DEMYSTIFYING EXCLUSION FROM AN INCLUSIVE LIFESTYLE: The case of surf industry branding

Sammanfattning: Empirical data of this thesis is based on qualitative methods and answers to the research question: How does branding by actors affiliated with the surfing community enact social inclusion or exclusion? Empirical data demonstrates that branding does not play an essential role in the social inclusiveness of local surfing communities. Not least, marketing communication executed by the biggest representative actors (e.g. WSL), does enact social exclusion and reduces feelings of responsibility among the surf athletes in the institutional context of the surf industry’s brand.