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Corvinus University of Budapest
Corvinus Business School
International Study Programs
Youtuber personal branding
Analysis of content elements used for Youtuber branding
in the light of the Elaboration Likelihood Model
Vivien Sujbert
BA in Business and Management
2017
Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Ákos Varga
Table of Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1
1. Theoretical Background ............................................................................................. 3
1.1 The concept of branding .......................................................................................... 3
1.2 The role of marketing and the marketing strategy ................................................... 4
1.3 The elements of a marketing mix ............................................................................ 4
1.4 The extended role and history of advertising........................................................... 5
1.4.1 Advertising from the early stages to the development of new technologies . 6
1.4.2 The Internet and the emergence of Social media ............................................ 6
1.5 Youtube, the video sharing social media website.................................................... 8
1.6 Youtubers, a powerful group of social media influencers ....................................... 9
1.7 Personal branding .................................................................................................. 10
1.7.1 Techniques for personal branding and persuasion ....................................... 11
1.8 Theoretical framework: The Elaboration Likelihood Model ................................. 12
2. Methodology ............................................................................................................... 14
2.1 Independent analysis of the selected Youtube channels ........................................ 14
2.2 Combined interpretation ........................................................................................ 18
3. Analysis of the practical problem ............................................................................ 18
3.1 Independent analysis of the selected Youtube channels ........................................ 20
3.1.1 Claudia Sulewski ......................................................................................... 20
3.1.2 Meghan Rienks ............................................................................................ 24
3.1.3 Jenn Im ......................................................................................................... 27
3.2 Combined interpretation ........................................................................................ 31
4. Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 34
4.1 Discussion of findings ........................................................................................... 34
4.1 Limitations and Implications ................................................................................. 36
References ...................................................................................................................... 37
Appendices ..................................................................................................................... 43
Appendix A: Methodology ......................................................................................... 43
Appendix B: Claudia Sulewski ................................................................................... 45
Appendix C: Meghan Rienks ...................................................................................... 48
Appendix D: Jenn Im .................................................................................................. 51
List of Tables
Table 1: Advertisement types on Youtube 9
Table 2: Content analysis: content elements 16
Table 3: Determining content element frequency 16
Table 4: Content analysis: routes to persuasion 17
Table 5: Content elements and the associated psychological explanations 19
Table 6: Claudia Sulewski's analyzed content 20
Table 7: Content analysis of the content elements regarding Claudia Sulewski's 21
channel
Table 8: Content element categorization process in terms of Claudia Sulewski’s 22
channel
Table 9: Meghan Rienk's analyzed content 24
Table 10: Content analysis of the content elements regarding Meghan Rienks's 25
channel
Table 11: Content element categorization process in terms of Meghan Rienks’s 26
channel
Table 12: Jenn Im's analyzed content 28
Table 13: Content analysis of the content elements regarding Jenn Im’s channel 28
Table 14: Content element categorization process in terms of Jenn Im’s channel 30
Table 15: Content element frequency on all of the channels combined 31
Table 16: Content analysis of the routes to persuasion for the three channels 32
combined
Table 17: Categorization of each element based on the route to persuasion they use 33
Table 18: Factors of the content element analysis 43
Table 19: Elements of the persuasive route content analysis 44
Table 20: Videos analyzed on Claudia Sulewski's channel I. 45
Table 21: Videos analyzed on Claudia Sulewski's channel II. 46
Table 22: Content analysis of routes to persuasion regarding Claudia Sulewski's 47
Table 23: Videos analyzed on Meghan Rienk's channel I. 48
Table 24: Videos analyzed on Meghan Rienk's channel II. 49
Table 25: Content analysis of routes to persuasion regarding Meghan Rienks's 50
channel
Table 26: Videos analyzed on Jenn Im’s channel I. 51
Table 27: Videos analyzed on Jenn Im’s channel II. 52
Table 28: Videos analyzed on Jenn Im’s channel III. 53
Table 29: Content analysis of routes to persuasion regarding Jenn Im’s channel 54
List of Figures
Figure 1: Subdimensions of brand building blocks 3
Figure 2: The 7 Ps 5
Figure 3: The Elaboration Likelihood Model 13
Figure 4: Categorization of the content elements based on the route to persuasion 18
Figure 5: Results of content element categorization based on the route to persuasion 23
in terms of Claudia Sulewski’s channel
Figure 6: Results of content element categorization based on the route to persuasion 27
in terms of Meghan Rienks’s channel
Figure 7: Results of content element categorization based on the route to persuasion 30
in terms of Jenn Im’s channel
Figure 8: Route categorization matrix 33
Abbreviations
C2C – Customer-to-Customer
ELM – Elaboration Likelihood Model
IMC – Integrated Marketing Communications
U&G – Uses and Gratifications
Acknowledgements
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my thesis supervisor, Dr. Ákos Varga, for
the patient guidance, advice, encouragement and support he has provided throughout the
preparation of this thesis work. I have been very lucky to have a supervisor supporting
me in discovering the topic I was so interested in, and who gave me so much confidence
with his positive outlook.
I would like to express my gratitude to my godmother, Dr. Mónika Sujbert as well,
who offered a handful of suggestions from the viewpoint of a Professor of Psychology.
Completing this work would have been much more difficult without the kind
support and help of one of my best friends, Ione Barton, who reviewed the thesis work
and provided very helpful feedback.
I also would like to thank my family for listening, offering me advice, and
supporting me through this entire process. I especially am grateful for the assistance of
Benedek Zsargó, who followed closely the entire writing process and offered a handful
of his helpful suggestions.
Last, but not least, I would like to thank Mr. Tamás Halm for the professional
advice he provided us during his thesis consultation session.
1
Introduction
The practice of personal branding is as old as human society and has already existed in
the age of old civilizations, in which rulers often used self-promotion as personal
branding, in order to gain popularity and recognition (Starcevic, 2015). Since then,
personal branding has been taken up by an increasing number of leaders or celebrities in
various industries such as entertainment, politics or business (Shepherd, 2005). Shepherd
(2005) argues that today, personal branding is a rapidly growing business. Several
personal branding advocates note that the process of personal branding mirrors the
product or corporate branding process (Labrecque, Markos, and Milne, 2011; Shepherd,
2005). The rise of social media created a new way of personal branding: people can brand
themselves through sharing their self-created content on their personalized profiles
(Labrecque, Markos, and Milne, 2011). Several famous social networking sites exist on
which people can follow each other, such as Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram or
the famous video sharing site, Youtube. However, Abdallah (2015) argues that on these
platforms, corporate brands are most often overshadowed by individual social media
influencers, who possess unique means of influencing the audience. As a result of this
trend, more attention is paid on them and experts are longing to decode the elements of a
successful personal brand on social media platforms (Abdallah, 2015).
This thesis work tested which persuasion techniques are most widely utilized by
Youtubers and whether these comply with the Elaboration Likelihood Model to
Persuasion, introduced by Cacioppo and Petty (1984). The findings of the thesis work
show that the peripheral route to persuasion, connected to subjective decision making
processes is more frequently used, contrasting Cacioppo and Petty’s argument, based on
which the central route should be more popular, due to its higher rate of effectiveness
(Cacioppo and Petty, 1984).
To attain an extended understanding of personal branding processes on Youtube,
the research aimed to answer the following research questions:
Which video content elements are the most widely utilized by successful
Youtubers?
Which theories in psychology might explain the effectiveness of these
tools?
Do the content elements comply with the Elaboration Likelihood Model of
Persuasion?
2
This paper aimed to understand the possibilities of Youtuber personal branding
within the context of marketing and branding processes. It has put Youtube video content
elements in the focus of the analysis, which could be defined as tools positioned in
Youtube videos with the goal of attracting the audience.
As a first step, the study identified several content elements forming a core part of
a Youtuber’s branding process. Then, on the example of three beauty gurus (Claudia
Sulewski, Meghan Rienks and Jenn Im) it provided a general overview of how
consistently and on what rate these content elements have been utilized. The next part
concluded which of these content elements have been the most frequently used and
provided a psychological explanation for their effectiveness. Lastly, it tested which route
to persuasion the content elements could be connected to. Based on the findings, the final
goal was to conclude which route to persuasion is the most widely utilized by these
content creators and to discover whether these patterns comply with the Elaboration
Likelihood Model (Cacioppo and Petty, 1984). These steps were first conducted on the
three channels separately to indicate the peculiarities of each. Then, as a last step, the
study combined their results to arrive to a generalized conclusion.
Section 1 begins by providing a theoretical framework for the role of personal
branding within the marketing environment. It firstly describes the role of branding and
continues by illustrating the importance of marketing activities. Then, it explains the brief
history of advertising, one of the most important elements of the marketing mix. In
accordance with the newest forms of advertising, the role of the Internet and social media
channels is presented. Finally, it arrives to the main focus of the thesis work: Youtuber
personal branding. As a last step, it presents the theoretical framework of the study: The
Elaboration Likelihood Model.
Section 2 outlines the analysis methodology. After briefly introducing the research
method used for the purpose of the analysis, the exact steps of the analysis process are
being illustrated.
Then, Section 3 discusses the findings in detail, based on the structure presented
in the methodology section.
Lastly, Section 4 provides a conclusion and possible implications of the results.
3
1. Theoretical Background
1.1 The concept of branding
Brands and branding in general form a core part of business activities as they represent
one of the most valuable intangible assets that firms have (Farhana, 2012). Everything
from physical goods, retailers and distributors, online products and services, people and
organizations, arts, sports and entertainment, geographic locations to ideas and causes
can be branded (Keller, 2013). The American Marketing Association defines brand as “a
name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the
goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those
of competition” (Ama.org, n.d.).
Keller (2013) identified 4 blocks of building a brand: brand identification,
establishing brand meaning, managing brand responses and maintaining brand
relationships. Figure 1 identifies the subdimensions of brand building blocks.
However, creating a powerful brand is not enough for companies to achieve and
maintain success. Keller (2013) further highlighted the importance of how firms integrate
Feelings
Warmth
Fun Excitement
Security
Social Approval Self-Respect
Judgments
Quality Credibility
Consideration
Superiority
Resonance
Loyalty
Attachment
Community
Engagement
Imagery
User Profiles
Purchase and Usage
Situations Personality and Values
History, Heritage and
Experiences
Salience
Category Identification, Needs Satisfied
Performance
Primary Characteristics and
Secondary Features
Product Reliability, Durability and Serviceability
Service Effectiveness,
Efficiency, and Empathy Style and Design
Price
Figure 1: Subdimensions of brand building blocks
Adapted from Keller, K. L. (2013). Strategic brand management : Building, measuring, and managing brand
equity (4.ed)(p.108). Harlow: Pearson.
4
brand into their marketing activities. The following sections provide a brief overview of
marketing in general, as well as a description of the most significant marketing activities.
1.2 The role of marketing and the marketing strategy
According to Bauer, Kenesei and Berács (2014), marketing is a corporate activity, which
analyses the market with the aim of satisfying the needs of customers, defines products
and services to be sold, familiarizes them with customers, sets prices, organizes sales and
influences customers.
Kotler and Armstrong (2012) argued that marketing strategy has four elements.
The first is segmentation, which divides the market into groups of buyers, whose
behaviors, needs and characteristics are different. One segment consists of consumers
responding in a very similar way to a given advertisement. For instance, two demographic
market segments for a company selling deodorants are women and men. Then, through
the process of market targeting, companies decide which segments they wish to enter
sustainably (Kotler and Armstrong, 2012). By way of illustration, the niche contemporary
women's wear brand, Nanushka is solely targeting women (Görbe, 2015). The third
element is positioning, the process through which a company sets a clear and distinctive
place relative to other competing products in the minds of target customers. For this
however, the fourth element is essential: the company has to differentiate its market
offering so that it actually creates value to customers (Kotler and Armstrong, 2012).
