Navigating Long-term Brand Trust through Digitalization in the Swedish Market : Experts Opinions within the Marketing and Communication Sector in Sweden

Sammanfattning

This theory-driven thesis explores the notably low levels of brand trust in Sweden through the lens of digitalization. Employing qualitative research methods, the authors conducted eight interviews with experienced experts in Sweden's marketing and communication sector. The study aims to provide an expert view on the current state of consumer trust and the factors contributing to mistrust. The study intends to identify effective strategies for building brand reliability and brand intentions, collectively fostering long-term brand trust, all from the digitalization perspective. The results show that the rise of digitalization has contributed to lower trust in brands, identifying several reasons behind this mistrust, all connected to digitalization. Six strategies are identified as effective ways for brands to increase long-term brand trust. More specifically, email marketing, data privacy, and brand communities are shown to enhance brand reliability. Whereas trust recovery, ethical marketing, and influencer marketing enhance brand intentions. This is portrayed in a re-conceptualized framework based on an already established conceptual framework, showing how brand reliability and brand intentions collectively creates brand trust. This thesis contributes to the existing literature by offering a detailed analysis of the mistrust in brands and presents strategies to address this issue within the Swedish market by fostering long-term brand trust.