The effect of social media and celebrities on Millennials’ Consumers

: the Pantene example

Abstract

The present dissertation provides an overview of significant marketing related topics such as digital branding, digital marketing, targeting, positioning, social media as a marketing tool and the effectiveness of celebrity endorsers’ campaigns. These topics are discussed and analysed in a case study focused on the haircare industry, where Pantene takes the centre stage. The case study introduces this extremely competitive industry, whose dynamics have been shifting due to the price sensitivity of the average consumer. Additionally, consumers spend, nowadays, most of their free time connected to the online world; therefore, brands have now to establish a presence in the digital world, in order to connect with its target audience. The entire dissertation revolves around the huge potential of social media as a marketing instrument that must be capitalized in today’s fast moving world. The main dilemma this dissertation attempts to resolve and provide an answer to, focus on how can Pantene target a younger age segment of consumers. To this end, celebrity endorsers are also worthy of being highlighted, as they perform a crucial role in influencing millennials’ behaviours and perceptions. A market research is performed, afterwards, in order to clarify the issues raised above and from which, a set of recommendations was produced. To conclude, a Teaching Note summarizes the case study and provides indications on how to explore it in a classroom environment.

Date of Award	21 Jul 2016
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Pedro Celeste (Supervisor)