case study social media communication

20 Best Social Media Marketing Case Study Examples

How would you like to read the best social media marketing case studies ever published?

More importantly, how would you like to copy the best practices in social media marketing that are based on real-world examples and not just theory?

Below, you’ll find a list of the top 20 social media case study examples along with the results and key findings. By studying these social media marketing studies and applying the lessons learned on your own accounts, you can hopefully achieve similar results.

Table of Contents

Social Media Case Study Examples

793,500+ impressions for semrush on twitter  – walker sands social media case study.

The case study shows how Walker Sands implemented a premium Twitter microcontent program for Semrush, a global leader in digital marketing software. Semrush needed a strategic social media marketing partner to help distinguish its brand from competitors, drive a higher engagement rate among its target audience, and build brand loyalty. In this case study, you’ll find out how the social strategy focused on three things: using humor, embedding the brand in trending conversations, and focusing on the audience’s interests over marketing messages. The result was an increase of more than 793,500 impressions, 34,800 engagements, and a 4.4% average engagement rate.

Viral Oreo Super Bowl Tweet  – Social Media Case Study

This is a popular case study to learn valuable insights for B2C marketing. During Super Bowl XLVII, the lights went out in the football stadium and the Oreo brand went viral with a single tweet that said “Power out? No problem. You can still dunk in the dark.” Read the historical account of that famous social media marketing moment from the people who lived through it so you can gather ideas on how to be better prepared for future social media campaigns that you can take advantage of in real-time.

Facebook Posting Strategy That Lead to 3X Reach & Engagement  – Buffer Social Media Case Study

In this social media case study example, you’ll find out how Buffer cut its Facebook posting frequency by 50% but increased the average weekly reach and engagement by 3X. Hint: The strategy had to do with creating fewer, better-quality posts, that were aimed at gaining higher engagement.

Achieving a 9 Million Audience by Automating Pinterest SEO  – Social Media Case Study

This is a good social media marketing case study for marketers who use Pinterest. Discover how Chillital went from 0 to 9 million engaged audience members and 268 million impressions. You’ll learn about the step-by-step research process of finding where your audience lives and breathes content, get a detailed analysis of how the author used Pinterest to generate brand awareness, and learn about using community-driven content promotion to scale social media results.

5X Increase In App Installs from TikTok  – Bumble Social Media Case Study

With the use of TikTok on the rise, social media case studies are now being shared about how to get the most value out of marketing on this platform. This one, in particular, is good to read because it explains how Bumble, a dating app, used TikTok more effectively by following the mantra, “Don’t Make Ads, Make TikToks”. This case study in social media marketing resulted in a 5X increase in app installs and a 64% decrease in cost-per-registration.

330% Increase In Reach for the Make a Wish Foundation – Disney Social Media Case Study

Check out this case study to find out how the Make-A-Wish Foundation increased its social media reach, audience, and engagement by partnering with Disney in a Share Your Ears campaign. The strategy was simple: ask people to take a photo of themselves wearing Mickey Mouse ears, post it on social media with the hashtag #ShareYouEars, and a $5 donation would be made to Make-A-Wish. The results were unbelievable with over 1.7 million posted photos and 420 million social media impressions. This led to a 15% audience increase on Facebook and a 13% audience increase on Instagram with a total increase of 330% in social media reach and a 554% increase in engagement during the campaign.

How 3 Schools Used Social Media Advertising to Increase Website Traffic & Applications – Social Media Case Study

This example includes three of the best social media case studies from Finalsite, a marketing agency for educational institutions. It shows the power of social media advertising to increase website traffic and enrollment. One case study, in particular, shows how a limited budget of $350 per month increased website sessions by 515%, more than 2,200 clicks on the apply button for a study abroad application, 2,419 views on the request information page, and 575 views on the application process page.

Client Case Studies – LYFE Marketing Social Media Case Study

LYFE Marketing is a social media management company that helps clients gain new customers, generate sales, and increase brand exposure online. This page includes several of its top social media marketing case studies along with the approach and key results from each campaign. It’s packed with screenshots of the social media posts and engagement metrics so you can understand how each strategy worked for success, and get inspiration for your own campaigns.

3X Leads for a Local Business – Vertex Marketing Social Media Case Study

This is a good case study about finding the right balance between organic reach with social media posts and paid reach with social media marketing ads. You’ll find out how Vertex Marketing helped a local kitchen and bath remodeling business increase the number of leads by 3X. As for the return on investment (ROI) for this campaign, each lead for the client was worth about $10,000. The result was 6,628 audience reach, $12.43 average cost per conversion, and 18 conversions.

235% Increase In Conversions with Facebook Ads Funnel – Marketing 360 Social Media Case Study

This is one of Marketing 360’s case study examples that demonstrates the effectiveness of a Facebook ads sales funnel for B2B marketing. An ads funnel is a series of social media advertisements that target a specific audience at each stage of the buyer’s journey. By mapping out the buyer’s journey and creating a social media marketing ad campaign for each stage, you can guide new leads through the sales funnel and turn them into paying customers. This case study resulted in a 235% increase in conversions for a truck lift manufacturer.

15% Increase In Social Media Followers In 6 Months – Hootsuite Social Media Case Study

This is one of the best social media marketing case studies available online for businesses in the hospitality industry. Find out how Meliá Hotels International incorporated social media directly into its business model, both as a channel for client communication and as a platform to listen and learn about client needs and preferences. As a result, Meliá Hotel’s social media following grew from 5 million to 6 million in six months; an increase of more than 15%.

The Impact of Social Signals On SEO – Fat Stacks Social Media Case Study

This is a good case study for understanding the effect social media can have on SEO. By building links for a web page on social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc, the rankings for long tail keywords improved in Google’s search engine.

96 Link Clicks for a Vacation Rental – Maria Peagler Social Media Case Study

As the title of this social media case study example suggests, you’ll learn how Maria Peagler helped a vacation rental get 96 clicks out of 3,274 audience reach on a single Facebook ad; about a 2.9% click-through rate (CTR). What’s most important about this B2C example is those clicks were of the highest quality the client could receive because Maria dug into the analytics to find out the best time during the day to post the ad and the perfect age groups to target while also using specific language to only drive clicks that would more likely convert.