1.3 The elements of a marketing mix
After the strategy has been determined, the company can move on to design the actual
marketing mix. The marketing mix is the different combinations of corporate marketing
tools used in various market conditions (Bauer et al., 2014). Kotler and Armstrong (2012)
defined it as the combination of marketing tools used by the firm with the aim of
achieving a desired response in the target market. McCarthy and Perreault (1984) grouped
these tools based on their different focus areas and introduced the 4P model, which
consists of the Product, the Price, the Place and the Promotion. According to Kotler
(2008), a product can be anything that satisfies a want or need: a physical good, a service,
a person, an event, an organization, or even an idea. He defined price as “the cost that the
target market associates with adopting the desired behavior” (Kotler, 2008, p. 227). He
described place as where the customers receive the services or acquire the tangible goods;
5
Promotion
Special offers, Advertisements,
Promotions, Direct
marketing, Competitions, Joint
ventures
PriceSkimming pricing,
Penetration pricing,
Value based pricing, Cost plus pricing, Loss
leader pricing, Cost
leadership pricing
Physical evidenceInterface, Artefacts,
Facilities
ProcessStandardization,
Service delivery
PeopleEmployees,
Organization culture,
Customer service,
Customer
relationship
management
Product
Design, Technology, Perceived utility,
Perceived convenience,
Perceived quality, Packaging, Accessories,
Warranties
PlaceDistribution
channels, Web based
channel, Peer to peer, Multi-channel
and promotion as the persuasive communications motivating the customers to take action
(Kotler, 2008).
Since 1940, there have been several attempts to expand the scope of marketing
mix by exploring more ‘P’s (Goi, 2009). Booms and Bitner (1981) proposed 3 additional
‘P’s to the traditional marketing mix, expanding it to the scope of services as well. These
3 new ‘P’s include people, who are involved in the trade of the product or service,
physical evidence, which is the physical representation of the service, and process,
referring to the activities performed to deliver the service (Rafiq and Ahmed, 1995).
Figure 2 provides a detailed illustration of the 7 Ps.
1.4 The extended role and history of advertising
Advertising, possibly the most tangible and visible element of promotion to customers
has long interested marketers. It has always had its many interesting forms, depending on
how developed the technology was at any given point in history. It is essential to
understand how its various means evolved and how it managed to influence people in
Figure 2: The 7 Ps
Adapted from Kar, K. (2014). 7 Ps of Services Marketing. Tech Talk. Retrieved 8 September 2017 from https://tech-
talk.org/2014/09/26/7-ps-of-services-marketing-mi/
6
different eras, to fully understand how extensive effect it has on people’s lives (Starcevic,
2015).
1.4.1 Advertising from the early stages to the development of new
technologies
According to Starcevic (2015), branding and advertising have already existed in ancient
societies. She argued that even though the words ‘brand’, ‘advertising’ or ‘promotion’
have not been used in the ancient times, they already existed as activities. She described
how Africa’s old civilizations used techniques like pottery marking or outdoor
advertising, military propaganda and even self-promotion as personal branding. She also
reported that the old Roman civilizations used papyrus for the creation of informative
newspapers, officially authorized travelling salesmen, used political propaganda on
public events and even had the origins of corporate branding in the form of factory stamps
(Starcevic, 2015).
Sampson (1875) argued that with the invention of printing, newsletters and
newspapers became popular. As reported by Tungate (2013), the next crucial step in the
history of advertising was the invention of radio. He noted that the sales of radio sets rose
from US $60 million in 1922 to US $850 million by the end of the decade which enabled
the rapid spread of radio advertisements (Tungate, 2013). Furthermore, he suggested that
these commercials now reached a wider audience, ensured a higher degree of interactivity
and made commercials much more enjoyable with the use of sounds. Based on his
findings, the invention of televisions later enabled advertisements to include visuals,
making the audience much more enthusiastic. From 1949 to 1952, total US advertising
spent on television rose from $12 million to $158 million (Tungate, 2013).
1.4.2 The Internet and the emergence of Social media
McQuail (2015) defined the Internet as “the key new medium” for communication (pp.
51–52). Funk (2008) reported that the introduction of the World Wide Web by Tim
Berners-Lee has meant a huge shift in advertising processes. In his book, he explained
how this invention laid the foundation of interlinked documents, revolutionizing
communication and commerce practices for both individuals and businesses (Funk,
2008). T. Stephen (2015) carried out a detailed investigation into the role of digital media
in consumer behavior and has found that in 2015, 87% of American adults have used the
Internet, with a constantly increasing number of hours spent online. According to his
study, marketers respond to this trend by focusing more on their digital marketing
7
channels, which in fact is likely to result in a steadily growing advertising spending on
digital channels (T. Stephen, 2015). Among all, McQuail (2015) emphasized the
interactivity of the Internet, as well as its community-forming potentials arising from
enabling many-to-many conversations.
O’Brien (2011) also highlighted the significance of interactive communities,
whereas Law, Lau and Wong (2003) reported that the digital era has transformed
customers from passive receivers into an active group. This enabled a new phenomenon,
the user-generated content to emerge. Daugherty, Eastin, and Bright (2008) defined it as
“media content created or produced by the general public rather than by paid professionals
and primarily distributed on the internet” (Daugherty, Eastin, and Bright, 2008, p. 16).
O’Brien (2011) saw the spread of user-generated content as a fundamental explanation
for the expansion of social media sites. Csordás and Gáti (2014) also argued that by 2015,
there has been a notable shift in marketing, mainly due to the birth of social media
advertising. As a result of this change, they suggested that the traditional one-way
communication flow of marketing messages has to be replaced by a two-way
communication in marketing strategies. They argued that in this manner, users get
involved in the marketing process and they get the chance to create, reshape or even
criticize any content of the firm (Csordás and Gáti, 2014). Holt (2016) attempted to
highlight this shift by introducing the term ‘crowdcultures’. He defined them as “digital
crowds serving as very effective and prolific innovators of culture” (Holt, 2016, para. 3).
According to his article ‘Branding in the Age of Social Media’, companies can no longer
diffuse cultural innovations into the mass market due to the high level of
interconnectedness of cultures arising from the development of social media. He argued
that crowdcultures, which consist of people interested or most often even fond of a niche
topic, possess an increased power as they are able to communicate collectively, for
instance in the form of likes or comments. As a result, he stated that in the online sphere,
they are pushing forward their ideas, products, habits and thoughts and thus have the
ability to make something trendy in just a few seconds (Holt, 2016). By way of
illustration, Fidget Spinners, the latest toy craze among youngsters have been around for
years, but their popularity suddenly exploded this spring, after several Youtube videos
came out of people spinning them on their noses, foreheads and shoes (Pisani, 2017).
Based on all this, social media, which include channels for participating in a variety of
activities, is set to become a vital factor in today’s business environment.
8
Ashley and Tuten (2015) carried out an in-depth study focusing on social media
marketing and concluded that brands may utilize it in several ways. Either as an integrated
part in one of their marketing campaigns, as an ongoing corporate communications
channel, or as a series of smaller campaigns directly designed for digital purposes.
Furthermore, they pointed out that it may serve as a channel for various marketing
activities such as customer service, buyer research, sales promotion delivery channel, paid
advertising channel or branding (Ashley and Tuten, 2015).
All this explains why the attention brands are paying to social media marketing is
rapidly growing. Mangold and Faulds (2009) highlighted the need for incorporating social
media into integrated marketing communications (IMC) strategies. Boone and Kurtz
(2007) argued that IMC is a strategy controlling various elements of the promotional mix
to ensure that it offers a unified customer-focused message. Mangold and Faulds (2009)
also realized the above mentioned shift in the marketing communication flow. However,
they argued that managers still can and should shape the customer-to-customer
conversations with the use of social media (Mangold and Faulds, 2009). In fact, it is not
only them who assumed the importance of an integrated social media strategy, the
majority of the most successful brands already employed this approach to marketing.
Considering some of the world’s biggest brands from different industries, namely Apple,
Coca Cola, Disney, McDonalds, General Electric, IKEA, Zara and JP Morgan, the fact
that all of them except for the last two are present on all of the most popular social media
platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Youtube, Snapchat and LinkedIn) provides a
meaningful proof of this trend (Forbes, 2017).
1.5 Youtube, the video sharing social media website
The social media platform Youtube serves as the main focus of this research paper among
all the other social media channels. According to the latest data published by Google,
Youtube gets in total 2 billion views a day, with people spending on average 15 minutes
on the website. They also noted that the first advertising concepts were launched in 2006,
including the ideas of Participatory Video Ads and Brand Channels (Google, n.d.). In just
one year, the Youtube Partner Program was introduced, which served as a foundation of
Youtuber branding (Google, n.d.). This program lets creators monetize their content on
Youtube, through which they can earn money from advertisements served on their videos
and from subscribers watching their content. Table 1 illustrates the advertisement types
offered by the platform.
9
Table 1: Advertisement types on Youtube
Advertisement Type Format
Display ads An advertisement placed to the right of the video
and above the video suggestions list.
Overlay ads Overlay advertisements appearing on the lower
portion of the video.
Skippable video ads Advertisements before, during or after the main
video, which can be skipped after 5 seconds.
Non-skippable video ads and bumper ads
Up to 30 (non-skippable) or 6 (bumper ads)
seconds long advertisements before, during or
after the main video, which must be watched
before the video can be viewed. Sponsored cards
Small cards placed in the corners of the video
displaying content related to the video topic.
Adapted from Google. (2017a). YouTube advertising formats. Google Support. Retrieved 16 September 2017, from
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2467968?hl=en
In addition to this, Youtubers may include paid product placements and
endorsements in their videos. Paid product placements are content including a third
party’s brand, product or message created in exchange for compensation. Endorsements
are pieces of content created for an advertiser, containing a message that consumers are
likely to believe reflects the opinions, beliefs, or experiences of the content creator
(Google, 2017b) .
1.6 Youtubers, a powerful group of social media influencers
Youtube’s platform does not only offer the above listed rich means of advertising, but
also serves as an excellent room for practicing the above highlighted two-way
communication flow as it offers a platform for several ‘crowdcultures’ created around
social media influencers (Holt, 2016). As the effectiveness of word of mouth and
customer-to-customer (C2C) communication is expanding, more attention is paid to
social media influencers since they are able to communicate any pre-designed message
in a way that it remains within the rules of C2C marketing (Abdallah, 2015).
The increased power of Youtubers has a handful of possible explanations. Firstly,
consumers find information from other consumers much more reliable and authentic,
even independent from the company (Markos-Kujbus, 2016). Secondly, their virtual
communities are built around popular opinion leaders who maintain close and personal
interactions with the audience, through the use of comments, likes, interactive videos or
even by involving their viewers in the active creation of content (Nagy, Kemény, Simon,
and Kiss, 2015). Brand relationships are given much attention in the literature,
highlighting the importance of a quality relationship between brands and consumers
(Fournier, 1998). Youtubers have mastered this and as a result, the relationships they can
10
offer is something much richer than that of a corporate brand. This in fact results in a
higher degree of engagement and explains why users are keener on watching videos of
Youtubers than contents uploaded by companies. A third possible reason might be the
fact that users can identify themselves with real personalities much easier than with
corporate brands. People by human nature are more interested in things which they can
relate themselves to, and watching the videos of a Youtuber with whom they share some
similar thoughts or characteristics is a good example on this (DeMers, 2015).
1.7 Personal branding
Becoming a Youtube influencer however first requires an image that appeals to people
and serves as a base for creating a powerful community. It is essential for them to build
up a viable brand, however their case requires a different approach to branding. In their
situation, the individual is counted as a brand, and their brand image is the beliefs and
knowledge their customers have about the brand (Shaker and Hafiz, 2014).
