Brand Management in the Era of Social Media: Social Visibility of Consumption and Customer Brand Identification

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 727-742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Kam Fung So ◽  
Laurie Wu ◽  
Lina Xiong ◽  
Ceridwyn King

Despite consumers’ increasing use of social media channels to make their travel experiences more visible to people within their social networks, brand management research in the tourism literature lacks a clear understanding of how social visibility of consumption affects consumer perceptions of their relationships with the brand. Drawing upon social identity theory and the theory of conspicuous consumption, this study extends the current brand management literature by investigating the role of consumption’s social visibility in the formation of customer brand identification in the era of social media. Using the airline industry as the study context, this study suggests that social visibility of consumption leads to cognitive, affective, and evaluative identifications. The results also indicate that the three components of customer brand identification interact with each other in realizing positive word of mouth communication. The findings highlight the significant benefits of making customers’ travel experiences socially visible to people around them.

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Urška Tuškej ◽  
Klement Podnar

Purpose This paper aims to examine relationships between consumer-brand identification (CBI), brand prestige (BP), brand anthropomorphism (BA) and consumers’ active engagement in brand activities on social media in corporate brand settings. Design/methodology/approach Data collected with an online survey on a sample randomly drawn from an online panel of consumers were used to test the proposed theoretical model. Findings Anthropomorphism and prestige of corporate brands were found to positively influence consumer-brand identification. Also, CBI positively affects consumers’ active engagement and fully mediates the effect of BP and BA on consumers-brand engagement (CBE) with corporate brands. Research limitations/implications Further research in other markets and on a broader set of corporate brands would additionally validate results and enable comparisons of impacts among different brand categories. The data were gathered in one country, so further research in other markets would additionally validate results of this study. Practical implications Chief executives responsible for corporate brand management are provided with some insights on how appropriate corporate brand identity management can strengthen CBI and stimulate CBE on social media. Originality/value This paper provides some novel insights into the research on consumer-brand identification. It is the first study (to the authors’ knowledge) that empirically supports the positive influence of brand anthropomorphism on CBI in corporate brand settings. It also contributes to the clarification of previously inconsistent results of the influence of BP on CBI. By showing that consumers’ identification with a corporate brand plays a vital role in increasing consumers’ active engagement on social media, the study contributes to the relatively sparse body of research on CBE.


2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Wang

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how companies make use of social media communication to turn crises into opportunities and how consumers respond to this brand management strategy, and evaluate the effects of this kind of advertising campaign. Design/methodology/approach – This study uses the textual analysis method to examine the verbal fight between two brand competitors on Sina Weibo. An interpretative analysis approach is adopted to analyze a series of micro-blog messages and relevant responses and comments. A statistical analysis is conducted to reveal the public opinion on this case. Findings – The brand crisis due to trademark dispute has been successfully turned into an advertising campaign, which received eager and favorable responses from the consumers. In the name of making apologies, the company in crisis availed itself of the Weibo platform to make a veiled protest against the verdict of the Court. The technique “acting cute” was proved to be effective in diminishing the negative effect of a brand crisis and winning public sympathy and support. Research limitations/implications – The research findings may provide insights into the interplay between brand advertising and corporate crisis communication on the platform of social media. Practical implications – This study can inform practitioners of useful techniques to deal with brand crises via social media. Originality/value – The value of this study lies not only in its contribution to the body of knowledge on online crisis management with a case of Chinese companies, but also in its validation of the interplay between crisis communication and advertising.


2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Nadas Ramachandra Pillay

This study seeks to examine the exponential growth of social media technology as a key component in recent American political campaigning, as well as its use and impact on the larger disciplines of marketing and branding. Adopting the approach of a case study with the focus firmly on the current American president, Barack Obama, the study identifies the key media and technologies used in the build-up to the 2008 American presidential elections in order to unpack and understand how such media channels, technological platforms and patterns were successfully utilised. References are also made to the concepts of ‘branding’ and ‘super branding’ in the discussion, and to the myriad ways in which social media has helped create and roll-out what has since become commonly known as ‘brand Obama’. To provide a framework for the discussion and in order to further understand the rapid growth and proliferation of social media on the political campaigning landscape, a comparison is made with the 2004 American presidential election campaign. This, it is posited, will assist us understand the drivers of new media technologies especially as they are used to create and impact positively on the growth of political super brands.