Vienna Tourist Board Uses an Instagram Wall to Attract Tourists – Walls.io Social Media Case Study

Inside this case study, you’ll find out how the City of Vienna uses a simple social media content aggregator to display its Instagram feed on the website. This basic marketing strategy harnesses the power of user-generated content to gain more followers and keep in touch with previous visitors to increase brand awareness and repeat visits.

Complete Instagram Marketing Strategy for Sixthreezero – Vulpine Interactive Social Media Case Study

This is an in-depth case study on social media marketing with Instagram. You’ll discover how Vulpine Interactive was able to turn an existing, unmanaged account into a strong company asset for Sixthreezero, a bicycling company that uses ecommerce to drive sales. There was a lot of strategy and planning that went into growing the account by 39%, increasing website traffic from Instagram by over 300%, and achieving 77,659 total engagements. Inside, you’ll get the complete social strategy, tactics, key performance indicators (KPIs), and results

Twitter Marketing Success Stories – Social Media Case Study

If you’re looking for social media case study examples for Twitter using both organic and paid ads, then this page has everything you need. It includes Twitter’s top marketing success stories for you to get new ideas for your own B2C and B2B marketing campaigns.

How 3 Big Brands Use Pinterest for Marketing – SmartInsights Social Media Case Study

This is a case study page by SmartInsights with an overview of how 3 big brands use Pinterest for marketing. Although it’s a quick read, you can learn some valuable tactics that Nordstrom, Sephora, and Petplan are using to market their brands on this social media platform.

25+ TikTok Social Campaign Results – Chatdesk Social Media Case Study

If you’re looking for the best social media case studies for TikTok, then this list by Chatdesk is an excellent resource. It includes more than 25 examples from big brands like Starbucks, Redbull, Spikeball, Crocs, Guess Jeans, and Gym Shark. Give it a read to find out exactly how these brands use TikTok effectively to scale their businesses.

Reddit for Business: Meet Your Maker – Social Media Case Study

Want to learn how to use Reddit to market your business online? This new social media marketing case study page by Reddit called “Meet Your Maker” showcases the people behind some of the most innovative and creative brand activations on our platform. Examples include campaigns by Adobe, Capcom, and noosa Yoghurt.

How Boston University Uses Snapchat to Engage with Students – Social Media Case Study

With more than 75% of college students using Snapchat on a daily basis, it became clear that Boston University had to make this platform a primary marketing channel. This social media case study outlines all of the top strategies Boston University uses to connect with prospective and current students.

Now, if you’re looking for more digital marketing ideas, then make sure to check out these other related guides:  SEO case studies with data on improving organic search engine optimization, PPC case studies  for paid search examples, email marketing case studies , affiliate marketing case studies , content marketing case studies , and general digital marketing case studies .

What Is a Social Media Case Study?

A social media case study is an in-depth study of social media marketing in a real-world context. It can focus on one social media tactic or a group of social media strategies to find out what works in social media marketing to promote a product or service.

Are Case Studies Good for Social Media Marketing?

Case studies are good for social media because you can learn about how to do social media marketing in an effective way. Instead of just studying the theory of social media, you can learn from real examples that applied social media marketing methods to achieve success.

Summary for Social Media Marketing Case Studies

I hope you enjoyed this list of the best social media marketing case study examples that are based on real-world results and not just theory.

As you discovered, the social media case studies above demonstrated many different ways to perform well on social platforms. By studying the key findings from these case study examples, and applying the methods learned to your own accounts, you can hopefully achieve the same positive outcome. New social media case studies are being published every month and I’ll continue to update this list as they become available. So keep checking back to read the current sources of information on social media.

Top 3 Stellar Social Media Case Studies to Inspire You

In this blog you will explore 3 captivating social media case studies and their tips for success. Benefit from their strategies, and mistakes to assure success of your next campaign.

Social media is every marketer’s safe haven for branding and marketing.

And why not?

More than 50% of the population is active on social media, and more are signing up with every passing second.

In a recent poll by Hubspot, 79% of the respondents have made a purchase after seeing a paid advertisement on social media .

This isn’t just a happenstance.

It’s the constant efforts that these brands put behind their dynamic presence on social media, that counts.

But how do they captivate their customers’ attention for this long despite the budding competitors?

Well, that’s something that we’ll reveal in this blog.

We shall assess 3 different social media case studies. All of them are best in their niches. Their game is simple yet effective.

How effective? Let’s take a look.

Social Media Case Study 1: Starbucks

Starbucks and social media are a match made in heaven. Being one of the sensational brands online, they are stirring the social media world with their strong presence.

They brew the right content to elevate the experiences of their coffee lovers. But how do they nail marketing with perfection every single time? Let’s find out.

Starbucks in Numbers

Starbucks mastered the advertising transition from offline fame to online undertaking. They use each social media with a varied goal to target pitch-perfect reach. Drawing in more customers than ever before, they strike the right balance in content across multiple platforms.

Key Takeaways

Though not every company has a Starbucks budget to promote and spend lavishly on social media marketing, here are some quick takeaways that will undoubtedly help.

1. Chasing Trends

Be it any event, brands must take the advantage to showcase their viewpoints and opinions. Successful brands like Starbucks jump into the bandwagon and leave no stone unturned to make their voice count in the trending list.

Here’s one such social media campaign example from Starbucks.

Starbucks is a firm believer in LGBTQ+ rights. When the pride wave surged, Starbucks came forward and reinstated its belief through the #ExtraShotOfPride campaign.

Starbucks joined hands with the Born This Way Foundation to raise $250K to support the LGBTQ+ community. Throughout the social media campaign, they shared quotes and stories of various Starbucks employees cherishing the pride spirit.

2. Less is More

Social media is not about quantity but quality. Starbucks follows the “less is more” principle to maintain the quality standards, even in the caption. Spamming followers’ feeds with constant posting is a big no-no. Starbucks shares 5-6 posts per week on Instagram and 3-4 weekly posts on Facebook .

Creative and crisp! That’s what defines a Starbucks caption. This post with 111+k likes is no exception. Nothing is better than a minimalist post with a strong caption.

