Latitud 57: a summer festival for everyone : Advantages and disadvantages with a wide target group within a festival or event context

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this thesis is to acquire a deeper understanding of advantages and disadvantages of having a wide target group within Swedish festivals or events, and how they can maintain it through the three concepts customer experience, cocreation value and brand image. This research will be conducted through relevant topics that have been identified, studied and analyzed in order to fill the existing research gap. This leads the thesis into its three research questions: What are the advantages and disadvantages of a wide target group for an organizer in a festival or event context? How does organizers of a festival or event actively use the concepts customer experience, co-creation value and brand image? and What is the common denominator that makes a wide target group possible within a festival or event context and makes the customers return? Since the research area were considered as unexplored, the thesis is a qualitative research with a deductive research approach. It has been based on interviews with five respondents from areas that are considered relevant to answer the research question and achieve the purpose. The literature review in this thesis includes theory that are related to target group, customer experience, co-creation value, brand image and festivals and events. The theory chapter have then resulted in a conceptual framework where the different topics are explained in a summarize that demonstrates the relations between them and the different theories. The theory chapter have then been used to analyze the empirical data that where gathered through different companies that are involved in either a festival or event. The empirical and analysis chapter includes a discussion where the empirical data, theory, and statements are presented, compared and analyzed. This is followed by the conclusion chapter that contains answers of the research questions, implications, recommendations, and lastly future research. As this thesis introduces target groups in a context that is seen as new and unexplored, the thesis can be seen as unique and be valuable for Swedish companies that consider to expand and conduct a wide, or wider, target group.