The concept of personal branding is not unique, its topic was introduced by Tom
Peters, in 1997, when he stated that “we are CEOs of our own companies” (Peters, 1997,
para. 5). Various self-improvement books, consultancies, articles, researches, self-help
courses and websites appeared, attempting to provide a framework for the personal
branding process (Shepherd, 2005). Although the importance of having a personal brand
is well recognized, a widely accepted framework for its process has not yet been created
(Tarnovskaya, 2017). Several experts, such as Schawbel (2012) argued however that the
process of personal branding is akin to that of a product. A handful of studies attempted
to provide a guide for personal branding, all of which identified mostly similar steps.
Labrecque, Markos and Milne (2011) identified brand identity creation, brand
positioning and brand image assessment as a core part of the personal branding process.
They argued that a set of values has to be determined that represents the character of an
online persona (brand identity creation), a consistent image has to be maintained through
the continuous control and filtering of information posted online (brand positioning) and
brand goals have to be compared with others’ assessment (brand image assessment)
(Labrecque, Markos and Milne, 2011). Shaker and Hafiz (2014) identified similar
components. They emphasized the need for creating a personal brand identity, which is
composed of a set of associations of what the brand stands for. Then, according to their
study, this identity has to be embodied through text and image. Furthermore, they also
highlighted the need for personal brand image and its positioning strategy. Lastly, they
11
noted the importance of impression management, which they defined as a controlling
behavior with to maintain a desired image (Shaker and Hafiz, 2014). Tarnovskaya (2017)
identified three main steps of personal branding: establishing the brand, communicating
the brand and developing relationships. She illustrated these components in terms of a
Youtuber and argued that the first step is to create a clear brand profile, consisting of
one’s personality, the published topics and the environment. She even emphasized the
need for these factors to be consistent with one another. Then, to communicate the brand,
she highlighted the importance of staying visible on multiple social media accounts. As a
last step, she considered maintaining close relations with the audience (Tarnovskaya,
2017).
Beyond the above mentioned studies dealing with the process of personal
branding, there is no real consensus in the literature regarding the methods social media
influencers are using to attract and persuade masses (Tarnovskaya, 2017). However,
several experts and studies attempted to point out elements which might have a significant
role in terms of a branded social content, a lot of which argue their relevance with their
psychological effect (Labrecque, Markos and Milne, 2011. The following section gives a
brief overview of these theories.
1.7.1 Techniques for personal branding and persuasion
Several experts suggested that personal branding entails identifying and promoting a
person’s strengths and unique values to the target audience (Labrecque, Markos and
Milne, 2011). The Prototype Theory introduced by Forgács (2007) might serve as an
explanation for the importance of this concept. The theory states that due to mental
schemes in our minds, ‘prototypical’ personalities have a greater impression on us than
those who cannot be easily categorized (Forgács, 2007). The same rule might apply to
social media content: the more categorized (for example by being consistent with the
published topics) it is, the greater impression it has on the audience.
Sheehan and Morrison (2009) emphasized the importance of customer
engagement. They defined customer engagement as “a consumer relationship that
recognizes that people are inherently social and look to create and maintain relations not
only with other people, but also with brands” (Sheehan and Morrison, 2009, p. 41). They
argued that the brand needs to become a part of the consumer’s own identity, which can
easily be achieved through engagement.
12
Charles Duhigg (2012) emphasized the need for habit formation to successfully
commit customers to a certain product or a brand. He stated that any product or service
can become successful, even without creating value or benefit, if the act of its
consumption becomes habitual (Duhigg, 2012).
Jahn and Kunz (2012) pointed out that the type of information delivered by the
media also acts as a robust motivator in consumer participation. Katz, Blumbler and
Gurevitch (1973) reported that people use media with the aim of satisfying various needs.
Their theory, called the Uses and Gratifications (U&G) theory suggests that these needs
can be classified into three categories. The content-oriented need refers to the interest in
the information delivered by the media, the relationship-oriented need comes from the
wish to have social interaction with others, and the self-oriented need is based on
particular needs of the given individual (Katz, Blumler and Gurevitch, 1973). Thus, if a
given media content includes helpful information or satisfies social needs, it is very likely
that the audience will be keener on consuming it.
These theories provided a basis for this study in understanding the psychological
background behind the effectiveness of different content elements used by Youtubers.
The analysis section will build on the above mentioned concepts with the aim of
connecting a psychological concept to the effectiveness of each analyzed content element.
1.8 Theoretical framework: The Elaboration Likelihood Model
The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) created by Cacioppo and Petty (1984) serves
as a theoretical framework for this research paper. It provides a scheme for understanding
processes which determine the effectiveness of persuasive communications. The model
differentiates two types of persuasion: the central route and the peripheral route
(Cacioppo and Petty, 1984).
They argued that the first type of persuasion, connected to the central route is the
one resulting from someone’s thoughtful consideration of the arguments of the message.
Moreover, according to the model, it has two prerequisites: the listener needs both
motivation and ability to think about the message and its topic. They described that the
second type of persuasion, connected to the peripheral route, occurs in cases when not the
strength of the arguments are determinant factors in the decision making. For instance,
they noted that someone may agree with a message because the source is an expert, or is
charming. Their study also highlighted that the peripheral route also occurs in cases when
the listener believes something to be true just because he or she is faced with a lot of
13
arguments. Thus, they concluded that this route occurs when the listener is unable or
unwilling to consider the message.
A key assumption of ELM is that if someone’s attitude change is due to a central
route to persuasion, its effects will differ from those changed through the peripheral route.
Cacioppo and Petty argued that those attitude changes which result from considering
issue-relevant arguments through the central route can be identified by a higher temporal
persistence, greater behavior predictability, and greater resistance to counter persuasion
than attitude changes resulting from persuading someone through the peripheral route
(Cacioppo and Petty, 1984). Figure 3 below illustrates the model.
Figure 3: The Elaboration Likelihood Model
Yes
Yes (Favorable) Yes (Unfavorable)
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
No
Attitude is relatively enduring, resistant and predictive of
behavior.
CENTRAL POSITIVE
ATTITUDE CHANGE
RETAIN OR
REGAIN INITIAL
ATTITUDE NATURE OF COGNITIVE PROCESSING:
(initial attitude, argument quality, etc.)
FAVORABLE
THOUGHTS
PREDOMINATE
UNFAVORABLE
THOUGHTS
PREDOMINATE
NEITHER OR
NEUTRAL
PREDOMINATE
PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION
PERIPHERAL ATTITUDE SHIFT
Attitude is relatively temporary, susceptible and unpredictive of behavior.
PERIPHERAL CUE PRESENT?
Positive/negative affect; attractive; expert sources; number of arguments; etc.
MOTIVATED TO PROCESS?
Personal relevance: need for cognition; personal responsibility, etc.
ABILITY TO PROCESS?
Distraction; repetition; prior knowledge; message
comprehensibility; etc.
COGNITIVE STRUCTURE CHANGE:
Are new cognitions adopted and stored in memory? Are
different responses made salient than previously?
CENTRAL NEGATIVE
ATTITUDE CHANGE
Adapted from Cacioppo, J. T., & Petty, R. E. (1984). The Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion. Advances
in Consumer Research, 11(1), p.126
14
The analysis conducted in this study was based on the above mentioned theoretical
findings. The model developed by Cacioppo and Petty serves as a fundamental base in
understanding how Youtubers can achieve a desired effect with their communications,
how they can make attitude change last longer, how they can have a greater influence on
behavior, and how they are able to remain more resistant to change. Based on the model,
one might assume that persuaders focus on using tools connected to the central route of
persuasion, in order to achieve longer persistence of the behavior change (Cacioppo and
Petty, 1984).
After discovering which content elements Youtubers are using to attract viewers,
the research intends to identify which route to persuasion these content elements can be
connected to. Based on the findings, the final goal is to conclude which route to
persuasion is the most widely utilized by these content creators to state whether their
patterns comply with the Elaboration Likelihood Model.
2. Methodology
To address the research questions, a research method applicable to qualitative data,
content analysis was utilized to gain information on the main elements of a Youtuber’s
personal brand. This research methodology has already appeared in the study of mass
communications in the 1950s (White and Marsh, 2006). Krippendorff and Kállai (1995)
argued that the method can be used in various empirical fields such as psychology,
history, anthropology, literature or linguistics. Content analysis has been proven by
several social media studies (Ashley and Tuten, 2015; Paek, Kim, and Hove, 2010) in the
past as well. According to Krippendorff and Kállai (1995), content analysis is a research
method that helps to repeatedly draw conclusions from data regarding their context. They
noted the method’s non-intervening nature as an indisputable advantage, meaning that its
process does not influence the analyzed subject by any means. Furthermore, it is able to
process symbolic forms and large amounts of data (Krippendorff and Kállai, 1995).
2.1 Independent analysis of the selected Youtube channels
The first, preliminary step of the content analysis process is preparation. Three
well-known Youtubers were selected and their channels were used as samples for the
analysis. The videos (n = 25) which were uploaded on these three channels within the
timeframe of the observation (between February 19th and April 16th) served as units of
the analysis. To make the comparison as relevant as possible, the Youtubers were selected
15
from the same channel category. Claudia Sulewski, Meghan Rienks and Jenn Im (leading
her channel called ‘clothesencounters’) are all ‘beauty gurus’ from the United States,
having a lifestyle-oriented Youtube channel. The reason for the content choice was the
rich variety of advertising possibilities offered by these lifestyle-related topics.
This research paper aimed to analyze the content elements these Youtubers have
been using from two different aspects, based on which the analysis process can be divided
into two separate parts. The analysis of content elements aimed to identify which of them
have been the most frequently used, as well as to provide a possible psychological
explanation for their effectiveness. Then, the analysis of the routes to persuasion
identified which route to persuasion has been the most popular among the successful
Youtuber campaigns, so that it could conclude whether the results complied with the ELM
framework.
Based on the knowledge attained from literature and reviewed in Section 1.7.1,
categories of content elements have been generated through the process of open coding
(a technique through which notes and headings are written down while processing the
analyzable content). Table 18 in Appendix A identifies the content elements measured in
the analysis and the definitions used to identify the presence or absence of a given
element.
Then, further analysis steps have been carried out for each channel separately with
the aim of highlighting their peculiarities in content element utilization. This part of the
analysis included giving a total content score to each video on a given channel, based on
how many of the previously identified content elements could be found in them. Table 18
in Appendix A illustrates the scoring system used for the content analysis process. Each
video uploaded within the time period of the observation (n = 25) have been analyzed.
The presence of any previously identified content element was worth one point for each
video, whereas the lack of it resulted in zero points. The final goal was to obtain a total
content score for each video uploaded to a given channel, as well as for the channel as a
whole. The results of this process provided viable data to determine how consistently and
at what rate the given Youtuber utilized content elements in her videos. The following
table illustrates how the content score for each video has been calculated.
16
Table 2: Content analysis: content elements
Video number 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Content
element score
Title focus 1 1 1 1 1 1 ∑=6 (100%)
Video description 1 1 1 1 0 1 ∑=5 (83%)
Thumbnail focus 1 1 1 1 1 1 ∑=6 (100%)
Share of competency 1 0 1 1 0 0 ∑=3 (50%)
Emotional appeal 1 1 0 0 1 0 ∑=3 (50%)
Duration consistency 1 0 0 1 1 0 ∑=3 (50%)
Topic consistency 0 0 1 1 0 0 ∑=2 (33%)
Seasonality 0 1 0 0 0 0 ∑=1 (17%)
Collaboration 0 1 0 0 0 0 ∑=1 (17%)
Uploading consistency 1 1 1 1 0 0 ∑=4 (67%)
Special event relatedness 0 1 0 1 0 0 ∑=2 (33%)
Invitation to subscribe 1 1 0 0 0 0 ∑=2 (33%)
Comment reaction 0 1 1 1 1 0 ∑=4 (67%)
Total content score ∑=8 ∑=10 ∑=7 ∑=9 ∑=5 ∑=3 ∑=42
(Own editing)
After determining the total content score for each channel, the study continued by
selecting the most frequently used content elements in terms of each, with the goal of
discovering their relative utilization frequency. As seen in the last column of Table 2, this
was done by calculating the content element score for each of the analyzed elements by
adding up the scores assigned to them in each video. To determine their usage frequency,
each content element score was divided by the total number of videos of the given
channel, so that the utilization rates could be compared in percentages. Any content
element occurring in more than 50% of the videos have been identified as frequently used.