3. User Generated Content is the King

Ditch the worry of creating content every day when you can make use of user generated content. Starbucks makes sure to retweet or post its loyal customers’ content. User generated content postings starkly improve brand credibility.

Look at this Facebook post made out of customers’ tweets. The new Oatmilk drink got the appreciation shower by some, and Starbucks couldn’t resist but share it with others. It saved them efforts on content brainstorming, plus they got free PR.

4. Building Rapport

Building rapport with the audience is an unsaid rule to brand fame. Social media has now taken the onus of dispensing quality service by aiding brands in prompting faster replies .

Starbucks is always on its toe to respond to customers actively solving concerns, expressing gratitude, or reposting. That kind of proactive service definitely deserves love and adoration.

5. Loads of campaigns

Starbucks is known for its innovative social media campaigns. Be it a new product launch or any festivity around the corner, Starbucks always turns up with a rewarding campaign.

In this social media campaign example, Starbucks introduced #RedCupContest with prizes worth $4500 during Christmas of 2016. A new entry came every 14 seconds.

The grand total of entries was a whopping 40,000 in just two days. Indeed Starbucks knows how to get the most out of the festive fever.

6. Content mix

Last but not least, the content mix of Starbucks is inspiring. They create tailored content for every platform.

The official youtube channel of Starbucks comprises content in varied hues. From recipes to even series, Starbucks is the ultimate pioneer of experimenting.

Even on Instagram, they use all the features like Guides, Reels, and IGTV without affecting their eye-popping feed. Starbucks also follows the design consistency for its aesthetic content mix.

Starbucks has proved time and again to be a customer-centric brand with their unrelenting efforts.

Social Media Case Study 2: Ogilvy & Mather

Ogilvy & Mather needs no introduction. Founded by David Ogilvy, the ‘Father of Advertising’ in 1948, the agency continues the legacy of revolutionizing marketing long before the advent of social media.

The iconic agency helps several Fortune 500 companies and more make a massive impact on their audiences worldwide.

Ogilvy & Mather knows its game too well and never fails to astonish. Not just high-profile clients, Ogilvy nails its marketing with perfection every single time.

Keep on reading.

Ogilvy & Mather in Numbers

They use social media to target pitch-perfect reach. Drawing in more hype than ever before, they know how to strike the right balance and bring out emotions with their heart-warming campaigns.

Not every company has David Ogilvy’s legacy or even affluent clients to boast of, but here are some quick takeaways that will undoubtedly help you become a pro marketer.

1. Integrating Values

Ogilvy stands apart from the crowd, creating trends. They leave no stone unturned to communicate values.

Proud Whopper is one such social media campaign by Ogilvy that was an instant hit on the internet. People were offered whoppers in rainbow-colored wrappers, with a note that said, “Everyone’s the same on the inside.” This was to reinstate the importance of LGTQ+ rights.

The campaign got 1.1 billion impressions, $21 million of earned media, 450,000 blog mentions, 7 million views, and became the #1 trending topic on Facebook and Twitter.

Ogilvy made a remarkable #Tbt video to honor this momentous event showcasing their supremacy in creating impactful campaigns.

2. Quality over Quantity

Ogilvy believes in the “ Quality supremacy ” to maintain their high standards, even in post captions.

Arbitrary posting isn’t a part of their agenda. They share 5-7 posts on Instagram and Facebook weekly.

Direct and very precise. That’s what defines an Ogilvy caption. This post is no exception. They have exhibited the success of their client work by describing the motive behind the campaign and sharing the ad they created for raising awareness.

3. Adding Credibility

Won awards? It’s time to boast! Because that’s the most authentic way of establishing trust among your clients. It bears proof of your excellence.

Look at this pinned Twitter post. Ogilvy won the Global Network of the Year by the very prestigious London International Awards. It also earned Regional Network of the year for Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.

What better than this to give its audience an idea about Ogilvy’s roaring success and undoubted potential?

4. Being Innovative

Building rapport with the audience is an unsaid rule to brand fame. And that’s why you need to tell stories. Social media has become an indispensable medium to spread your stories far and wide.

Ogilvy shares its historical tale of existence and how it has adapted to the challenges of the changing world. The team extensively talks about their adaptation to the latest trends to stay on top always.

5. Brainstorming Uniqueness

Being unique is what propels you on social media. People are always looking for brands that do something different from the herd. So your task each day is undeniably brainstorming unique content.

KFC wanted more of its customers to use its app. Well, Ogilvy and KFC decided to hide a secret menu in the app, which was a mass invitation for the download without being salesy at all. Results? Downloads up by 111% at launch!

6. Inspire Your Peeps

Inspiration is everywhere. But how do you channelize and mold it as per your brand guidelines? The renowned brands move their audience, filling them with a sense of realization. Who doesn’t seek validation? We all need quotes and inspiration to live by.

Ogilvy has dedicated its entire Pinterest profile to inspiration. The profile has numerous insightful infographics that encourage you to pursue marketing when your spirits run low. And that’s how it brings out the very essence of being the marketing leader: by inspiring its followers.

Got some good ideas for your branding? We have created templates and tools to help you execute them hassle-free. Tread on further and download the Trending Hashtag Kit for 2024 to get into action.

Social Media Case Study 3: PewDiePie

YouTube king with 111 Million subscribers on PewDiePie Channel, Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, has defied all norms. One of the most prolific content creators of the decade, Felix was on the list of World’s 100 Most Influential People by Time Magazine in 2016.

Needless to say, he is still relevant to this day and has a massive following on social media. Not just for branding, the Swedish YouTuber leveraged social media to give himself a new identity and opened doors to fame and a successful career.

What was the cause of this extraordinary trajectory?

Let’s find out.

PewDiePie in Numbers

PewDiePie likes to keep his social media raw and unfiltered. That’s why subscribers love to have a glimpse of his everyday life and follow him on other social media platforms as well. Here’s a quick snapshot of that.

Felix took the early bird advantage and started creating content when it wasn’t even popular practice. We can’t go back in time, but we can definitely learn a lot from his social media success.

