Informing brand messaging strategies via social media analytics
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-02-2015-0062 |
| Date | 08 February 2016 |
| Published date | 08 February 2016 |
| Pages | 6-24 |
| Author | Constantinos K. Coursaris,Wietske van Osch,Brigitte A. Balogh |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval |
Informing brand
messaging strategies via
social media analytics
Constantinos K. Coursaris and Wietske van Osch
Department of Media and Information,
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA, and
Brigitte A. Balogh
Department of Advertising and Public Relations,
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to offer a theory-driven, evidence-based approach to
developing a brand’s messaging strategies on social media encompassing three messaging dimensions,
namely, appeal, content, and richness.
Design/methodology/approach –Using longitudinal data from threeFortune 200 companies –Delta
Airlines, Wal-Mart, and McDonald’s–the authors empirically investigate comprehensive strategic
messaging framework. Using ANOVAs and regression analyses, the authors test a set of hypotheses
regarding the relations between a brand’s purchase involvement, its message appeal, message content,
and message richness, and engagement.
Findings –Findings reveal significant relations between purchase involvement and appeal. Furthermore,
the authors find that abstract content categories are best combined with richer media. Finally, both
transformation appeal and richer media have a highly significant and positive effect on engagement.
Research limitations/implications –The authors offer a theoretical ground and empirical
validation of both a comprehensive typology of content categories and a holistic strategic messaging
framework that can fill a significant void in the social media marketing literature that lacks
integrative models for assessing, classifying, analyzing, and in turn, informing future social media
marketing strategies.
Practical implications –The validatedframework can help managersbetter understand the diversity
of messaging components as well as offer an analytical tool for assessing the nature of engagement
associated with each appeal and category.
Originality/value –To the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper offers the first comprehensive
typology of content categories and validates it in the context of a strategic messages framework using
real-world data finding strong support for all hypotheses.
Keywords Social media, Strategy, Engagement, Marketing, Empirical, Messaging
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Recent studies have revealed that companies have grown their social media marketing
spending and are expected to continue to increase social media budgets in the next five
years (Moorman, 2015), making social media one of the fastest growing marketing
platforms in the world. The opportunity for novel forms of consumer interaction and
the unlimited scope of consumer markets, makes social media an attractive alternative
or complement to traditional marketing channels. Combined with its free, personal,
Online Information Review
Vol. 40 No. 1, 2016
pp. 6-24
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1468-4527
DOI 10.1108/OIR-02-2015-0062
Received 26 February 2015
Revised 23 April 2015
31 May 2015
Accepted 22 July 2015
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/1468-4527.htm
This research was supported by Leo Burnett Detroit (www.lbdetroit.com). The content is
solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of
Leo Burnet Detroit.
6
OIR
40,1
as well as social nature, social media does not merely offer significant cost ad vantages
compared to traditional media channels (Hoffman and Fodor, 2010), but further opens
up possibilities for targeting smaller niche markets –effectively reaching market
segments of one –and accruing unparalleled media exposure and referral marketing
(Carpenter and Shankar, 2012).
Similar to the social media hype among marketing practitioners, an explosion of social
media marketing scholarship can be witnessed (Fan and Gordon, 2014; Laroche et al., 2013;
McCarthy et al., 2014; He and Zha, 2014; He et al., 2013, 2014). Yet, despite the burgeoning
social media marketing literature, few studies have provided theoretically grounded,
empirically validated, comprehensive typologies for assessing, classifying, analyzing, and
in turn, informing future social media marketing strategies. Our analysis of the social
media marketing literature revealed only four such typologies, each with substantial blind
spots, inadequate theoretical grounding, and limited empirical validation.
In order to fill this void in the literature, this study involves the theoretical
amalgamation of three perspectives for analyzing brand messages –purchase
involvement, message appeal, and message richness –as well as the bottom-up
development of an empirical typology for classifying messaging content. While the
inclusion of existing marketing and communication theories offer adequate insights for
hypothesizing and understanding t he relation between purchase involvement,
messaging appeal, and the media richness in the composition of a brand message,
no applicable typologies for categorizing message content were identified.
Therefore, using a Multi-Grounded Theory (MGT) approach (Goldkuhl and
Cronholm, 2010), we develop a typology of Facebook page marketing messages.
Despite our focus on a single channel, Facebook pages, generalizability of our find ings
is enhanced by means of a longitudinal multiple-case design –involving the analysis of
three top Fortune companies –Delta Airlines, Wal-Mart, and McDonalds –that
represent the full range of product-service involvement categories –namely, airlines,
big box retailers, and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs)[1]. A total of 369 Facebook
posts were collected for analysis over two distinct six-week periods in the Spring and
Fall of 2012. Our final typology for classifying brand Facebook page posts
encompasses seven higher level, overarching categories, and 29 sub-categories, which
provide a comprehensive, yet, generalizable typology that allowed for the classification
of every single post coded across the two data periods.
Findings from our ANOVA and regression analyses reveal significant relations
between the four message components –purchase involvement, appeal, content, and
richness. Specifically, our findings show that brand purchase involvement –whether it
is high or low –significantly predicts the messaging appeal employed by brands in
their Facebook page posts. Furthermore, our analysis of content categories reveals
significant relationships between the context of a brand Facebook post and the media
type –text only, photo, video, or URL –included in the message. Additionally, findings
show that specific message appeal and high media richness of brand posts result in
significantly higher consumer engagement (i.e. likes, comments, and shares), whereas
no such relationship can be found for content.
The proposed typology of content categories as well as the results of our ANOVA
and regression analyses provide important insights for future research on social media
marketing strategies. Furthermore, the findings about effective message appeal an d
message richness as well as the classification of message content are important tools
for informing the design and development of successful social media marketing
messages. Hence, this study offers a comprehensive, logical, and analytical framework
7
Informing
brand
messaging
strategies
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