The subject of the thesis is consumer brand awareness on Instagram – fitness industry and millennials. Brand awareness of consumers is vital for increasing company revenue as well as selling services or products. Social media has changed the marketing and advertising landscape for organizations as they are forced to adapt to the changes it has brought to the world. With the number of social media users reaching nearly 3 billion in 2020, investments into social media advertising continues to grow. Cost efficiency of advertising on social media and its impact on consumer behavior has increased the com-petition among global brands. Female users and young adult population dominate the platform and have the highest spending behavior with users aged 14 to 30. The fitness industry is continuing to grow to reach revenue of 100 billion dollars. Hence, Instagram represents an ideal platform for first encounters with millennials, as they are the driving force behind the platform.

The study focuses on brand awareness within the scope of the fitness industry and female millennials in the Instagram context. The research analyzes three fitness Instagram-popular brands in order to gain an understanding of how to achieve successful brand recognition among female millennials and to determine specific actions which can be executed to influence brand awareness on Instagram. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three Instagram based fitness brand leaders that focus their marketing strategies on female millennials on Instagram: Nepra Activewear, Nine Pine Activewear and Weekendbee Sportswear. The theoretical part of the thesis provides a literature re-view on establishing a brand on social media and the evolution of Instagram. Research findings reveal that in the competitive fitness market, utilizing Instagram Stories and user generated content such as mentions and tagged photos of users, posting compelling educational authentic content, and building community around the brand and its values, greatly supports engagement and brand awareness among female millennials.