1. Start Now

If you are still skeptical about making the first move, then don’t. Stop waiting and experiment. It’s better late than never.

Social media is in favor of those who start early because then you create surplus content to hold your audience . You quench their thirst for more quality content.

PewDiePie started creating videos in 2011 and live-streamed his gaming sessions with commentaries. It was something new and completely original. Ever since, he has continued to make thousands of videos that entertain his audience.

2. Gather Your Tribe

Being a content creator, PewDiePie knows his act of engaging his audience very well. He strives to build lasting connections and encourages two-way communication. As a result, his followers like to jump onto his exciting challenges.

Felix treasures his gaming community. He frequently asks his followers to take screenshots and turn them into funny memes . He gives them tasks to keep them engaged and amused .

3. Collaboration and Fundraising

Once you reach the stage and gain popularity, people want to see more of you with their favorite personalities. That’s what Felix does.

He collaborates with multiple YouTubers and brands and puts out exclusive content for his followers. He also goes for multiple fundraising campaigns to support vital causes and social wellbeing.

Here’s one such social media campaign example. PewDiePie supported the CRY foundation and raised $239000 in just one day to bring a positive impact for children in India. He thanked all for their contribution and taking active participation towards a noble cause.

4. Keep it Real

Felix likes to keep his content fluff-free. You get to witness raw emotions from an unfiltered life. This instantly appeals to the audience and makes the posts more relatable .

Apart from that, he also uses storytelling techniques to narrate his experiences, adding a very personalized touch to each of the videos.

Here’s a video of Felix where he and Ken from CinnamonToastKen discuss what can be possibly done with a million dollars around the world. The topic is quite intriguing.

More than 3.8M people have watched it and 216K of them liked it as well, proving that you need not always sweat to create complex content. Even the simplest ones can make the cut.

Social media campaigns are winning hearts on every platform. However, their success rates largely depend on your year-round presence. That’s why being consistent really does the trick.

We’re sure, you must have learned a few things from the above mentioned social media case studies .

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Frequently Asked Questions

🌟 How do I start a social media campaign idea?

Here’s how you can start a social media campaign:

• Finalize your campaign goals
• Brainstorm personas
• Pick a social media channel
• Research your competitors and audience
• Finalize an idea that’s in trend
• Promote the campaign
• Start the campaign
• Track the performance

🌟 What are the different types of social media campaigns?

Different types of social media campaigns are:

• Influencer Campaigns
• Hashtag Challenges

🌟 Why is social media campaign important?

Social media campaigns have various benefits:

• Boost traffic
• Better Conversions
• Cost-effective Marketing
• Lead Generation
• PR & Branding
• Loyal Followers

🌟 What are some of the best social media campaign tools?

Some of the best social media campaign tools are:

• SocialPilot

🌟 What are the top social media sites?

The top social media sites are:

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5 outstanding social media marketing case studies

Do you read social media marketing case studies for inspiration? It’s always a good idea to benchmark against your competitors or pinch ideas from them, but it’s also worth looking at success stories from the biggest brands out there. You might not have their budget, but you can always gain inspiration from their campaigns.

Here are five of the best brands on social and what I think you can learn from them:

1.Mercedes Benz – Repeated, successful social media marketing campaigns

Mercedes Benz seem to win every time with their social media campaigns.  The one that stands out to me was back in 2013 when they created what I still believe to be one of the best Instagram marketing campaigns to date. Mercedes wanted to reach out to the younger audience so they hired five top Instagram photographers to each take the wheel of a new Mercedes CLA. Whoever got the most likes got to keep the car – so they all really worked at it!

By the end of the campaign, Mercedes has received:

• 87,000,000 organic Instagram impressions
• 2,000,000 Instagram likes
• 150 new marketing assets (stunning photos)

What lessons can you learn from this? Could you put your followers up for a challenge and make it into a competition or campaign?

• Can you do a competition that gets people trying out your product first?
• Think about your target audience. What is a prize they would value?
• Like Mercedes you could recruit bloggers/influencers via social media and get them blogging about your service or product. Whoever receives the most engagement wins .

2. Dove – Connecting with their target audience

Is it just me or do all the Dove marketing campaigns make you cry? If you’ve seen their Real Beauty sketches campaign, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Dove’s goal is to make women feel good about themselves. They know their target market and create content that tells a story that women can relate to.

Today I am… pic.twitter.com/VoAf2wRdwa — Dove UK & Ireland (@DoveUK) February 19, 2016

Dove did some research and found that 80 percent of women came across negative chatter on social media. Dove’s goal was to change that and make social media a more positive experience. As a result, Dove teamed up with Twitter and built a tool to launch the #SpeakBeautiful Effect, that breaks down which body- related words people use the most and when negative chatter appears during the day.

According to Dove, women were inspired by their message.

• #SpeakBeautiful was used more than 168,000 times
• Drove 800 million social media impressions of the campaign

Dove know their audience. Knowing your audience is the only way you will engage with them. The best way for this is creating personas. Knowing what life stage they are in, if they’re employed, what their interests are etc. will certainly help you when creating content. Then think about linking your audience to your brand values in order to create something just as successful as Dove’s campaign.

3. Nutella – Incredible content that makes you salivate

Each post makes you want to eat Nutella. There are a lot of people (including me) who take photos of their food before they eat it. Nutella does the same and it works. Nutella isn’t afraid to be fun and creative with different ingredients. Nutella is just a chocolate spread yet they manage to have fun with it. Do you, or could you, have a bit more fun with your brand?

Here are some ideas for having fun with your brand:

• Are you on different social media channels? If you’re B2B you might not think that Instagram is for you, but it can be a great way to demonstrate your brand values by telling a story. Fedex is a great example of this, showing images of their trucks always on the move. This tells a story that they are always delivering and that is the key message we take away.
• Key influencers/bloggers can be a great way to  different types of content and to see how they have fun with your brand (if this is new to you, read our post on the rise of the social media influencer ).
• Instead of posting behind-the-scenes photos at your head office, can you encourage your followers to share their experiences with your brand? Maybe host an event or go out and meet them.

