This Bachelor’s thesis study examines the way companies use and create personalized marketing content. The primary goal of the study was to determine the different uses of personalized marketing content, as well as the different personalization methods used by companies. The thesis consists of a theory section, followed by an empirical section. The theory section discusses marketing personalization, content creation, data collection, and customer experiences. The empirical section includes a desktop study to determine consumer and company perspectives on marketing personalization, as well as a survey conducted for companies practicing personalized marketing.
The study was based on both quantitative and qualitative methods. First, a desktop study was conducted to determine consumer perspectives. Studies and surveys including both qualitative and quantitative data were included. Second, a survey including both qualitative and quantitative questions was presented to companies operating internationally. The results of this survey were analysed utilizing SPSS statistics software. The study showed that both companies and consumers have quite contradicting views on the level of content in marketing personalization. While consumers require more personalization, it was also found that they are very reluctant on giving their information for data collection. Data collection was found to be one of the most important personalization methods, but consumers show to be very uncomfortable with companies utilizing their data. Trust and transparency are some of the methods companies can utilize to increase trust in consumers. Personalized marketing content is mostly used by companies in a way that consumers perceive it as a positive and useful tool that creates value for them. When overdone, it can be perceived as annoying, intrusive, and disruptive by consumers. However, when done correctly personalized marketing does exactly what it is supposed to, which is to deliver the right message, to the right person, in the right channel, at the right time. As the number of companies surveyed was quite low, the results cannot necessarily be applied to all companies.