The Legitimacy of the Media Industry – What do Advertisers Expect?

Abstract As the media industry is globally affected by changes, we fill a gap that exists in understanding stakeholders’ expectations about the future of media by examining the perceived legitimacy of the media industry through advertisers’ expectations. Expectations contribute to stakeholder assessments and behavior, and unmet expectations may hinder organizational legitimacy. The qualitative study consisted of interviews of the 10 biggest media advertisers in Finland and social media observations. The results show that both traditional and new expectations may pose threats to the legitimacy of media, calling the industry to engage the central stakeholders in future planning and scenarios.

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