Take your #breakfast bread pudding to the next level with #Nutella ! 😉 pic.twitter.com/k0ko5Nm9iX — Nutella (@NutellaGlobal) May 5, 2016

4. Oreo – Smart content planning and timely delivery

Oreo is another brand that is known for their creative social media marketing. They must have a big design team to produce their content, but it works! They are consistent with their branding and manage to catch onto real time events. We all remember when the lights went out at the Super Bowl and during the half hour blackout Oreo tweeted out:

Power out? No problem. pic.twitter.com/dnQ7pOgC — OREO Cookie (@Oreo) February 4, 2013

This was retweeted over 15,000 times.  Are you thinking outside the box about your brand? Plan ahead for events coming up that you might be able to jump on to.

Do you plan your social media content out? If you’re in B2B and don’t currently create content read here for some B2B content marketing tips to help you get started, or check out our B2B marketing strategy tips ebook for 2021.

It’s always a good idea to prepare content ahead of time. If you can schedule content on a monthly basis – perfect, but if not bi-weekly is great. That way you can check what events are coming up and plan content around them. This gives you time for any ad hoc creative to be done, such as jumping on real-time events like the Oreo blackout example above.

5. Airbnb – Stunning imagery and UGC

What might look like a visual travel blog,  Airbnb ’ s content attracts fans with their visually compelling posts. On Instagram, they post user-generated photos from its hosts and guests. The content embraces their new campaign of ‘Don’t just go there, Live there’ which is captured through real photography. Each post receives high engagement, between 3,000 and 14,000 Instagram likes.

This is a great example of thinking slightly outside the box. Airbnb is all about accommodation. They don’t just post images of the inside of people’s homes. Seeing the culture and images of places all over the world comes with the experience of where you stay and that’s what connects with people. Think about your brand: are you just posting about the product/ service itself? Why not tell your followers a story instead?

Thanks for reading. I hope by reading these five social media marketing case studies it has spiked some inspiration! If you need any help with your social media advertising , influencer marketing , or other aspects of your social media strategy, feel free to contact us .

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Case Study: How Hilton uses social listening to win customers

• Brand monitoring
• Social Media Monitoring

In this social listening case study, we explore how Hilton uses social listening to provide a perfect customer experience, make killer marketing campaigns and build relationships.

Hilton Case Study

Social customer support, social marketing insights.

Hilton is one of the most famous hospitality brands in the world. Hilton Worldwide owns twelve portfolio brands that include over 4,100 hotels and over 680,000 rooms in 91 countries. With that many customers scattered around the world, Hilton is challenged with providing the most convenient channels of communication.

In this social media case study, I wanted to explore how Hilton uses social listening. Unsurprisingly, more and more Hilton guests are heading to social media to voice their concerns, require customer support, ask for recommendations, or give a praise to the staff. Hilton had to find a way to follow their customers and decided to build a social listening strategy to always be on alert and respond whenever, wherever to whomever.

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On average, Hilton Hotels receives about 1.5 thousand Twitter mentions every day. Most of them are related to special offers promoted by tourist companies, advertising, news, and guests sharing pictures and tagging the location. As you see, most of these mentions do not require an immediate response.

The Positive Sentiment appears to be more common among social media users than Negative when talking about Hilton, which is good news for them!

And the most popular platform of discussion for them is, unsurprisingly, Twitter.

So let’s see if Hilton takes these insights into account when building its social media strategy.

Oftentimes people post about their positive experience in Hilton: they show their cosy room or a beautiful view, they thank the staff for their services publically or simply say how happy they are with their trip. This kind of mentions doesn’t require a response per se, but acknowledging positive experiences of your customers makes a brand seem more humane, genuine, and caring. Moreover, if your customer has some kind of social media following, chances are your response won’t go unnoticed. That’s why it’s a good idea to acknowledge your customers’ positive mentions. And Hilton does it perfectly!

But it’s not all roses and peaches: as with any big brand, there are occasional complaints. And in hospitality, complaints from clients are extremely important. You can deal with a broken toaster later, but if your living space is not in a satisfactory state, it becomes your top priority. That’s why time is extremely important here.

Messages like this one are not just a customer service issue — they can potentially damage the reputation of the brand. That’s why it’s extremely important to respond to them as soon as possible. The disappointed guests need an immediate answer — and if they don’t get one, they will be even harsher with their critique. The average response time for a brand to reply on social media is 10 hours, while the average user will only wait 4 hours.

On average, Hilton Hotels answers 3.3 tweets in one hour, and the average time between a tweet and a response equals 37.3 minutes (after analyzing 872 tweets during one month).

That’s the power of social listening. It enables Hilton’s social media team to react and engage in real time, depending only on manpower. Hilton made a decision to combine their social customer support with call centre and in-app support through Expion tool to make their customer service experience perfect.  

“We took a different approach than a lot of companies. We want to help our guests no matter how they come to us. No matter how they want help — in the app, at the front desk, or on Twitter. We are there where they want us,” Vanessa Sain-Dieguez, ‎Social Business Lead & Strategist for Hilton Worldwide notes.

Hilton’s guest service center is housed within their call center. Their social team monitors all Twitter mentions around the clock and aims to engage with guests within 30 minutes of a tweet being sent.

Hilton monitors all its brands and hotel level Twitter accounts and looks for what is being said and when to engage. Even if a guest tweets about Hilton, but doesn’t identify them by their handle, Hilton will pick up on the tweet and respond. Monitoring untagged mentions is extremely important. For example, here’s a comparison of the number of tagged and untagged mentions.

“We want to be available to the customer wherever they are. It just comes down to customer preference, whether they want to tweet our main account or one of our hotels, or don’t @ us at all — and monitoring it all,” remarks Sain-Dieguez.

From the very first response, Hilton aims to resolve all issues within 12 hours, which is an incredibly robust resolution timeframe given that Hilton’s customer service has to communicate with hotels around the globe.

“We recently had a guest who arrived in her hotel room and tweeted a picture of her closet that was not a standard size. Her dress was pooling on the ground, and she wanted it to remain wrinkle free for her meeting the following day. We saw that tweet come through, and within an hour had her in a new room with a full size closet,” Sain-Dieguez explains.