Author(s):  
Nisrine Zammar

The use of social media platforms has become an essential part of today's protocol of reacting to any sudden crisis, due to their interactive nature which allows them to reach vast and heterogeneous audiences. This makes them the right tool that enables the organizations to spread their messages efficiently. Any failure in responding adequately on social media level, would allow rumors and negative contents to circulate uncontrollably, affecting the organizational reputation and recovery. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to provide a clear understanding of the crisis communication strategy adopted by Dairy Khoury, a Lebanese firm, on social media, at a time when the new power of social media had not yet been fully measured and estimated. The author will highlight the necessity of a preset crisis communication strategy and the use of social media platforms while dealing with crisis.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma E. Duke ◽  
Kathleen C. Sitter ◽  
Nicole Boggan

Online communication continues to provide opportunities to connect, mobilize and disseminate information amongst direct service organizations. While the use of social media among non-profits continues to expand, there is a paucity of research that documents the extent to which online channels – particularly social media – are adopted and used amongst organizations that support sex workers. Online advocacy efforts have grown over the last decade, with sex workers and non-profit organizations at the forefront. This article evaluates the presence and social media strategies amongst organizations providing direct services for sex workers in Canada. Eighty-seven organizations operating in Canada were examined to assess both the types of social media channels used, and the online strategies employed. Results indicate there is a propensity for agencies to engage in multiple social media platforms with spaces for service users to post information in lieu of static sites that predominantly support one-way communication. Recommendations and best practices include integrating postings across platforms for efficiency, developing and maintaining safe spaces online, and focusing on channels that support multilogue communication.             Keywords:  Sex work, social media, knowledge


2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 422-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laci Wallace ◽  
Jacquelyn Wilson ◽  
Kimberly Miloch

Social-media Web sites provide a strategic means for college and university athletic departments to build and maintain a strong brand presence when cultivating relationships with Facebook users. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of social media as a brand-management tool in college athletics. Specifically, this study examined the use of Facebook in the NCAA (N = 10) and in the Big 12 Athletic Conference (N = 12) by content posted throughout the 2010–11 season. These Facebook pages were examined to determine how major college sport organizations were using communication tools, types of brand-management factors, and marketing coverage. The data revealed statistically significant differences in content posted by season, type of communication tools, and fan interaction. The results from this content analysis were used to conceptualize branding, marketing, and Facebook user behavior.


Author(s):  
Yanka Georgieva Aleksandrova ◽  
Silvia Stoyanova Parusheva

The main goal of this research is to identify some notable trends, opportunities and limitations regarding the application of social media in higher education based on studying the way students use social media during their education. The re-search is focused on the impact of social media on the process of learning, creation and distribution of education related content, as well as on education related communication. The target groups of the research are students in University of Economics Varna enrolled in different bachelor and master programs. An association analysis was implemented to identify the most common pat-terns regarding the application of social media in the education process. Statistical methods for testing hypothesis were used to assess the relationship between students’ specialty and derived social media patterns. The findings show that Facebook groups are а preferable social media tool for communication with colleagues, content sharing and distribution, while wikis and university Learning Management Systems (LMSs) are most used for content creation and additional learning. Some social media channels are more preferable for content creation and additional learning compared to scientific databases and e-books. Following the research results a conclusion can be drawn regarding the leading part of the students in initiating the use of social media compared to the relatively smaller role of the academic staff in this process. A medium to small relationships were discovered between students’ specialty and the application of con-tent sharing communities and forums in knowledge process with students in computer science more likely to use these social media types compared to students in economics.


Author(s):  
Tamara R. Meredith ◽  
Scott J. Warren

Although faculty may not believe that they are legitimately “teaching” while engaging with students via Facebook, results of interviews and publicly available Facebook data clearly document intentional music faculty activities that fit the description of teaching through enculturation. This situates the phenomenon of Facebook groups firmly within the larger apprenticeship model in use in music departments; the process of enculturation through Facebook is used to teach new apprentices how to become functional members of their musical communities. Recommendations generated from the research and discussed in this chapter include addressing faculty concerns about personal and professional risk, departmental development of guidelines for Facebook group use and management that is based in enculturation theory, and training for music faculty in the use of social media channels as opportunities for teaching and learning.


Social media has exploded as a category of online communication where people create content, share it, bookmark it, and network at an exponential rate. Social media is changing the public interaction in society. It is setting new trends and agendas in topics. The enormity and high variety of information propagates through large user communities. It provides a good opportunity for harnessing that data for specific purposes. This chapter talks about the usefulness of interaction on social media channels for finding an open, innovative approach in solving issues faced by business entities and rural people in India.


Author(s):  
Vít Chlebovský ◽  
Vítězslav Plšek

Objective of the research described in this article is to make an analysis of the usage of marketing communication using both traditional Internet communication channels as well as Social Media Networks by the Czech companies. Primary research was made through on-line questionnaire. Companies across the branches and size categories within the Czech economy were addressed. Companies were selected from the www.firmy.cz portal. Only companies with their own web domain were addressed. The typical respondents were mostly from middle management, especially managers from the marketing or commercial departments. The final number of questionnaire respondents covered in the research is 1009. The main research method was questioning. The questionnaire consisted of three sections with the scale answer questions mainly. Google Refine was used for data processing and Microsoft Excel for statistical processing and graphic outputs of the research. Evaluated results show significant gaps in usage of Internet communication tools in marketing of Czech companies and also deficiency between clear understanding of the respondents how Social Media should be used in marketing communication and real use in the companies. This deficiency was statistically tested and relation between respondents’ perception of the importance of Social Media use for bidirectional communication with stakeholders and non-use of Social Media for bidirectional communication with stakeholders by respondents’ company was confirmed.


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