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This study explores how stakeholders interpret place mascots on social media and what place brand identity emerges from their interpretations. Strategic communication emphasizes the importance of understanding stakeholders when developing strategies. However, existing research on place brand identity mainly adopts a top-down and marketing-oriented perspective, focusing on how DMOs convey intended
Against the backdrop of rising technological nationalism, geopolitical censorship, and cross-cultural trust pressures, Chinese technology brands face new legitimacy challenges in their overseas communication. For Huawei, directly emphasizing technological capabilities and product performance may not effectively build trust and could instead trigger defensive interpretations within a politicized co
This thesis investigates the extent to which and how non-hegemonic identities are discursively constructed in terms of race and gender in postcolonial contexts, as well as the implications thereof for hegemonic state ideology. KNEECAP, a music group from Northern Ireland, has been the subject of media controversy over the past two years for protesting the ongoing genocide in Gaza during its live p
In a saturated digital marketplace, brands increasingly rely on storytelling to fos-ter WOM advocacy. However, it remains unclear whether storytelling directly triggers advocacy or if cognitive attitudes mediate this relationship. This study investigates the psychological pathway to brand advocacy by integrating the vis-ual, narrative, and symbolic dimensions of brand storytelling with Ajzen’s (19
This thesis analyses how cosmetic brands construct brand purpose in their external communication and how such communication contributes to organisational legitimacy. It approaches brand purpose as a communicative practice through which brands link their identity, values and activities to broader social, ethical and environmental issues. The cosmetics industry is relevant because beauty brands do n
Social media platforms have become central arenas for brand communication, where visibility and performance are increasingly mediated by quantitative metrics. While these metrics are often treated as objective inputs for data-driven decision-making, less attention has been paid to the qualitative processes through which brand teams actually interpret, negotiate, and translate data into brand narra
From Heritage to Hashtag: How Luxury Brands Communicate Authenticity Strategically on TikTok The definition of a luxury brand relies on distance and constructed myth, which becomes a paradox when demand for transparency increases on social media. The aim of this study is to understand which strategy the brands Hermès, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton used to reconstruct their aura, following the reputati
This thesis examines how Cambodia’s legitimacy is communicated and negotiated through nation-branding-related foreign policy communication during the Cambodia-Thailand border conflict. The study treats foreign policy communication during crisis as a nation-branding site through which states project image, values, and narratives of rightful action. While nation branding is often viewed as a strateg
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly employed in crisis communication to assist with tasks like monitoring, analysis, and message creation. However, its expanding use raises ethical and responsibility concerns, especially when AI-supported communication results in problematic outcomes. This thesis aims to provide new knowledge and enhance the understanding of how Estonian communication pro
The thesis explores the associative patterns between trust in science and scientists and political regimes across different educational groups in pre- and intra-pandemic periods. Using a multilevel design with regression-based methods on the sample (N = 168,035 two survey waves) with observations from 110 countries, I find that the relationship between political regime and trust in science is educ
This study examines how AI for minors is framed by AI companies and constructed in public discourse in China and the United States. Using Rhetorical Arena Theory and framing theory, the study analyses corporate communication from four AI platforms (ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, and Doubao) together with public discourse materials, including mainstream media, NGO reports, and online commentary. Reflexive
Employee surveys (ES) are widely institutionalised in large organisations across Sweden and other Western countries, often embedded in formal or legally required work environment monitoring. ES serve to enable employee voice, enhance internal communication, and support organisational development. Despite their widespread use and growing popularity, they have been criticised for frequently lacking
This study aims to explore how brands' persuasion strategies have changed as they shift from traditional TV shopping to e-commerce live streaming, and how organizations should adjust their communication practices accordingly. This study is primarily based on three theories integrated into its theoretical framework: Aristotle's rhetoric theory (ethos, pathos, and logos), the elaborate likel
Around the world, hard-won feminist progress is facing an organised and severe backlash. This thesis examines how formal feminist organisations in Kenya construct, defend, and sustain gender-justice narratives on Facebook amid a challenging "post-truth" digital landscape. Drawing on Nancy Fraser’s theory of subaltern counterpublics and employing digital ethnography, the study investigate
This thesis examines the practice and meaning of grassroots transgender women's shelters in China as spaces of social justice and marginal resistance within an oppressive socio-cultural and policy structure. Drawing upon Iris Marion Young’s "Five Faces of Oppression," Nancy Fraser’s three-dimensional social justice framework (redistribution, recognition, and participation), and femin
America's Next Top Model in the early 2000s was a global cultural phenomenon shown in 170 countries, with an estimate of 100 million viewers. But since 2020, social and established media have taken up the controversies that the show presented. The focus on the contestants as victims places the responsibility on the production and hides the spectators' responsibility for watching it. The an
Civil society organizations and in particular LGBTIQA+ organizations tend to be naturally perceived as diverse. However, including ethnic/racial minorities in civil society organizations has its difficulties. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict adds another dimension that makes it even more complicated. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate how Israeli LGBTQIA+ organizations and projects discuss in
This thesis examines how survival is articulated and practiced within two queer community choirs in Malmö and Berlin. Situated within a European context marked by increasing anti-gender politics and queer precarity, the study conceptualizes queer survival as a collective and political practice grounded in care, resilience and futurity. Drawing on queer theory and queer political sociology, it expl
This thesis explores experiences and perceptions of interreligious dialogue of students at Lund University, with a particular focus on members of religion-based student associations. The study aims to examine how students understand interreligious dialogue, how they experience interactions with people from other faith traditions, and what motivates or limits interreligious engagement between diffe