Table 3 below illustrates the calculation process.
Table 3: Determining content element frequency
Content element: Video description
Content element score: 5
Total number of videos uploaded: 6
Usage frequency in percentages: 5 out of 6 83%
Frequency: Frequent (Own editing)
The next phase connected each content element noted as frequent to a
psychological theory reviewed in Section 1.7.1 so that the effectiveness of each could be
explained by a viable concept.
The second part of the analysis process aimed to conclude which route to
persuasion has been the most widely used in Youtuber campaigns. For this purpose, this
part included measuring how often each video utilized the central and the peripheral route
17
to persuasion. Two scores have been assigned to each content element in every video, a
central route score (C) and a peripheral route score (P). The central route score indicates
the use of central route to persuasion, if the content element targeted the viewer’s
thoughtful consideration by communicating a fact or a piece of information (Cacioppo
and Petty, 1984). The peripheral score indicates the use of peripheral route to persuasion,
if it aimed to catch the audience’s attention through their subconscious thinking with cues
such as emotions or curiosity triggering elements (Cacioppo and Petty, 1984). Depending
on which route to persuasion the given content element used, a score for both routes have
been assigned. Table 19 in Appendix A summarizes the factors based on which the
elements have been scored.
After assigning both a central route and a peripheral route score to each content
element in each video, a total persuasive score was given for every video, as well as for
the channel as a whole. Table 4 illustrates this step.
Table 4: Content analysis: routes to persuasion
Video number 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Total score
for the route
Route C P C P C P C P C P C P C P
Title focus 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ∑=6 ∑=6 Video description 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 ∑=5 ∑=5
Thumbnail focus 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ∑=6 ∑=6 Share of competency 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 ∑=3 ∑=0
Emotional appeal 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 ∑=0 ∑=3
Duration consistency 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 ∑=0 ∑=3 Topic consistency 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 ∑=0 ∑=2
Seasonality 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ∑=0 ∑=1 Collaboration 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ∑=1 ∑=1
Uploading
consistency
0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 ∑=0 ∑=4
Special event
relatedness
0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 ∑=2 ∑=2
Invitation to
subscribe
0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ∑=0 ∑=2
Comment reaction 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 ∑=2 ∑=4
Total score 4 7 5 10 5 6 6 8 2 5 3 3 ∑=25 ∑=39
Total persuasive
score ∑=11 ∑=15 ∑=11 ∑=14 ∑=7 ∑=6 ∑=64
(Own editing)
After looking at the utilization frequency of the central and peripheral route by
comparing the sum of the two scores for each channel, the study considered a different
perspective. Each content element was categorized based on which route to persuasion
(central, peripheral, both or none) they used. Figure 4 illustrates the basis of the
categorization process. Lastly, the research identified how many times a given element
was put to each category and determined to which route it can mostly be related to.
18
Figure 4: Categorization of the content elements based on the route to persuasion
Rather peripheral
Content elements using the peripheral route to
persuasion predominantly.
Both
Content elements using the two routes to
persuasion predominantly together.
None
Content elements predominantly not using any of
the routes to persuasion.
Rather central
Content elements using the central route to
persuasion predominantly.
(Own editing)
2.2 Combined interpretation
The final phase aimed to generalize the findings and to interpret them with respect
to the three channels combined. This part of the analysis identified the most frequently
utilized content elements, as well as the most predominant route to persuasion in terms of
the combination of the analyzed channels. Firstly, the content element scores assigned to
each channel have been added up so that a combined score can be given to each element.
To determine their utilization frequency, this score was divided with the total number of
videos analyzed on the three channels (n = 25). Similarly, as during the channels’ separate
analysis, any content element occurring in more than 50% of the videos has been
identified as frequently used. The next step was to determine the most predominant route
to persuasion in terms of the three channels combined. This involved adding up the
central, the peripheral and the total persuasive scores assigned to each channel, to provide
three scores representing the analyzed content as a whole. By calculating both routes’
proportion of the total persuasive score, the study concluded which route to persuasion
was the most predominantly used by the three content creators. Finally, a route
categorization matrix was created for the three channels combined, to identify which
route to persuasion each content element could be mostly connected to.
This provided a full picture of the findings and enabled the study to determine
whether the results complied with the Elaboration Likelihood Model, the framework of
this research paper described in Section 1.8.
The next part of the research paper demonstrates the findings of the analysis
process in detail.
3. Analysis of the practical problem
This part aims to illustrate the findings by describing the results of each analyzed Youtube
channel separately. Before presenting the analysis results, this section begins by
19
explaining which psychological theories were found to be significant in terms of each
content element, as was one of the main purposes of this paper was to draw attention to
the possible psychological explanation for their effectiveness. Based on the literature
material reviewed in Section 1.7.1, the study identified which social psychology theories
might serve as a possible reasoning for the power of each. Table 5 presents these findings.
Table 5: Content elements and the associated psychological explanations
Content strategy Psychological explanation
Title focus U&G theory Video description U&G theory
Thumbnail focus U&G theory Share of competency U&G theory: Content orientation
Emotional appeal U&G theory: Relationship
orientation Duration consistency Habit formation
Topic consistency Prototype theory Seasonality Habit formation
Collaboration U&G theory
Uploading consistency Habit formation Special event relatedness U&G theory
Invitation to subscribe Customer engagement Comment reaction Customer engagement
(Own editing)
The Uses and Gratifications theory introduced by Katz et al. (1973) serves as a
viable explanation for the effectiveness of many content elements. Title focus, video
description, thumbnail focus, collaboration and special event relatedness all have both a
content- and a relationship-oriented element, which were discussed in detail in Section
1.7.1. Emotional appeal can also be related to this theory, but only to the relationship-
oriented need, as appealing to one’s emotions does not have any informative intent.
Similarly, share of competency does not target the audience’s need for social
relationships, it solely provides new information (Katz et al., 1973).
The theory of habit formation described by Charles Duhigg (2012) makes a
compelling argument to the effectiveness of the elements duration consistency,
seasonality and uploading consistency, as all of them trigger a habitual consumption of
the content.
Topic consistency is the only element that could be related to Forgács’s Prototype
theory. Being consistent with the topic choice most likely results in an easier
categorization of the channel, which thus might contribute to a higher number of viewers
(Forgács, 2007).
Lastly, the research identified two content elements related to the theory of
customer engagement: invitation to subscribe and comment reaction. Both elements
20
motivate customers to interact, which is very likely to result in a higher viewer
engagement (Sheehan and Morrison, 2009).
This concludes all the findings related to the psychological relations of the
analyzed content elements. Section 3.1 continues by explaining the analysis results of
each channel independently and then, Section 3.2 provides a brief overview in terms of
these results combined.
3.1 Independent analysis of the selected Youtube channels
3.1.1 Claudia Sulewski
Claudia Sulewski is a 21-year-old beauty guru from Chicago, who started her main
Youtube channel ‘Claudia Sulewski’ in 2009. One year later, she also introduced a
secondary vlog channel, where she shares days of her everyday life. That channel,
however, is beyond the focus of this study. In total, she uploaded 428 videos on her main
channel, which has a total of 1.9 million subscribers and the total number of views her
channel achieved is 124 million as of September, 2017 (Socialblade.com, 2017a). She
uploads approximately 3-4 videos per month and her topic choice is mostly beauty, health,
lifestyle or fashion related. Table 6 lists all the videos by date and title which were
uploaded within the research timeframe and thus have been analyzed on Claudia
Sulewski’s channel.
Table 6: Claudia Sulewski's analyzed content
Number Date Title
1. 02.13 COOKING WITH A 1000 DEGREE KNIFE!!
2. 02.19 SLUMBER SERIES: 21st Birthday Edition! ft. Drumaq 3. 02.25 My Everyday Skincare Routine! 2017
4. 03.03 Get Ready With Me: Before I Fall | Claudia Sulewski 5. 03.14 Moving Out & Commute Season 2!! Twitter Q&A
6. 04.09 THE COMMUTE SEASON 2: Behind the Scenes!! Links to the respective videos can be found in Appendix B. (Own editing)
During the two-month long timeframe of the analysis, there have been 6 new
videos uploaded on this channel, with an average video duration of 5:26 minutes. In
comparison to the other two Youtubers, she not only had the least videos but also the
shortest average duration. Tables 20-21 in Appendix B summarize all the data gathered
regarding her videos.
The total content score attributed to the 6 newly uploaded videos on Claudia
Sulewski’s channel was 42, being the lowest among the three analyzed channels. One
21
might assume that this low score is a result of having only a few videos (in compared to
the other two channels where this amount was 8 and 11). However, after looking at the
numbers in detail, this assumption can be confirmed to be wrong. Table 7 illustrates how
the content score has been calculated for each video, as well as for the whole channel. In
the last column, the frequency of each content element is highlighted.
Table 7: Content analysis of the content elements regarding Claudia Sulewski's
channel
Video number 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Content
element score Title focus 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 Video description 1 1 1 1 0 1 5
Thumbnail focus 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 Share of competency 1 0 1 1 0 0 3
Emotional appeal 1 1 0 0 1 0 3 Duration consistency 1 0 0 1 1 0 3
Topic consistency 0 0 1 1 0 0 2
Seasonality 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 Collaboration 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Uploading consistency 1 1 1 1 0 0 4 Special event relatedness 0 1 0 1 0 0 2
Invitation to subscribe 1 1 0 0 0 0 2
Comment reaction 0 1 1 1 1 0 4
Total content score 8 10 7 9 5 3 42
(Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)
The lowest content score assigned to a video in the analysis can be connected to
Claudia Sulewski’s channel, with a score of 3 (marked with green). The highest content
score assigned to her videos was 10 (marked with blue), indicating that the variance in
the content element usages was especially high in terms of this channel. Based on the
above illustrated data, the study concluded that this channel had the weakest content
element utilization technique.
When looking at the usage frequency of different content elements, the study has
found that title focus and thumbnail focus have been present in 100% of the videos. 83%
of the videos had a video description, 67% of them have been consistently uploaded
and included comment reaction from the Youtuber. Thus, in terms of Claudia Sulewski’s
channel, the study concluded that these five content elements were the most frequently
utilized.
Regarding the psychological theories connected to these elements, the study
concluded that the 3 most frequently used content strategies (title focus, thumbnail focus
and video description) could all be connected to the U&G theory. The other two, namely
22
uploading consistency and comment reaction are linked to the theories of habit
formation and customer engagement, respectively.
The second part of the analysis process was related to the ELM’s routes to
persuasion. The total persuasive score calculated in terms of Claudia Sulewski’s channel
was 64, out of which 25 can be assigned to the central and 39 to the peripheral route to
persuasion (Cacioppo and Petty, 1984). Table 22 in Appendix B summarizes these
findings. These numbers indicate that the peripheral route to persuasion was more
predominant on Claudia Sulewski’s channel, by making up 61% of the total persuasive
score. The results do not confirm the suggestions stated in the ELM theory, based on
which the central route to persuasion should be used more often, so that a predictable and
more persistent behavior change can be attained. The findings reinforce the importance
of the peripheral route to persuasion over the central one in terms of this Youtube channel.
The study has found it essential to consider the results from another perspective.
Instead of simply summing up how many times each route has been used altogether, a
different conclusion can be drawn by categorizing each content element in every video
based on which route to persuasion (central, peripheral or both) they use. With the matrix
introduced in the methodology section (Figure 4), we are able make the categorization.
