Challenges facing the advertising world in the digital era :  A comparison between Dutch and Swedish advertising agencies

Abstract: Date: June 7th of 2013 Level: Master thesis in marketing, 15 ECTS Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University Authors: Tapio Heinonen & Marc Rozenveld 18 thof November 1988 & 16th of June 1990 Title: Challenges facing the advertising world in the digital era. Subtitle: A comparison between Dutch and Swedish advertising agencies. Tutor: Peter Selegård Keywords: media logic, advertising industry, advertising agencies, advertising and digital marketing Research question: How are professionals in advertising agencies in Sweden and the Netherlands experiencing and addressing the challenges of the on-going Internet era? Purpose: The purpose of this research, its primary concern, is both descriptive and predictive: to examine the challenges of the evolving digital era faced upon the advertising world, especially the advertising agencies and their professionals. It is focused on the way professionals behave and adjust to this fast changing environment. In order to shed light on this, a model provided and re-interpreted by Deuze is used as a fundament in this research. Method: The qualitative study is based on secondary data from books and articles within the subject of advertising. Interviews, conducted in Sweden and the Netherlands, are used as a source of primary data. Throughout the research, an interpretative approach is the main methodological stance.