Organizational and strategic communication research: global trends

In this book we present the latest advances made in strategic and organizational communication. Beyond traditional approaches, we propose new ways of doing and understanding communication in today’s society. We discuss situations far from the traditional path. We delve into global citizens’ problems and the way in which dialogue and participation processes are connected. The problem of evictions and the emergence of citizens as new political actors, the management of sustainability in the digital era, the development of positive communication in socially aware companies, grassroots movements in defence of public space, how resilience can shape education, the use of brands and professional associations as activists in the defence of public interests, the feminization of politics and the power of visual elements in political campaigns are some of the issues addressed in this volume. In the book, communication is considered as the strategy to raise our voices and be heard. Strategic and organizational communication takes on an activist role to create a society that is fairer and more committed to citizens. The diversity represented in this book, not only with respect to the authors’ nationalities, but also in the theoretical and empirical approaches, reflects one of the most salient features of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) and the Organizational and Strategic Communication Section’s identity.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Stepping Lightly: A Case Study on Patagonia\u27s Corporate Environmental and Social Responsibility Marketing Strategy

Over the past decade or so, environmental and social responsibility has become an important business practice employed by corporations around the world. It shows that businesses respect public values and work towards reducing their carbon footprints. The purpose of this study was to analyze Patagonia\u27s corporate environmental and social responsibility marketing strategy. Patagonia is one of the leading outdoor apparel and gear companies in the industry, and is known for its activism for current social and environmental issues. This research was gathered using a case study guide developed by the researcher, which outlined Patagonia\u27s corporate environmental and social responsibility efforts and current marketing types. The results of this study indicate the company\u27s successful use of unconventional and environmentally-conscious marketing strategies. It is important for Patagonia to continue displaying thoughtfulness for the environment through their marketing campaigns, hopefully inspiring competing outdoor apparel companies to do the same

Disrupt Adapt: New ways to deal with current challenges in media and communication

In the last couple of years, our world has undergone rapid and far-reaching transformations. Digitalization is changing society through the adoption of new technologies, and influences our ways of living and working. Furthermore, a seemingly never-ending pandemic, an increasingly polarized public, the rise of political conflicts, the threats of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, and climate change are fundamentally changing our way of life and changing the way we communicate. This dynamic, complex and uncertain new environment disrupts familiar workflows. Because communication is always strongly embedded in the environment in which it takes place, the latest changes inevitably bring obstacles for communication professionals as well. But instead of feeling intimidated by these developments, why not confront them head on and grow through them? This publication aims to give impulses on how to master and overcome the multifaceted challenges of an ever faster changing, globalized world. The six studies - developed over the course of a yearlong research seminar at Leipzig University - focus on current trends in the fields of journalism and strategic communication and examine what is currently occupying practice and science: digital sustainability storytelling as contributor to corporate success and the potential of corporate podcasts in branding, the use of remote work for employer branding, the pressure companies face to take a stance on socio-political issues, how German political parties use new campaign tactics on social media, and the effects of the increasing threat of violence against journalists. The results show how professionals are dealing with these challenging times, formulate implications for the practical field, and open the pathway for future research

How Patagonia apply Triple Bottom Line in their marketing strategy.

A sustainable business model generates competitive advantages through the incorporation of values and mission at social media platforms, especially in the clothing sector which is the second most pullulated in the world, by changing business supply chain can impacted environmental positively to save the planet. This case study examines how Patagonia apply triple bottom line in its marketing strategy, by analysing how having an ethical awareness drives brand engagement and the evaluation of the most appropriate Patagonia social media platform (YouTube, Facebook and Instagram) from driving the sustainability. The findings of both questions will lead to building hypothesis regarding if sustainable drives engagement and the most suitable social media. The goal of this research is to develop awareness, which can be used to integrated non sustainable organisations into their business model, while generate profit

The Excellence of Public Relations of Universities in Promoting the Social Responsibility

Public relations represent a unique way of promoting the organization, its services, or products, by promoting communication in the shared space. The purpose of the research is to describe the applicative role of public relations of the universities in enriching the social responsibility, respectively, to identify the perception of PR staff of that role. In this regard, the descriptive approach has been used, applying the questionnaire-based inquiry to a sample of 46 practitioners of PR in 13 Universities (3 Jordanian, 2 Iraqi, 2 Algerian, 2 Egyptian, 2 Emirate, 2 Libyan), which may allow us to formulate conclusions valid to such a process. The results have displayed that the distinguished reception and hospitality ceremonies has been one of the most issues that the public relations of universities try to achieve, followed by enriching the image of universities. The most ways followed by PRs to enhance social responsibility are” meetings and Conferences” and “Courses and Webinars”. The “Trips” and “Interviews on media and broadcasting” has been one of the low used ways. Relating to achievements, it is appeared that “Holding conferences on future job prospects for graduates and possible opportunities” has been the most achievements of social responsibility by PRs of universities, but the studies and reports about social responsibility achieved and published” and university participation in civil society activities” have come at the low- level

Visual Communication and Design’s Role Drives Branding Innovation and Social Responsibility

In this paper, the aim of research is to analyse the theoretical principles of traditional and newer forms of branding design, and to review the visual communicator’s roles as constructed through traditional, social and postmodernist perspectives. Where designers traditionally direct their course in the branding process to solving clients’ problems through the production of symbolic icons and images, this study will place their responsibility towards understanding society’s attitudinal and behavioural change at the forefront. This paper uses case study and qualitative inquiry methods to challenge the design fraternity to see beyond the bread-and-butter work behind conceptual design development, and to find a stronger relational understanding between their life experiences, changing consumer perceptions of the world, and businesses’ ultimate goals of profit. Research shows that as the dynamics of ethical business and social purpose continue to affect the production and consumption of goods, the visual communicator’s role is to both define and empower cultural consumption as the core brand purpose of today’s organisations - five decades since Ken Garland’s manifesto; “First Things First” was proclaimed. Lastly, it shall be argued for every designer to evaluate their social responsibility in the branding execution of marketed consumer brands beyond symbolic meaning construction. Keywords: design; postmodern branding; social innovation; social purpose

What do people "like" on Facebook? Content marketing strategies used by retail bank brands in Australia and Singapore

Previous research has yet to examine the effectiveness of social media content strategies in the financial services sector. This study advances knowledge of content strategies used by retail bank brands by examining how the type of message, the post format and the source of the content influence customer engagement independently and interactively. A total of 541 posts from the Facebook pages of ten banks in Australia and Singapore are analysed using multiple regressions. Results suggest that in the Singaporean sample, persuasive-only content and mixed content lead to more likes and emoji responses, whereas informative-only content is effective in generating comments and questions. Furthermore, videos and third-party sources strengthen the relationship between informative-only content and customer engagement. In the Australian sample, informative-only content and mixed content are more effective than persuasive content in engaging customers. The findings support an integrated view of content design and highlight the importance of adjusting the content strategy to suit the utilitarian nature of banking services and engage high-involvement customers