Leveraging Blogger Influence in the Launch of Storytel

Abstract

This article looks at three theoretical fields: communication theory based on the Two-step flow hypothesis, marketing theory concerning electronic word-of-mouth and finally diffusion theory of innovations. The launch of the audiobook streaming service Storytel in Norway is used as a case to describe the ramifications of only using bloggers in the introduction of a new service. The first research question is what factors are considered upon entering a brand relationship between product/service and blogger? The second research question is how do bloggers interact with their readers when participating in the launch of a new product/service? The article is based on qualitative interview with the marketing manager, contracts between influencers and audiobook streaming service in Norway, content analysis of blog posts and Instagram posts, and answers from a population survey to answer the question. This is a part of the Digitization and Diversity research project, conducted by the Centre for Creative Industries at BI Norwegian Business School, and is funded by the Norwegian Research Council under grant number: 247602.