The most significant differences between the three analyzed channels could be seen after
the categorization process illustrated in Table 8 below.
Table 8: Content element categorization process in terms of Claudia Sulewski’s channel
Content element Central Peripheral Both None Used (times) Main route Title focus - - 6 - 6 Both
Video description - - 5 - 5 Both
Thumbnail focus - - 6 - 6 Both Share of competency 3 - - - 3 Central
Emotional appeal - 3 - - 3 Peripheral Duration consistency - 3 - - 3 Peripheral
Topic consistency - 2 - - 2 Peripheral
Seasonality - 1 - - 1 Peripheral Collaboration - - 1 - 1 Both
Uploading consistency - 4 - - 4 Peripheral Special event
relatedness
- - 2 - 2 Both
Invitation to subscribe - 2 - - 2 Peripheral
Comment reaction - 2 2 - 4 Peripheral/
Both
(Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)
As follows from the figure shown above, the research concluded that 50% of the
content elements could be identified by using the peripheral route, 42% by using both
routes and only 8% (1 element, namely share of competency) could be connected to the
central route.
23
Special event
relatedness
Yet it is important to mention that the categorization of some of the content
elements was predetermined due to their nature. Share of competency could only be
connected to the central route, as sharing new information is always an objective appeal.
The same applies to emotional appeal, duration consistency, topic consistency,
seasonality, uploading consistency, and invitation to subscribe as they all can solely target
the peripheral route to persuasion. Collaboration and special event relatedness also belong
to this group, but these content elements were always put in the ‘both’ category, as
including another famous person in the video or creating a topic around a special event
may both serve as an objective (if the viewer is really interested in the person/event), as
well as a subjective cue (if the person decides to watch it just because it seems
special/professional/exciting) to watch the content. Thus, content elements with a fixed
category were marked with a lighter background on the matrix below. The findings are
summarized on Figure 5.
Figure 5: Results of content element categorization based on the route to persuasion in
terms of Claudia Sulewski’s channel
Peripheral
50%
Both
42%
None
0%
Central
8%
(Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)
The fact that comment reaction can be associated with the peripheral route just as
much as with targeting both routes is noticeable peculiarity in terms of this channel. This
fact gives rise to the suggestion that Claudia Sulewski does not necessarily focus on
giving informative comments (which would then be connected to the central route), but
rather takes the opportunity to connect with her audience so that they can more easily
relate to her.
Video description
Collaboration
Comment
reaction
Title focus
Duration
consistency
Seasonality Topic
consistency
Uploading consistency
Invitation to subscribe
Emotional appeal
Share of
competency
Thumbnail focus Comment reaction
24
The results of the categorization prove again the peripheral route to persuasion
to be more frequently utilized on Claudia Sulewski’s channel. Coupled with the low
percentage assigned to the central route, these findings provide compelling evidence that
reduced emphasis was put on the central route to persuasion.
3.1.2 Meghan Rienks
Meghan Rienks, the 24-year-old Youtuber was born in San Fransisco. She created her
main channel ‘Meghan Rienks’ in 2010, since when she has reached 2.4 million
subscribers and a total of 195 million views on her 630 videos, as of September 2017
(Socialblade.com, 2017b). Since 2013, she is leading a secondary vlog channel as well,
where the content is more personal, but that channel is out of the scope of this research.
She has on average 3-4 video uploads per month and her topic range covers beauty-,
health-, lifestyle- and fashion-related content, most of which are humorous or even
sarcastic. Table 9 shows all the videos by date and title which were uploaded within the
research timeframe and thus have been analyzed on Meghan Rienk’s channel.
Table 9: Meghan Rienk's analyzed content
Number Date Title
1. 02.13 TRYING INSTAGRAM MAKEUP 2. 02.14 BOYFRIEND TAG | Meghan Rienks {2017}
3. 02.27 EXPOSING YOUTUBE FRIEND DRAMA? | SAY IT OR WEAR IT! 4. 03.03 MY FAVORITE THINGS
5. 03.13 BOYFRIEND DOES MY VOICEOVER | Meghan Rienks
6. 03.22 WHEN YOU SHOULD LOSE YOUR VIRGINITY | Meghan Rienks 7. 04.01 HOW I CLEARED MY ACNE: SKINCARE ROUTINE FOR ACCUTANE
8. 04.12 TESTING SHARK TANK PRODUCTS | feat. Beauty Break Links to the respective videos can be found in Appendix C. (Own editing)
During the two-month long timeframe of the analysis, there have been 8 new
videos uploaded on this channel, with an average video duration of 7:08 minutes. These
numbers are in between those of the other two Youtubers. Tables 23-24 in Appendix C
summarize all the data gathered regarding the videos.
The total content score assigned to the 8 newly uploaded videos on Meghan
Rienks’s channel was 57. This score does not indicate a more frequent utilization of
content elements as the number of videos uploaded on this channel was also higher than
on the previous one. Table 10 illustrates how the content score has been calculated for
each video, as well as for the channel as a whole. In the last column, the frequency of
each content element is highlighted.
25
Table 10: Content analysis of the content elements regarding Meghan Rienks's channel
Video number 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Content element
score Title focus 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 Video description 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8
Thumbnail focus 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8
Share of competency 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 5 Emotional appeal 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 6
Duration consistency 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 4 Topic consistency 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2
Seasonality 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 Collaboration 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Uploading consistency 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 3
Special event relatedness 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Invitation to subscribe 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 5
Comment reaction 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 5
Total score 8 8 5 9 7 7 7 6 57
(Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)
The lowest content score assigned to a video on this channel was 5 (marked with
green) and the highest was 9 (marked with blue). These numbers indicate that Meghan
Rienks neither had the most outstanding content element utilization technique, nor had
she the least prominent one. The variance in the video content scores was not significant
either, meaning that she more or less utilized the same content element amount throughout
her uploads. These data provide compelling evidence to suggest that the content element
focus on this channel was consistent, but not the most remarkable among the other two.
When looking at the usage frequency of different content elements, the study has
found that the content elements of title focus, video description and thumbnail focus
have been present in 100% of the videos. 75% of the videos included the content element
of emotional appeal, whereas 63% of them shared a competency and included
invitation to subscribe, as well as comment reaction from the Youtuber. Thus, in terms
of Meghan Rienks’s channel, the study concluded that these seven content elements were
the most frequently utilized.
As far as the psychological theories associated with the content elements, the
above illustrated findings show that the most regularly used elements could be connected
to the theories of U&G and customer engagement. Title focus, video description,
thumbnail focus, share of competency and emotional appeal all are related to the Users
and Gratifications theory, based on which the theory suggests that Meghan Rienks
emphasizes appealing to the viewers’ information-, and relationship-oriented needs.
However, she also puts emphasis on engaging her viewers, by inviting them to subscribe
and reacting to their comments.
26
The total persuasive score calculated in terms of Meghan Rienks’s channel was
80, out of which 28 could be assigned to the central and 52 to the peripheral route to
persuasion (Cacioppo and Petty, 1984). Table 25 in Appendix C summarizes these results.
The findings indicate that the peripheral route to persuasion was even more predominant
on Meghan Rienks’s channel than on the previous one, as its score makes up 65% of the
total persuasive score. This again proves the ELM suggestions relating to the central route
to be wrong, as the data indicates again that the peripheral route to persuasion is preferred
over the central one.
The categorization process of the content elements is illustrated in Table 11 below.
Table 11: Content element categorization process in terms of Meghan Rienks’s channel
Content element Central Peripheral Both None Used (times) Main route
Title focus - - 8 - 8 Both Video description - 5 3 - 8 Peripheral
Thumbnail focus - - 8 - 8 Both Share of competency 5 - - - 5 Central
Emotional appeal - 6
6
- - 6 Peripheral
Duration consistency - 4
4
- - 4 Peripheral Topic consistency - 2 - - 2 Peripheral
Seasonality - 1
1
- - 1 Peripheral Collaboration - - 1
1
- 1 Both
Uploading consistency - 3 - - 3 Peripheral Special event relatedness - - 1 - 1 Both
Invitation to subscribe - 5 - - 5 Peripheral
Comment reaction - 2 3 - 5 Both
(Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)
The results show that 54% of the content elements could be identified by using
the peripheral route, 38% by using both routes and only 8% (1 element, namely share of
competency) could be connected to the central route.
Something peculiar to this channel is the video description being most often
associated with the peripheral route to persuasion. The explanation behind this anomaly
can be derived from Meghan Rienks’s humor-, and sarcasm-focused content. She prefers
amusement over facts and clarity, and as a result, 5 out of her 8 newly uploaded videos
had a solely entertaining description which did not provide any sense of information
regarding the content. The findings are summarized on Figure 6 below.
27
Figure 6: Results of content element categorization based on the route to persuasion in
terms of Meghan Rienks’s channel
Peripheral
54% Both
38%
None
0%
Central
8%
(Own editing, , based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)
The above discussed results suggest a preference of the peripheral route to
persuasion over the central route, thus in terms of Meghan Rienks’s channel the research
concluded that the role of the peripheral route is more predominant.
3.1.3 Jenn Im
Jenn Im is a 27-year-old beauty guru from Los Angeles, who started Youtube in 2010.
Since then, she has uploaded 509 videos on her channel ‘clothesencounters’, acquired 2
million subscribers and reached 197 million views in total, as of September 2017
(Socialblade.com, 2017c). The core topic of her channel is fashion, but she also has a
handful of beauty-, health- and lifestyle-related videos. She does not have a separate
channel for vlogs, instead, she uploads this kind of content on her main channel as well.
Among the three Youtubers this study has selected, she is the most consistent with her
uploading scheme: she uploads on average 2 videos every week, meaning around 7 to 10
videos per month. That is to say, the unit size was the greatest in terms of this channel.
Table 12 lists all the videos by date and title which were uploaded within the research
timeframe and thus have been analyzed on Jenn Im’s channel.
Video description
Special event
relatedness
Collaboration
Comment
reaction Thumbnail focus
Title focus
Duration
consistency
Seasonality Topic
consistency
Uploading
consistency
Invitation to
subscribe Emotional appeal
Share of competency
28
Table 12: Jenn Im's analyzed content
Number Date Title
1. 02.19 What Would Jenn Wear #12 2. 02.23 How I Became More Confident
3. 02.26 February Monthly Vlog | JENNBRUARY
4. 03.01 February Favorites 2017 5. 03.05 Hot Cheetos Quesadillas Taste Test with Sophia Chang
6. 03.13 Spring Thrift Haul | clothesencounters 7. 03.19 How To Pose For Photos | 10 Easy Poses For Instagram
8. 03.26 Jenn Goes To Austin | clothesencounters
9. 03.31 March Favorites 2017 10. 04.04 March Monthly Vlog | clothesencounters
11. 04.09 Jet Set Jenn | Festival Beauty Kit + Lookbook
Links to the respective videos can be found in the Appendix. (Own editing)
During the two-month long timeframe of the analysis, there have been 11 new
videos uploaded on this channel, with an average video duration of 7:19 minutes, meaning
that Jenn Im not only had the longest videos but also the most frequent uploading scheme.
Tables 26-28 in Appendix D summarize all the data gathered regarding her videos.
The total content score assigned to the 11 newly uploaded videos on Jenn Im’s
channel was 92. This high score is a result of the combination of uploading more videos
within the timeframe and using content elements more frequently. Table 13 shows how
the content score has been calculated for each video, as well as for the whole channel. In
the last column, the frequency of each element is highlighted.
Table 13: Content analysis of the content elements regarding Jenn Im’s channel
Video number 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
Content
element
score
Title focus 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 8
Video description 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 Thumbnail focus 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11
Share of competency 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 8 Emotional appeal 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3
Duration consistency 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 7 Topic consistency 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 6
Seasonality 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 4
Collaboration 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Uploading consistency 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 10
Special event relatedness 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 Invitation to subscribe 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11
Comment reaction 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11
Total content score 9 9 7 11 8 7 9 6 11 6 9 92
(Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)
As seen on the illustration, the lowest content score her videos got was 6 (marked
with green), which is still the highest among the three Youtubers’ weakest content scores.
