Underhållande stereotyp eller överdriven parodi? : En mottagarstudie om Umeå Energis reklamfilmskoncept Dolf och Järven

Sammanfattning: Media affects our views of the world and plays a large part in creation and dissemination of social representations. Through media’s increasing importance, people and organizations need to work harder to stand out among the large amounts of brands that exists today.In 2013, Umeå Energi launched a commercial concept about Dolf and Järven, two characters living in Lill-Grobban, a fictional village outside of Umeå. The aim of this qualitative study is to examine how Umeå Energi uses stereotypes in the commercial concept Dolf and Järven and how this affects the respondents, and in the long run the stereotypification of norrlandians. To achieve this aim the following theories have been applied: stereotypes, identity and storytelling. The study was conducted through three focus group interviews with students, professionals and senior citizens, plus one informant interview with a marketer at Umeå Energi.The results and analysis of the study shows that students and professionals thinks the commercials are entertaining, while senior citizens are of a negative opinion; they believe it’s an outrageous and parodic image of locals represented in the commercials. The study also shows that the dialect of the northern Sweden is a large part in creating the stereotypical local in northern Sweden. Professionals and students have a positive image of Umeå Energi after watching the commercials while senior citizens are skeptical. Overall, the study's results show large differences in how the commercials about Dolf and Järven is being received by the respondents. Students and professionals think that the commercials are entertaining, while senior citizens disagree. They are of the opinion that the commercials show an exaggerated and negative image of norrlandians.