But it’s not just about one time reaction. Hilton uses social listening across different platforms to gather valuable insights for their overall brand strategy. They ensure that guest experience gets turned into actionable insight. All guest comments become part of their reporting. That feedback is then bubbled up to the brands who use it in their strategic planning.

The feedback Hilton gets from social media not only informs their managing strategy, but also enhances their marketing campaigns. For example, while I was working on this article, Hilton launched a new marketing campaign titled Expect Better which gathered a lot of buzz for the brand. But the mentions of the campaign don’t always include the official hashtag #ExpectBetter or Hilton’s twitter handle. By monitoring words associated with the campaign, for example, such combination as Hilton + Kendrick, their social media marketing team is able to observe and analyze conversations around the campaign and evaluate its success.

Hilton Suggests

Hilton Suggest is one of the favourite subjects for a social listening case study among marketers. Why? Because it's a unique ideas that successfully uses social listening in a creative way.

For Hilton, social listening is not just a helping hand to inform their marketing strategy, it is the core and essence of the social media marketing strategy. Thanks to social listening, they were able to create @HiltonSuggests.

Hilton Suggest campaign goes beyond reacting to someone else’s social posts and takes initiative. The main idea behind the campaign is to aid people without any ulterior motives to make a sale. Many marketing specialists say that brands today find themselves in the age of sincerity and authenticity. Millennials and generation Z who grew up with the Internet are no longer convinced by straightforward in-your-face advertising, they want to engage and build relationships. That’s exactly what Hilton Suggests does. But what is it exactly?

Hilton Suggests is a helpful concierge, available for everyone travelling to or around more than 115 cities worldwide. Launched in 2009, the Hilton Worldwide initiative is a collection of Hilton employees who volunteer their best local advice with the aim of surprising and delighting travelers on Twitter.

The unique service isn’t based on customers tweeting to @HiltonSuggests and asking for recommendations. Instead, the inquiries are found strictly through social listening for anyone who’s planning a trip to one of the participating cities, and not just Hilton guests. Based on thorough research powered by social listening, the team created specific listening rules to find and reach travelers who might never expect to hear from Hilton.

Sabrina Callahan, director of social media planning and integration at Hilton says that after years of social listening, Hilton developed a “travel excitement” layer of keywords in early 2017 based on past tweets and team member feedback. With that research, Hilton compiled “a rather lengthy list of words and phrases that people use while sharing excitement and anticipation for an upcoming trip.”

The unique quality behind Hilton Suggest is that the people writing recommendations are not a specially formed social media team — they are regular Hilton employees (who passed extensive training, of course) who are excited to share their love for the local attractions with others. And that adds to the authenticity of the program - you don’t simply google “top places to see” in Vienna, you get a personal touch and recommendations tailored to your interests.

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By making the first step and reaching out, Hilton is able to promote their brand to people who weren’t aware of it before. Callahan says, “Sometimes travelers will take photos and tag us to say thanks for the great recommendation, and that is a huge win.” Maybe next time a person will remember the hotel that helped them to experience their destination in the best way possible and will choose to stay there.

Hilton proves that social listening can help us to improve our routine activities but also create something new, which would never happen without the power of social media monitoring. What can be learned from this social listening case study?

Don’t ignore your customers. If you see that they are choosing social media as a channel for communication ( and they are ), you should give them the way to reach you.

Let social data help you. Social listening isn’t a one-time deal - the insights you get from social media can affect your company's strategy and marketing decisions.

Use social listening creatively. Remember, that the whole point of social media is engagement, and social listening can give you opportunities to engage. Don’t neglect them.

What about you? What did you learn from this social listening case study? Let’s discuss it in the comments!

Content Marketer at Awario 

When I'm not wasting my time on social media, I'm writing about them. My topics of interest are the effects of social media on our communication and the benefit it brings to marketing specialists. My motto is that you can never stop learning about social media marketing just as there can never be too many puppy gifs in a blog post.

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How to Write a Social Media Case Study: A Handy Template for Agencies

When you’re talking to prospective clients during the sales process, they may want to see proof that you can achieve the results you’re promising them. So why not show them an example of your past achievements?

A social media marketing case study that’s full of persuasive data and client quotes is the perfect way to demonstrate the success customers can expect if they enlist your services.

Though it may take some time to produce, a well-put-together case study is worth the effort. In this article, we’ll explain how to create a social media success story, with some key things to include. And to help you get started, we’ll provide you with an example based on one of our own case studies.

Using quintly, you can automate the whole process of social media data collection , and use the data you’ve collected to create compelling marketing reports and case studies. Learn more about how to collect and analyze your clients’ social media data in a single platform.

What is a social media case study?

A social media case study is an in-depth exploration of one of your biggest client success stories. It describes how you helped them solve their problems and reach their goals.

Often, case studies focus on a specific campaign designed to achieve a certain result. Perhaps your clients wanted to improve ROI on social media by 20%. Or, maybe they were struggling to make an impact on Facebook and looking to improve performance on that channel.

The case study should be based on conversations with your clients and include lots of quotes from them throughout. It should also include evidence and data to back up the claims.

You can publish case studies on your company’s website or blog, and share them with leads as part of your sales funnel.

How to write a social media success story

A customer success story must be relatable, persuasive, and interesting enough to make sure that prospective leads will actually read it. Every marketing case study is different and will follow your client’s unique business and story. While there’s no one-size fits-all approach, there are some elements we think are important to include. If you’re not sure where to begin, here’s a few ideas to get you started.

1. Reach out to your client

First, you need to ask the right clients to participate in your case study. Choose a company that came to you with a specific problem or goal, and with your help has been able to overcome challenges and achieve great results.

Ideally, the featured business should be similar to the ideal clients you are hoping to attract , so that potential clients can relate to their problems and desires.

You’ll need to reach out and make sure they’re happy for you to feature them in the case study, and don’t mind investing some of their time. It may take a while for all the decision-makers to agree and sign off on the project, so allow plenty of time for this process. Once you have their agreement, you can start preparing to interview them.

2. Conduct an interview for your case study

The client interview is one of the most important steps because their feedback will become the backbone of the case study. 