29
The highest content score assigned to her videos was 11 (marked with blue), which is the
highest in the analysis. These data show that Jenn Im used content elements the most
often and prove that the highest total content score her channel got was not solely a result
of the high number of videos she had. Thus, the study concluded that this channel had the
best content element utilization rates, as most of the videos have been filled with a handful
of content elements and the variance in the video content scores was relatively low.
When looking at the usage frequency of different content elements, the study has
found that the content elements of video description, thumbnail focus, invitation to
subscribe and comment reaction have been present in 100% of the videos. 91% of the
videos have been consistently uploaded, whereas 73% of them included title focus and
shared a competency. Last, but not least, duration consistency has also been significant,
it appeared in 64% of the videos. Thus, in terms of Jenn Im’s channel, the study concluded
that these 8 content elements were the most frequently utilized.
The psychological theories associated with Jenn Im’s most regularly used content
elements are the theories of U&G, habit formation and customer engagement.
However, in contrast to the previous two channels, the role of customer engagement was
much more critical, as the content elements associated with it (invitation to subscribe and
comment reaction) were utilized in all of the videos. Moreover, another significant
difference is the fact that she regularly used content elements targeting habit formation.
Despite the fact that the other two channels put less emphasis on this, habit formation had
an increased role on Jenn Im’s channel.
The total persuasive score calculated in terms of this channel was 150, out of
which 59 could be assigned to the central and 91 to the peripheral route to persuasion
(Cacioppo and Petty, 1984). Table 29 in Appendix D summarizes these findings. The
conclusion derived from this data is again the fact that the peripheral route to persuasion
was significantly more predominant on this channel as well, as it made up 61% of the
total persuasive score. This again disproves the ELM’s suggestion relating to the
importance of the central route to persuasion.
The content element categorization process is illustrated in Table 14 below.
30
Special event relatedness
Table 14: Content element categorization process in terms of Jenn Im’s channel
Content element Central Peripheral Both None Used (times) Main route
Title focus - 2 7 - 9 Both Video description - - 11 - 11 Both
Thumbnail focus 5 1 5 - 11 Central/
Both Share of competency 8 - - - 8 Central
Emotional appeal - 3 - - 3 Peripheral Duration consistency - 8 - - 8 Peripheral
Topic consistency - 5 - - 5 Peripheral
Seasonality - 4 - - 4 Peripheral Collaboration - - 11 - 11 Both
Uploading consistency - 10 - - 10 Peripheral Special event relatedness - - 1 - 1 Both
Invitation to subscribe - 11 - - 11 Peripheral Comment reaction - - 11 - 11 Both
(Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)
The results obtained indicate that 46% of the content elements could be identified
by using the peripheral route, 42% by using both routes and only 12% (share of
competency always, thumbnail focus partially) could be connected to the central route.
The findings are summarized on Figure 7 below.
Figure 7: Results of content element categorization based on the route to persuasion in
terms of Jenn Im’s channel
Peripheral
46%
Both
42%
None
0%
Central
12%
(Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)
The data shows that in contrast to the first two channels, this channel employed the
central route to persuasion not only in terms of share of competency, but also with regard
to thumbnail focus. This shows that Jenn Im often considered an informative thumbnail
to be more effective than one appealing to the viewer’s emotions.
Video description
Collaboration
Thumbnail focus
Title focus
Duration consistency
Seasonality Topic consistency
Uploading
consistency
Invitation to
subscribe Emotional appeal
Share of
competency
Comment reaction Thumbnail focus
31
However, in the majority of the cases content elements could be connected to the
peripheral route, thus, in terms of Jenn Im’s channel, the peripheral route to persuasion
was proved to be the most frequently utilized.
3.2 Combined interpretation
All in all, this research paper has analyzed 25 videos from the three selected channels
altogether.
The total content score calculated by combining the scores of the three channels
equals 191. Table 15 indicates how frequently different content elements have been
utilized on the three channels as a whole. The most frequent elements are highlighted with
red color.
Table 15: Content element frequency on all of the channels combined
Content element Frequency videos Frequency in videos (%)
Title focus 22 88% Video description 24 96%
Thumbnail focus 25 100%
Share of competency 16 64% Emotional appeal 12 48%
Duration consistency 14 56% Topic consistency 10 40%
Seasonality 6 24% Collaboration 3 12%
Uploading consistency 17 68%
Special event relatedness 4 16% Invitation to subscribe 18 72%
Comment reaction 20 80%
Total content score 191
(Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)
These results show that thumbnail focus has been the most popular among the
content elements, as it was utilized in all of the videos. Video description has been almost
as popular, being present in terms of 96% of the videos. The third most frequently used
element has been title focus, being present in 88% of the content. Comment reaction
and invitation to subscribe have also been widely utilized, in 80% and 72% of the videos
respectively. With a lower rate, but still above the limit, uploading consistency (68%),
share of competency (64%) and duration consistency (56%) have also been proven to
be frequent content elements.
All in all, with regards to the psychological theories associated with the elements,
U&G theory turned out to be the most predominantly used among all, as video
description, title focus and share of competency all can be connected to this concept.
32
However, the ideas of customer engagement and habit formation also remain to be
relevant, as the remaining, regularly used content elements can be connected to those.
This however also implies that Forgács’s prototype theory was not among the most
significant psychological concepts related to the analyzed content elements.
The utilization patterns of the routes to persuasion have also been analyzed in
terms of the three channels combined. The total persuasive score calculated in terms of
the channels was 293, out of which 112 could be assigned to the central and 181 to the
peripheral route to persuasion (Cacioppo and Petty, 1984). Table 16 summarizes these
findings.
Table 16: Content analysis of the routes to persuasion for the three channels combined
Content element Central Peripheral
Title focus 21 23 Video description 19 23
Thumbnail focus 23 20 Share of competency 16 0
Emotional appeal 0 12
Duration consistency 0 15 Topic consistency 0 10
Seasonality 0 6 Collaboration 13 13
Uploading consistency 0 17 Special event relatedness 4 4
Invitation to subscribe 0 18
Comment reaction 16 20
Total route score of the three channels 112 (38%) 181 (62%)
Total persuasive score of the three channels 293 (100%)
(Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)
This in fact shows that the peripheral route to persuasion is much more frequently
used by the content creators, as it makes up 62% of the total persuasive score. The
peripheral route being the most frequent in terms of all the channels separately and
combined, also provides indisputable evidence to reject the suggestion of ELM, based on
which the central route should always be more predominant. The findings imply that this
assumption may not hold in terms of Youtube channels and that on this platform, the
peripheral route to persuasion might offer a more viable tool for inducing attitude change.
As shown in Table 17 below, the research summarized the results of the
categorization process as well.
33
Special event
relatedness
Table 17: Categorization of each element based on the route to persuasion they use
Content element Central Peripheral Both None Used (times) Main route
Title focus 0 2 21 2 23 Both Video description 0 4 19 2 23 Both
Thumbnail focus 5 1 19 0 25 Both Share of competency 16 0 0 9 16 Central
Emotional appeal 0 12 0 13 12 Peripheral
Duration consistency 0 15 0 10 15 Peripheral Topic consistency 0 9 0 16 9 Peripheral
Seasonality 0 6 0 19 6 Peripheral Collaboration 0 0 13 12 13 Both
Uploading consistency 0 17 0 8 17 Peripheral
Special event relatedness 0 0 4 21 4 Both Invitation to subscribe 0 18 0 7 18 Peripheral
Comment reaction 0 4 16 5 20 Both (Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)
All things considered, the study identified 6 elements by using both routes, another
six by using the peripheral route and only one could be assigned to the central route. The
overall measurement results are summarized on Figure 8 below.
Figure 8: Route categorization matrix
Peripheral
46%
Both
46%
None
0%
Central
8%
(Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)
It is important to note that none of the content elements were identified by using
none of the routes. Such a case would have implied for instance a video description
neither including informative content, nor having an emotional essence. This peculiarity
however never occurred in terms of any of the analyzed content elements.
The figures prove the Elaboration Likelihood Model to Persuasion introduced in
Section 1.8 to be false in the case of content element utilization on Youtube. Although
Video description
Collaboration
Comment reaction
Title focus
Duration
consistency
Seasonality Topic consistency
Uploading
consistency
Invitation to subscribe
Emotional appeal
Share of
competency
Thumbnail focus
34
the framework suggested a more frequent usage of the central route to persuasion, as it
would result in a more predictable and persistent behavior change, this was proven to be
inaccurate in terms of each channel separately and combined as well. The research
determined that tools connected to the peripheral, or to the mix of the two routes are
considerably prevalent.
4. Conclusion
4.1 Discussion of findings
The thesis work began by highlighting the role of personal branding within the marketing
environment. It identified the concept of social media influencers and crowdcultures,
which served as two fundamental notions in understanding the increased role of
Youtubers.
According to Shepherd (2005) personal branding is a rapidly growing business.
As a result of the emergence of social media, more attention is paid on social media
influencers as they possess unique means of influencing the audience (Abdallah, 2015).
Several experts attempted to discover the source of power they maintain (Labrecque,
Markos and Milne, 2011; Markos-Kujbus, 2016; Nagy, Kemény, Simon, and Kiss, 2015;
Fournier, 1998). They considered several factors such as the belief of Youtubers being
independent from companies (Markos-Kujbus, 2016), the personal interactions and
quality relationships they cherish with their audience (Fournier, 1998) or that they are
highly relatable (DeMers, 2015).
However, several independent studies in psychology can be connected to the
increased influence of social media stars as well. The Prototype Theory introduced by
Forgács (2007), the concept of customer engagement discovered by Sheehan and
Morrison (2009), the power of habit formation argued by Charles Duhigg (2012), the
Uses and Gratifications theory explained by Jahn and Kunz (2012) or the model forming
the theoretical background of this thesis work, The Elaboration Likelihood Model
established by Cacioppo and Petty (1984).
This thesis work addressed three research questions to understand the Youtuber
personal branding process. First, which video content elements are the most widely used
by successful Youtubers? Second, which theories in behavioral psychology might explain
the effectiveness of these tools? Third, do these patterns comply with the Elaboration
Likelihood Model of Persuasion?
35
The Youtube channels featured in this study were all lifestyle-oriented, focusing
on topics such as beauty, health, lifestyle or fashion. To successfully answer the research
questions, the paper analyzed the Youtube channels of Claudia Sulewski, Meghan Rienks
and Jenn Im separately, as well as combined.
The individual assessments identified important peculiarities in terms of each
channel. As regards content element utilization, Claudia Sulewski’s channel has been
identified as having the least, and Jenn Im’s channel as having the most successful content
element utilization patterns, based on the amount and consistency of elements they have
used.
The summarized findings illustrated that the content elements of thumbnail
focus, video description and title focus have been the most frequently utilized, followed
by the still significant comment reaction, invitation to subscribe, uploading
consistency, share of competency and duration consistency.
With regards to the psychological theories associated with the elements, U&G
theory turned out to be the most predominantly used among all, however, the concepts
of customer engagement and habit formation also were proven to be important.
The analysis of routes to persuasion revealed significant differences between the
persuasion techniques of the three Youtubers. In terms of the categorization process of
Claudia Sulewski’s channel, the element of comment reaction could be assigned to the
‘peripheral’, as well as to the ‘both’ category at the same time. This highlighted that she
may emphasize connecting to her audience through her comments, rather than just purely
giving informative answers. The exception found on Meghan Rienks’s channel arouse
from her humor-, and sarcasm-focused content: her video descriptions have mostly been
entertaining, instead of being descriptive. Lastly, on Jenn Im’s channel, the study has
found that thumbnail focus often targeted the central route to persuasion, in contrast to
the other channels. This showed that Jenn Im regularly preferred an informative
thumbnail over one that appeals to the viewer’s emotions.
