportunism, unprofessionalism, and inauthenticity. The study further demonstrates that reactive marketing can contribute to perceptions of modernity and cultural relevance, while simultaneously creating a tension between being perceived as current and maintaining professionalism. Overall, the study contributes a consumer-oriented perspective on reactive marketing by highlighting how the effects of such communication are shaped through consumers' sensemaking processes rather than through the communication itself.