Multivocal Communication in the Social Media Age: A Comparative Case Study of Communication in Social Media Brand Communities between Brands and Community Members
Author
Bajna, Tabita Cote
Term
4. term
Publication year
2019
Submitted on
2019-06-03
Pages
79
Abstract
I den digitale tidsalder er sociale medier blevet centrale for, hvordan internationale virksomheder taler med mennesker. Mange brands driver brandfællesskaber – online grupper på platforme som Facebook, hvor følgere interagerer med brandet og med hinanden – men de kæmper ofte med at kommunikere effektivt dér. Denne afhandling sammenligner kommunikationen i to Facebook-brandfællesskaber: de officielle, globale sider for BMW Motorrad og Ducati. Over én måned analyseres 123 opslag fra brandet, 945 kommentarer fra medlemmer og 141 svar fra brandet. Studiet bruger netnografi (observation af online interaktioner) og tematisk analyse (identifikation af tilbagevendende temaer) til at undersøge både hvad og hvordan både brands og medlemmer kommunikerer. Resultaterne viser, at begge brands deler indhold om produkter og svarer på kommentarer, men de griber det forskelligt an. BMW bruger sit fællesskab som et sted for dialog og samskabelse af, hvad brandet står for, sammen med brugerne. Ducati bruger primært sit fællesskab som en kanal til at sende marketingdefinerede budskaber fra brandet til brugerne. Uanset strategi rummer begge fællesskaber en blanding af positivt engagerede fans, neutralt engagerede deltagere, der stiller og besvarer spørgsmål, og negativt engagerede kritikere, inklusive fjendtlige stemmer. Afhandlingen diskuterer, hvad disse mønstre betyder for teori og praksis, samt begrænsninger og forslag til fremtidig forskning.
In today’s digital world, social media is central to how international companies talk with people. Many brands run brand communities—online groups on platforms like Facebook where followers interact with the brand and with each other—but they often struggle to communicate effectively there. This thesis compares communication in two Facebook brand communities: the official global pages of BMW Motorrad and Ducati. Over one month, it analyzes 123 brand posts, 945 member comments, and 141 brand replies. The study uses netnography (observing online interactions) and thematic analysis (identifying recurring topics) to examine both what and how the brands and the community members communicate. The results show that both brands share content about products and reply to comments, but they take different approaches. BMW uses its community as a place for conversation and for co-creating what the brand stands for together with users. Ducati uses its community mainly as a channel to broadcast marketing-defined messages from the brand to users. Regardless of brand strategy, both communities include a mix of positively engaged fans, neutrally engaged participants who ask and answer questions, and negatively engaged critics, including hostile voices. The thesis discusses what these patterns mean for theory and for managers, and outlines limitations and directions for future research.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
Documents