The most remarkable result to emerge from the data is that the peripheral route to
persuasion was more predominantly used in terms of all of the channels. The evidence
from this points towards the idea that the suggestion stated in the Elaboration Likelihood
Model regarding the effectiveness of central route to persuasion may not comply with
Youtube videos. The research determined that tools connected to the peripheral, or to the
mix of the two routes are considerably prevalent and thus the rule presented in the ELM
framework cannot be proven to be right in terms of this social media platform.
36
4.1 Limitations and Implications
Several sources of possible error have to be considered in terms of the analysis.
First and foremost, we must emphasize the limitations arising from the sample
size. The research only focused on three beauty channels on Youtube, thus we cannot
generalize its findings on Youtube’s platform as a whole. We have to keep in mind that
our sample size consisted of only three content creators, thus our results may have turned
out to be different, if the analysis involved the content of more Youtubers. The sample
size of three channels and the unit size of n = 25 videos is not sufficient to state that the
above recognized patterns comply with those of other beauty channels’. Moreover, the
topic of Youtube channels vary greatly and what might be true to a beauty-related content,
may not work on a vlogging or a gaming channel. Thus, the findings not only may not
hold in terms of other non-analyzed beauty channels, but their relevance regarding
channels with other topics is also questionable.
Another limitation the research has is due to the limited timeframe of the
observation. The final results and conclusions may have been different if the timeframe
was extended or if the observation process was done in different months of the year.
Moreover, since the present study has only investigated the relative utilization
frequency of content elements and ELM’s routes to persuasion, the fact that some of the
elements and the peripheral route have been more regularly used does not necessarily
imply that their effectiveness is superior. The identified utilization patterns might also be
incidental, without any prior thoughtful consideration of their effects. Future studies on
the current topic are therefore required in order to verify not only the usage frequency,
but also the effectiveness of the identified content elements and route to persuasion.
This study provides considerable insight to the branding tools utilized by
successful Youtubers with the aim of reaching out to the widest audience possible. An
implication of the findings is the possibility that more attention should be paid on cues
targeting the peripheral route to persuasion. The present findings might help future
Youtube content oriented studies to originate ideas from the aforementioned, most
frequently utilized content elements and route to persuasion.
37
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Kalmar 2017. Lund University.
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Tungate, M. (2013). Adland : a global history of advertising (2.ed). London ;
Philadelphia, PA : Kogan Page.
White, M., & Marsh, E. (2006). Content Analysis: A Flexible Methodology. Library
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43
Appendices Appendix A: Methodology
Table 18: Factors of the content element analysis
Denomination Measure Scoring
Title focus
If the title includes any content whose main purpose is to attract attention
and encourage visitors to click on a link, a brand name or is written with
capital letters.
1 if either of the conditions appear, 0 if none.
Video description If there is any description about the topic in the description box. 1 if yes, 0 if not (even if there is a description
unrelated to the video topic.
Thumbnail focus If the thumbnail is colorful or includes explicit content (content that is
clearly expressed, containing provocative words or images).
1 if either of the conditions appear, 0 if none.
Share of competency If the Youtuber shares any personal competency with the audience.
(Tutorials, life advice, DIY, etc.) 1 if yes, 0 if not.
Emotional appeal If the video has emotional elements, appeals to one’s emotions. 1 if yes, 0 if not.
Duration consistency
If the length of the analyzed video has a length not more or less by 2
minutes of the average length of the given Youtuber’s videos. 1 if the length fits the condition, 0 if it doesn’t.
Topic consistency If the topic of the video is closely related to the theme (the main topic on
which all or the majority of the videos are based) of the channel. 1 if yes, 0 if not.
Seasonality If the video is seasonal (regularly appearing) on the channel, for example
a Video Series. 1 if yes, 0 if not.
Collaboration If the Youtuber collaborates with another Youtuber to create the video. 1 if yes, 0 if not.
Uploading consistency If the time period between the last video and uploading date of the given
video does not exceed 1 week. 1 if it does not exceed 1 week, 0 if it does..
Special event relatedness If the topic of the video is related to a special event, such as Easter,
Valentine’s day, or a Festival. 1 if yes, 0 if not.
Invitation to subscribe
If the Youtuber invites the audience to subscribe in the form of asking
them in the video, by putting an annotation (a clickable area at the end of
the video which displays a text message) in the end of the video or in the
description box.
1 if either of the possibilities appear, 0 if none.
Comment reaction If the Youtuber reacts to at least 1 comment in the comment section.
1 if yes, 0 if not.
(Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube )
44
Table 19: Elements of the persuasive route content analysis
Denomination Central score Peripheral score Total score
Title focus 1 point if the title is informative or relates to sharing
new information in the video.
1 point if the title attempts to catch curiosity or
includes emotions. C
entral sco
re + P
eriph
eral score
Video description 1 point if the description includes information
regarding the video.
1 point if the description attempts to catch curiosity
or includes emotions.
Thumbnail focus 1 point if the thumbnail includes information
regarding the video.
1 point if the thumbnail attempts to catch curiosity or
includes emotions.
Share of competency 1 point if present, as sharing any kind of competency
is a central route to persuasion.
Always 0 point, as any kind of competency is a
central route to persuasion.
Emotional appeal Always 0 point, as emotional appeal targets the
peripheral route to persuasion.
1 point if present, as emotional content targets the
peripheral route to persuasion.
Duration consistency Always 0 point, being consistent with the duration
targets the peripheral route to persuasion.
1 point if present, being consistent with the duration
targets the peripheral route to persuasion.
Topic consistency Always 0 point, as being consistent with the topic
choice is always a peripheral route to persuasion.
1 point if present, being consistent with the topic
choice targets the peripheral route to persuasion.
Seasonality Always 0 point, as offering seasonal content is
always a peripheral route to persuasion.
1 point if present, as offering seasonal content is
always a peripheral route to persuasion.
Collaboration
1 point if present, because collaborating with others may affect both the central (because if the audience
knows with whom they collaborate, it is more likely that they will be interested) and the peripheral (because
collaboration may provoke excitement in the audience) route to persuasion.
Uploading consistency Always 0 point, as being consistent with the
uploading is always a peripheral route to persuasion.
1 point if present, as being consistent with the
uploading is always a peripheral route to persuasion.
Special event
relatedness
1 point if present, because uploading content that is related to a special event may affect both the central (if
the person really is interested in the event) and the peripheral (if the person would not be interested,but
watches the video anyway, because it’s related to a special event) route to persuasion.
Invitation to subscribe
Always 0 point, as engaging the audience through
inviting them to subscribe is always a peripheral
route to persuasion.
1 point if present, as engaging the audience through
inviting them to subscribe is always a peripheral
route to persuasion.
Comment reaction 1 point if the comment answer includes any piece of
information.
1 point if the comment answer is a tool for
engagement.
(Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube )
45
Appendix B: Claudia Sulewski
Table 20: Videos analyzed on Claudia Sulewski's channel I.
Date 02.13 02.19 02.25
Title COOKING WITH A 1000 DEGREE KNIFE!! SLUMBER SERIES: 21st Birthday Edition! ft.
Drumaq My Everyday Skincare Routine! 2017
Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQpXwkHPNyQ&t=1
s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iatCaRFsuM
g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFTD-
opXs2Y
Video
description
Today I tried cooking with a 1000 degree knife.. it was
terrifying.
Today's Slumber Series celebrates being 21,
eating cake & sharing ridiculous memories!
THUMBS UP!!
Today I talk about what skincare products I use
everyday! Shop here!
http://bit.ly/ClaudiaTTDO This video is
sponsored by Clinique. Available at Clinique
counters nationwide, Sephora, and
Sephora.com. Links: link to subscribe, social media links Links: social media links Links: link to the sponsor's website, social
media links, list of products mentioned
Thumbnail
Video duration 5:46 21:00 8:10
Topic range Lifestyle - Challenge Lifestyle Beauty
Topic Doing an interesting experiment. - challenge A series created by her talking about lifestyle
issues Skincare routine
Uploading day Monday Sunday Saturday
Scheduled video No No No
Collaboration No Yes (the whole series is a collaboration) No
Related to a
special event No No No
Does she invite
to subscribe? Yes, in the info box with link. Yes, in the info box with link. No
Answering
comments No Yes Yes
(Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)
46
Table 21: Videos analyzed on Claudia Sulewski's channel II.
Date 03.03 03.14 04.09
Title Get Ready With Me: Before I Fall | Claudia Sulewski Moving Out & Commute Season 2!! Twitter Q&A THE COMMUTE SEASON 2: Behind the
Scenes!!
Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBMu-6BrQC4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58di0BYIP3Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc16eq2qv0
8
Video
description
Get ready with me fore the Before I Fall Red Carpet
Premiere! Thanks to Awesomeness Films for
sponsoring this video! Get your tickets:
http://beforeifalltix.com
-
After 3 crazy, amazing, exhausting weeks we
FINALLY WRAPPED COMMUTE SEASON
2!! THUMBS UP IF YOU'RE READY.
Links: social media links Links: social media links Links: social media links
Thumbnail
Video duration 4:17 6:37 13:11
Topic range Beauty, Vlog Lifestyle Lifestyle, Vlog, Behind the scenes
Topic Get ready with me, vlog at the event. Q&A Behind the scenes of her series.
Uploading day Friday Tuesday Sunday
Scheduled
video
No No No
Collaboration No No No
Related to a
special event Related to Before I Fall Red Carpet Premiere. No No
Does she invite
to subscribe? No No No
Answering
comments Yes Yes No
(Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)
47
Table 22: Content analysis of routes to persuasion regarding Claudia Sulewski's channel
Video number 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Total score for the
route
Route C P C P C P C P C P C P Central Peripheral
Title focus 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 6 Video description 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 - - 1 1 5 5
Thumbnail focus 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 6 Share of competency 1 0 - - 1 0 1 0 - - - - 3 0
Emotional appeal 0 1 0 1 - - - - 0 1 - - 0 3 Duration consistency 0 1 - - - - 0 1 0 1 - - 0 3
Topic consistency - - - - 0 1 0 1 - - - - 0 2
Seasonality - - 0 1 - - - - - - - - 0 1 Collaboration - - 1 1 - - - - - - - - 1 1
Uploading consistency 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 - - - - 0 4 Special event relatedness - - 1 1 - - 1 1 - - - - 2 2
Invitation to subscribe 0 1 0 1 - - - - - - - - 0 2
Comment reaction - - 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 - - 2 4
Total score 4 7 5 10 5 6 6 8 2 5 3 3 25 39
Total persuasive score 11 15 11 14 7 6 64 (Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)
48
Appendix C: Meghan Rienks
Table 23: Videos analyzed on Meghan Rienk's channel I.
Date 02.13 02.14 02.27 03.03
Title TRYING INSTAGRAM MAKEUP BOYFRIEND TAG 💖 | Meghan
Rienks {2017}
EXPOSING YOUTUBE FRIEND
DRAMA? | SAY IT OR WEAR IT! MY FAVORITE THINGS
Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=73bfXzfmpFg&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=07QWwwkSurQ&t=371s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=K0VQgovpXBM&t=4s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=FFuikbRC8fI
Video description
crushing my dreams of being the
next mannymua
big shoutout to this kid for
subjecting himself to the internet
& for loving me despite how batshit
crazy I am.
He da real MVP
da james to my lily
da neil to my david
da zoe to my alfie
da raquel to my corrine
gross too many feelings
now thats one dirty video
WOAH HELLO MY
FAVORITES! v excite that CND™
Vinylux™ nail polish is now at cvs
& walgreens so we can all have
pretty handz without human
interaction ;) big thank you to
@CNDWorld #adP.S...... an
unfathomable amount of coffee and
cold medication went into the
production of this video..... just so
you know.
