Data Collection
The research was based on the data collected from surveys, an interview and other sources like documents (newspaper clippings, articles in the mass media and Internet), organizational records including annual reports and archive records together with the literature review.
Literature Review
The study began with a collection of theories and models on advertising processes and consumer behavior in advertising, which were used and applied during the research. Different books and articles were chosen as sources for the literature review. The authors made sure that the information provided as theoretical framework was relevant and reliable, because it was connected to the actual research topic and was collected from trustworthy sources described further. Even though a lot of advertising and consumer behavior theories were created long time ago, they are still considered to be useful and relevant nowadays, since many authors in their publications rely on them.
The books were collected mainly from the Mälardalen University’s library in Västerås and also from personal book collections of the authors. They included marketing books, which were used during studies of business courses in the university and also new ones, specially selected for the current research. Both general books on marketing; marketing communication and particular ones on advertising and consumer behavior were reviewed in order to select appropriate theoretical background for the study.
The articles were retrieved from different marketing and advertising magazines as well as from the online databases and library catalogues available at Mälardalen University’s library. Databases used include ELIN@Mälardalen, Emerald and ABI/INFORM Global (ProQuest); also Google search engine and other webpages were useful while looking for pertinent publications on the topic. Key words as “marketing communication”, “advertising models”, “consumer behavior models”, “advertising and consumer behavior”, and “media advertising” were used to find both books and articles.
The official webpage of Tele2 - www.tele2.com - was one of the main sources of collecting information about the company’s activities, but it did not contain all the data that was needed for the research, therefore, additional recourses were used. The authors looked for information in English, Swedish and in some cases Dutch languages. Since Tele2 is the Swedish company, some of the company’s own publications and information about the company are in Swedish language only. Information retrieved was freely translated into English with the help of dictionaries and electronic translators and was presented as empirical data.
Internet based/online sources were employed in order to collect complete data about Tele2, its marketing strategies and Frank TV commercials. The authors used search engines like Google and Yahoo! to find mostly interviews and articles from the newspapers as well as the other publications essential for the research. Key words were: “Frank Tele2”, “Tele2 commercials”, “Tele2 marketing”.
After reviewing the retrieved material with the help of the chosen theoretical framework, the authors formulated their own opinions and opening conclusions about Tele2 activities mainly concerning TV commercials with the black sheep Frank; how they were created, managed and what were expected customers‟ perceptions of them. Based on these estimations authors further conducted the interview questions.
Choice Of Theories
The choice of theories was made through the detailed literature review. The criteria in constructing the theoretical framework for the current research were conditioned by theories and models that in authors‟ opinion were suitable for understanding the particular TV commercials and their impact on viewers.
First, theories on marketing communication were introduced in order to give readers and authors deeper knowledge into the problem area and general field of interest – these theories included marketing communication mix, Shannon
