Building a Successful Personal Brand on YouTube
Kuitunen, Melissa Octavia (2019)
Kuitunen, Melissa Octavia
2019
All rights reserved. This publication is copyrighted. You may download, display and print it for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2019053013422
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2019053013422
Tiivistelmä
The aim of this thesis was to study personal branding and discover what it takes to build a successful personal brand in a digital environment. Based on the findings, the purpose was to develop and implement a personal brand on YouTube, followed by an assessment of its success. The thesis is divided into four main parts. The first part is the theoretical framework of the thesis that focuses on the key elements of branding, personal branding and personal branding on YouTube. Although many branding principles apply to personal branding, there are some key differences that are taken into account, as person brands are more abstract and have rich imagery. The chosen brand building model, Keller’s brand equity model, is then introduced in detail, as it is later on used for designing the brand. The second part examines how Beverland’s key characteristics of a strong brand apply to personal branding on YouTube. The data was collected from a qualitative interview with two successful YouTube creators. Based on the findings from the first and second part of the thesis, success factors are outlined. In the third part, the personal brand ‘Mel Octavia’ will be planned in detail by first building the brand identity and then proceeding to design other elements of the brand accordingly. The planning of the brand is followed by an execution of each element on YouTube. In the end, the overall successfulness of ‘Mel Octavia’ is measured by assessing the brand resonance and the relationship between the brand and the audience. Brand resonance is measured by conducting a qualitative survey with the brand’s audience as well as a thorough analysis of YouTube analytics. As some of the dimensions are challenging to measure with the available data, it was impossible to fully determine whether an ultimate brand resonance has been achieved. However, based on the results it can be assumed that the brand ‘Mel Octavia’ reached a strong relationship and identification between the brand and the audience. The audience was proven to have a bond with the brand that drives the audience to regularly connect and engage with the brand and its content. It can be stated that the desired brand resonance among the audience has been reached, and the brand can be deemed successful.
In conclusion, the thesis showed that it can be possible to build a successful personal brand that resonates with the audience by following a brand building process. Any individual wanting to establish a personal brand in a digital environment may use this framework in his or her brand-building process. As the process has only been used for the building of one brand, it should be used only as a guiding tool rather than a definitive indication of successful brand building.
In conclusion, the thesis showed that it can be possible to build a successful personal brand that resonates with the audience by following a brand building process. Any individual wanting to establish a personal brand in a digital environment may use this framework in his or her brand-building process. As the process has only been used for the building of one brand, it should be used only as a guiding tool rather than a definitive indication of successful brand building.