Links: links to own videos, social
media links, products listed with
links
Links: links to own videos, social
media links
Links: links to own videos, social
media links
Links: links to own videos,
products listed with links
Thumbnail
Video duration 6:28 9:19 6:55 9:59
Topic range Beauty Lifestyle - Tag Lifestyle - Tag Lifestyle
Topic Makeup tutorial, funny. Boyfriend tag, love. Truth or dare tag, funny. Favorites video.
Uploading day Monday Tuesday Monday Friday
Scheduled video No No No Yes.
Collaboration No No No No
Related to a special
event No Yes, Valentines day. No No
Does she invite to
subscribe? No
Yes, she asks for it in the video and
with an annotation in the end of the
video.
No Yes, with an annotation in the end
of the video.
Answering
comments No Yes No Yes
(Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)
49
Table 24: Videos analyzed on Meghan Rienk's channel II.
Date 03.13 03.22 04.01 04.12
Title BOYFRIEND DOES MY
VOICEOVER | 💖 Meghan Rienks
WHEN YOU SHOULD LOSE
YOUR VIRGINITY | Meghan
Rienks
HOW I CLEARED MY ACNE:
SKINCARE ROUTINE FOR
ACCUTANE
TESTING SHARK TANK
PRODUCTS | feat. Beauty Break
Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=QsxVTdprhPQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=Q4hx94-nXiA&feature=push-u-
sub&attr_tag=CKyK4UjE9JzAEIQ
Y-6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=QdPqjin-aYk&t=0s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=p1aVEOKj5gw
Video description
i think we have a booty guru on our
hands
CALL ME BEEP ME IF U WANNA
REACH ME
↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
310- 694-0976
i'm so STOKED to be finally
announcing this! I've been working on
and planning it for legit YEARS so
it's about damn time!
i thought i'd answer some questions
about it here, so i'll be updating this
FAQ section as i read the comments!
♡ FAQ ABOUT THE 'DON'T
BLAME ME' PODCAST ♡
ugh this video makes me happy
______________________________
ps incase you're a fake adult like me
& don't know how to find a
dermatologist - i used
https://www.zocdoc.com/
(THIS IS LEGIT NOT SPONSORED
AT ALL I JUST LIKE IT I SWEAR
GUYS OKAY LETS BE REAL IF
THIS WAS SPONSORED I
WOULDN'T HAVE SAID FUCK SO
MANY TIMES OKAY!??!?)
now imagine if we were actually on
drugz
i literally dont know what to even
write here because this video is a
bigger mess than the 4th of july party
i threw my senior year of high school
which is saying A LOT bc i had a
sunburn and just went topless and
counted the sunburn as the red, my
jean shorts as the blue and my
personalize solo cup as the 'white'.
have you changed ur opinion of me?
probably not- we already all know
how rachet i am. Links: social media links, products
listed with links -
Links: links to own videos, social
media links
Links: links to own videos, social
media links
Thumbnail
Video duration 5:12 18:27 12:31 8:37
Topic range Lifestyle - Tag Lifestyle - Advice Lifestyle, Beauty Lifestyle
Topic Boyfriend does my voiceover,
funny.
‘Doctor Meghan’ series, giving
advice to questions asked by
viewers.
Announces an upcoming podcast
she is starting now.
Story regarding how she cleared her
acne. Testing funny products.
Uploading day Monday Wednesday Saturday Wednesday
Scheduled video No No No No
Collaboration No No No No
Related to a special
event No No No No
Does she invite to
subscribe?
Yes, with an annotation in the end
of the video.
Yes, with an annotation in the end
of the video.
Yes, with an annotation in the end
of the video. No
Answering
comments Yes Yes No No
(Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)
50
Table 25: Content analysis of routes to persuasion regarding Meghan Rienks's channel
Video number 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Total score for the
route
Route C P C P C P C P C P C P C P C P Central Peripheral
Title focus 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 8 Video description 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 3 8
Thumbnail focus 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 8 Share of competency 1 0 - - - - 1 0 - - 1 0 1 0 1 0 5 0
Emotional appeal - - 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 - - 0 6 Duration consistency 0 1 - - 0 1 - - 0 1 - - - - 0 1 0 4
Topic consistency 0 1 - - - - - - - - - - 0 1 - - 0 2
Seasonality - - - - - - 0 1 - - - - - - - - 0 1 Collaboration - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 1 1 1
Uploading consistency 0 1 0 1 - - 0 1 - - - - - - - - 0 3 Special event relatedness - - 1 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 1
Invitation to subscribe - - 0 1 - - 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 - - 0 5
Comment reaction 0 1 1 1 - - 1 1 0 1 1 1 - - - - 3 5
Total score 3 7 4 8 1 5 5 8 2 7 5 6 4 6 4 5 28 52
Total persuasive score 10 12 6 13 9 11 10 9 80 (Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)
51
Appendix D: Jenn Im
Table 26: Videos analyzed on Jenn Im’s channel I.
Date 02.19 02.23 02.26 03.01
Title What Would Jenn Wear #12 How I Became More Confident February Monthly Vlog |
JENNBRUARY February Favorites 2017
Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=TdrkfzYiD1M&t=0s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=w4gPu5Tv0ts&t=377s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=UWSdGxxtJMU&t=3s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=dU-jFU30tfQ
Video description
Ever had trouble on deciding what
to wear? I gotchu! What Would
Jenn Wear is a segment where you
tweet me your fashion dilemmas
and I answer them. In this new
episode, I show you how to style
fishnets to finding inspiration in an
art piece!
Confidence is something that came
gradually for me. In this video, I sit
down and have a candid talk about
how I became more comfortable
and happy with myself.
Ohhhh snap! Another Sunday.
Another vlog. I didn’t expect to
document so much of February, but
I surprised myself. In this video,
Steph gives me her very belated
(but incredible) birthday gift, Ben
and I picnic for Valentine’s Day,
Sophia tints my brows and a whole
lot moar!
Holy smokes! Where did February
go?! Well let’s rewind and chat
about some of my favorites from
last month.
-
Links: social media links, products
she is wearing listed with links -
Links: social media links, products
mentioned listed with links
Thumbnail
Video duration 6:17 7:19 24:28 7:20
Topic range Fashion Lifestyle - Advice Lifestyle - Vlog Beauty
Topic Giving advice on what to wear for
special occasions or on how to style
particular clothes.
Giving 5 tips to become confident
based on her own experience. Monthly vlog. February favorites.
Uploading day Sunday Thursday Sunday Wednesday
Scheduled video No No Yes, February vlog. Yes, February favorites.
Collaboration No No No No
Is it related to a
special event? No No No No
Does she invite to
subscribe? Yes, in the info box with link. Yes, in the info box with link.
Yes, with an annotation in the end
of the video and with a link in the
info box.
Yes, with an annotation in the end
of the video.
Answering
comments Yes Yes Yes Yes
(Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)
52
Table 27: Videos analyzed on Jenn Im’s channel II.
Date 03.05 03.13 03.19 03.26
Title Hot Cheetos Quesadillas Taste Test
with Sophia Chang
Spring Thrift Haul |
clothesencounters
How To Pose For Photos | 10 Easy
Poses For Instagram
Jenn Goes To Austin |
clothesencounters
Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=OfMqxhlSzE0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=dA3egTBbjTM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=dRji6CpS7iQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=_GumH9nP2GU
Video description
Hot Cheetos and I have had a long
history together. I couldn't even tell
you how many bags I've consumed
in my lifetime. I'm switching it up
this time though. In this video,
Sophia and I taste test a fire-y
recipe by adding three different
types of Hot Cheeto dusts in our
quesadillas. Are they delicious?
Watch to find out.
Spring is so close I can almost
smell it! A few days ago I decided
to pop into my local Goodwill to
what I could find. Luckily the thrift
bone is still in me and I racked up
quite a number of things.
Say cheeeese! Posing for photos
can feel super awkward especially
if you don’t know where to get
started. In this video, I share with
you my ten go to poses that you can
easily apply today!
A few weeks ago I had the
opportunity to go to SXSW and I
had such an amazing time there.
This video is sponsored by ‘The
Beguiled,’ directed by Sofia
Coppola, in theaters June 23. For
more, check out
http://www.thebeguiledmovie.com
#ad
Links: link to subscribe, social
media links
Links: social media links, products
she is wearing listed with links
Links: social media links, products
she is wearing listed Links: social media links
Thumbnail
Video duration 9:45 6:24 6:25 7:03
Topic range Lifestyle - Cooking Fashion Lifestyle, Fashion Lifestyle - Vlog
Topic Cooking together, eating. Fashion haul. How to pose on photos? Vlog about SXSW (film, interactive
media festival).
Uploading day Sunday Monday Sunday Saturday
Scheduled video No. No No No
Collaboration Yes, with Sophia Chang. No No No
Related to a special
event No. No No
Yes, related to SXSW festival,
Austin.
Does she invite to
subscribe? Yes
Yes, with an annotation in the end
of the video.
Yes, with an annotation in the end
of the video.
Yes, with an annotation in the end
of the video.
Answering
comments Yes Yes Yes Yes
(Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)
53
Table 28: Videos analyzed on Jenn Im’s channel III.
Date 03.31 04.04 04.09
Title March Favorites 2017 March Monthly Vlog | clothesencounters Jet Set Jenn | Festival Beauty Kit + Lookbook
Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQX34hc3Bt
U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqBY_Kfugog&t=
7s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjDRzahgr
TI
Video description
Well we just marched on through March, huh?
Here I am giving you a run down on some of my
must haves from this month.
Man oh man. March was an absolute doozy. It was a
lotta werk werk werk werk werk, but I did get a good
chunk of time to spend with friends and loved ones.
Music festival season is officially here! I've
partnered with Revolve to curate the ultimate
festival and travel beauty kit. I've also whipped
up five outfits that you can rock to the desert.
Links: social media links, products she is wearing
listed with links, products mentioned listed with
links
Links: social media links Links: social media links, products she is
wearing listed, links to sponsored products
Thumbnail
Video duration 8:13 13:55 8:01
Topic range Beauty Lifestyle-Vlog Beauty, Fashion
Topic Sharing her favorite products used in March. Monthly vlog Festival beauty tips.
Uploading day Friday Tuesday Saturday
Scheduled video Yes, March favorites. Yes, March monthly vlog. No
Collaboration No No No
Related to a
special event No No No
Does she invite to
subscribe? Yes, with an annotation in the end of the video.
Yes, with an annotation in the end of the video and
with a link in the info box.
Yes, with an annotation in the end of the video
and with a link in the info box.
Answering
comments Yes Yes Yes
(Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)
54
Table 29: Content analysis of routes to persuasion regarding Jenn Im’s channel
Video number 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Total score for the
route
Route C P C P C P C P C P C P C P C P C P C P C P Central Peripheral
Title focus 1 1 1 1 - - 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 - - 1 1 7 9
Video description 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 11
Thumbnail focus 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 10 6 Share of competency 1 0 1 0 - - 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 - - 1 0 - - 1 8 0 Emotional appeal - - 0 1 - - 0 1 - - - - - - - - 0 1 - - - - 0 3 Duration consistency 0 1 0 1 - - 0 1 - - 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 - - 0 1 0 8 Topic consistency 0 1 0 0 - - 0 1 - - 0 1 0 1 - - 0 1 - - 0 1 0 6 Seasonality - - - - 0 1 0 1 - - - - - - - - 0 1 0 1 - - 0 4 Collaboration 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 11 Uploading
consistency 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 - - 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 10
Special event
relatedness - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 1 - - - - - - 1 1
Invitation to
subscribe 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 11
Comment reaction 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 11 Total score 6 9 6 9 4 6 6 11 6 7 5 7 6 9 5 8 6 10 4 6 5 9 59 91
Total persuasive
score 15 15 10 17 13 12 15 13 16 10 14 150
(Own editing, based on analysis data retrieved from Youtube)