Open Access

Daniel Merz

• In recent years, an increasingly technological and digital world, with new opportunities and communication channels, has seen a power shift between brands and their consumers in favor of the latter (Hansen et al., 2018). This bachelor's thesis examines the question of whether there are models that can help companies and their brands to counteract the change in the power balance while responding to changing consumer behavior. Method: To answer this question, two models, crowdsourcing, and influencer marketing were presented, that can also be used in the context of brand management. These were analyzed from a brand perspective in terms of their possibilities and benefits. In addition, both were analyzed from the consumer's point of view in terms of their correspondence with the customers' requirements. Results: The results show that both crowdsourcing and influencer marketing are suitable in principle, because they address parts of the new consumer requirements, while at the same time enabling the brand to act in a more self-determined manner. For a successful implementation of the models, however, it is essential that there is a strong brand community that wants to interact with the brand and its partners. Significance of the results: The results provide some good initial insights into solving the problem presented, but also clearly point out, that further research is required to better address the issue of the shifted balance of power between consumers and brands.