You could send your client over a list of questions and ask them to respond by email. However, it’s better to set up a conversation with one or two representatives from the company , either by phone or video call, so you can have a more natural conversation and get deeper insights.

It’s important that you don’t go into a client interview cold. Being prepared means doing your research so that you won’t waste your or your client’s time.

Before the call, send over your questions so that they can start thinking about their answers. You should also request any assets or information you might need for the case study, such as the company logo and images you’ll want to use.

Ask lots of open-ended questions that elicit detailed responses. Try to cover every angle so you won’t have to go back and forth later for further clarification.

Here are a few example questions:

• Why does social media matter for your brand?
• What were your biggest challenges regarding social media marketing?
• How have our services helped you overcome those challenges?
• What’s changed in your social media and marketing strategy since we began working together?

Check that it’s ok to record the call so you can focus on the conversation and not have to worry about taking notes. A transcription software such as Otter.ai (available with a free plan) can help you record audio and transcribe it.

3. Compile data from social media analytics

Along with customer quotes, backing up your good work with social media data will go a long way. 

When it comes to persuading new clients that you’ve got what it takes to help them overcome their challenges and reach their objectives, there’s nothing more convincing than hard data.

It shows that your past campaigns have objectively performed well, and you’re not just interpreting your results as positive. And, it builds trust with prospective customers because it shows that you’re committed to tracking your own progress and keeping yourself accountable. 

Graphs and screenshots also help to make your case study more engaging. You can use them to break up big chunks of text with visuals.

Select the most eye-catching and impressive metrics to include in your case study. If you are using a social media platform such as quintly, you can take screenshots from your dashboards to illustrate the points you’re talking about.

You can include some data comparing your client’s performance with their competitors. 

For example, the graph below shows that even though Barcelona FC and Real Madrid shared roughly the same number of posts on Facebook in the selected period, the Catalan football club had a higher Interaction Rate than its rival:

You can also contrast the client’s current numbers against past results to show the improvement. 

For example, the following graphs show a month-to-month increase in FC Barcelona’s Interaction Rate on Instagram. 

Retrieving high-quality data and presenting it in an easy-to-understand format is essential for creating an effective case study. And, it can shape the way your case study is going to look, depending on what specific data points you decide to focus on. So make sure you have all the necessary metrics and dashboards set up before you begin writing your content. 

4. Write your case study

When you’ve got your client’s responses to your questions and you’ve picked out some key data points to include, it’s time to focus on the content of your case study.

To write an engaging case study, you must first grab the reader’s attention with a great headline that’s brief and clear. It can also mention the company name and a specific result they achieved.

Your headline could be something like: “Company A achieves X% increase in social media conversions with help from Y campaign”.

As a subheading, summarize the contents of the case study in a single sentence so that even those who don’t read the full article will get an idea of what you achieved.

Format your case study as a story with your customer  as the protagonist. This can help to grab the reader’s attention and take them on a journey with you.

When telling the story, remember to: 

• Describe where they began – the problems they were facing and the goals they wanted to achieve.
• Explain what tactics you used to help them, and why you decided on this strategy.
• Talk about how these tactics began to improve their results and bring them closer to hitting their social media KPIs and increasing ROI.
• Keep the focus on your customer , using their own words to describe the situation.

Style and formatting matter . Your case study should be informative yet easy-to-read. So use conversational language and make sure the tone of voice is in keeping with your brand and appealing to your target customer.

Bullet points, short paragraphs, and images are good to break up the text. Make sure quotes and impressive statistics stand out, and cut down unnecessary words from quotes to keep them on-topic.

Case study example

At quintly, we use case studies to highlight the outstanding results that our customers have achieved. 

For inspiration, you can read our social media case study on Benefit Cosmetics and how they increased their engagement by 50% using our platform.

Let’s go through this case study step by step so you can use it for creating your own.

1. Write a headline and a summary

The headline must attract people’s attention straight away. We did this by mentioning the company name, and a specific result achieved: 50% increase in engagement.

We’ve then summarized the case study in one sentence providing a key takeaway of what our client was able to achieve.

2. Provide background on the company

Who is your client? What do they do, and who is their target customer? Giving some background on your client will help readers relate to them.

Here, you can see that we provide some basic stats relating to the company and what the brand believes in.

3. Highlight key results

Select a few of your most impressive metrics and make them stand out. We’ve chosen three metrics here that clearly demonstrate the success of our campaign.

4. Describe the problem or challenge

What wasn’t working well for your client before they contracted your services?

In our case study, we used quotes from Toto Haba, Senior Vice President of Global Digital at Benefit to highlight the critical need for the company to produce great content and engage its audience through social channels.

We explained the problems they were facing, and how using quintly helped them overcome them.

In your case, it could be that your clients don’t have enough expertise in data tracking to effectively analyze their social media campaigns and create new strategies.

There may be various ways in which you've helped your client get better results, so don’t be afraid to talk about them here, using direct quotes as much as possible.

5. Conclusion

You can close your report by summarizing once again the benefit that your clients has achieved. 

Or, you can use another quote from your client’s team, as we have done in our case study:

Collect and track data for your success stories

Collecting and analyzing data for case studies doesn’t have to be a hassle.

With quintly, you can automate the whole process and access a wealth of high-quality metrics and dashboards. 

Our tailor-made analytics solution for agencies can help you get amazing results for your clients on social media and have everything you need to put together your client testimonials. 

So start automating your social media analytics now!

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Effective Social Media Campaigns: Case Studies

• Key Takeaways

79% of marketers believe that social media is an effective marketing channel. (Source. Sprout Social)

Video content on social media generates 12 times more shares than text and images combined. (Source. SmallBizGenius)

71% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase based on social media referrals. (Source. HubSpot)

Effective social media campaigns hinge on visual content, compelling narratives, and audience targeting.

Influencer marketing and data-driven decisions can significantly impact campaign success.

The world of digital marketing has undergone a profound transformation with the advent of social media platforms. In today’s landscape, social media campaigns have emerged as a driving force behind brand success. They have the potential to connect businesses with a global audience, foster engagement, and drive tangible results. However, the key to harnessing this potential lies in crafting and executing effective social media campaigns. This article serves as a comprehensive guide to understanding the intricacies of such campaigns, using real-world case studies as our compass.

In the following sections, we will delve deep into the strategies and tactics that underpin successful social media campaigns. We’ll explore the power of visual content, the art of crafting engaging narratives, audience targeting and segmentation, the role of paid advertising, influencer collaborations, data-driven decision-making, cross-platform integration, crisis management, and, most importantly, how to measure the success of your campaigns through Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). We firmly believe that the integration of case studies into each section will provide actionable insights, allowing marketers and businesses to not only grasp these concepts but also apply them effectively in their own campaigns.

1. Introduction to Social Media Campaigns

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, social media has emerged as a pivotal platform for businesses and brands to connect with their target audiences. The term “social media campaign” refers to a structured marketing effort designed to achieve specific goals through various social media channels. This topic serves as the foundational point of our article, providing readers with a comprehensive understanding of the importance and relevance of social media campaigns in today’s business environment.

• 1.1 The Role of Social Media in Modern Marketing

Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, have become integral components of marketing strategies for businesses of all sizes. They offer unique opportunities to engage with a global audience, build brand recognition, and drive customer loyalty. By establishing a presence on these platforms, companies can tap into the immense potential of social media marketing.

• 1.2 Importance of Effective Campaigns for Brand Success

The success of a brand often hinges on its ability to effectively utilize social media. The digital era has ushered in a paradigm shift in consumer behavior, with people increasingly turning to social platforms for product information, reviews, and recommendations. Therefore, brands that can craft and execute compelling social media campaigns have a competitive edge in the market. In this article, we delve into case studies to highlight the tangible impact of well-executed campaigns on brand success.

• 1.3 Overview of the Article’s Focus on Case Studies

To illustrate the principles and strategies behind effective social media campaigns, this article relies on real-world examples in the form of case studies. These case studies offer practical insights into how businesses have leveraged social media to achieve their marketing objectives. By examining specific instances of successful campaigns, readers can gain a deeper understanding of the strategies, tactics, and outcomes associated with social media marketing.

• 1.4 The Value of Real-World Examples in Learning

Case studies provide a unique educational experience by offering a bridge between theory and practice. They allow readers to witness the application of marketing concepts in real scenarios, providing valuable lessons that can be adapted to their own marketing efforts. Through the analysis of these case studies, readers can discern patterns, best practices, and pitfalls to avoid when embarking on their social media campaigns.

2. The Power of Visual Content

In today’s digital landscape, the role of visual content in social media campaigns cannot be overstated. Visual elements have the unique ability to capture the audience’s attention, convey messages quickly, and create a lasting impact. In this section, we will delve into the various aspects of visual content and explore how it contributes to the effectiveness of social media campaigns.

•  2.1. Utilizing Eye-Catching Images and Graphics

Visual content often starts with the use of captivating images and graphics. Whether it’s an eye-catching photograph, an intriguing illustration, or an attention-grabbing infographic, the right visuals can immediately pique the interest of your audience. Marketers need to understand the significance of choosing images and graphics that align with their brand and campaign objectives. We will discuss how selecting the right visuals can set the tone for the entire campaign and leave a memorable impression on viewers.

•  2.2. The Impact of Video Content

Videos have become a dominant force in the realm of social media. From short clips to longer-form content, videos offer a dynamic way to engage with audiences. This  explores the effectiveness of video content in social media campaigns. We will discuss the advantages of video marketing , such as its ability to convey complex messages, evoke emotions, and increase user engagement. Case studies will be presented to highlight successful video-centric campaigns that have achieved remarkable results.

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Explore 'State of Technology 2024' for strategic insights into 7 emerging technologies reshaping 10 critical industries. Dive into sector-wide transformations and global tech dynamics, offering critical analysis for tech leaders and enthusiasts alike, on how to navigate the future's technology landscape.

•  2.3. Infographics as a Storytelling Tool

Infographics are a powerful tool for storytelling on social media. They allow marketers to condense information into visually appealing and easily digestible formats. In this section, we will explore how infographics can be leveraged to convey data, statistics, and narratives effectively. We’ll discuss the design principles behind compelling infographics and provide examples of campaigns that have effectively used infographics to educate and engage their audiences.

•  2.4. User-Generated Content and Its Authenticity

User-generated content (UGC) has gained prominence as a means of building trust and authenticity. UGC involves content created by customers or fans of a brand, and it often showcases real-life experiences and testimonials. We will examine the impact of UGC in social media campaigns, emphasizing how it fosters authenticity and credibility. Case studies will demonstrate how brands have harnessed the power of UGC to build strong relationships with their audience.

• 2.5. Case Studies Showcasing Successful Visual Campaigns

To reinforce the concepts discussed in this section, we will present real-world case studies of social media campaigns that have excelled in utilizing visual content. These case studies will offer concrete examples of how businesses and organizations have leveraged eye-catching images, videos, infographics, and user-generated content to create compelling and effective social media campaigns. By analyzing these success stories, readers will gain insights into the strategies and tactics that drive engagement and deliver results in the world of visual content on social media.

3. Crafting Engaging Content

In the realm of social media campaigns, crafting engaging content is undeniably a cornerstone of success. Your content is the bridge that connects your brand with your audience, and it’s crucial to ensure that this connection is not only established but also strengthened. Here, we delve into the intricacies of creating content that captivates and resonates with your target audience.

•  3.1. Strategies for Creating Compelling Content
• Understanding Your Audience: Crafting engaging content begins with a deep understanding of your target audience. Take the time to research their preferences, interests, and pain points. Tailoring your content to address their specific needs is key to engagement.
• Storytelling Techniques: Storytelling is a powerful tool in the world of content creation. Learn how to weave narratives that not only convey your brand’s message but also evoke emotions and create a memorable impact.
•  3.2. Building Brand Personality Through Content
• Consistency in Branding: Effective content aligns with your brand’s identity. Explore how to maintain consistency in messaging, tone, and visuals across all your social media platforms to reinforce your brand’s personality.
• Showcasing Brand Values: Engaging content often reflects your brand’s values and mission. Discover strategies for infusing your content with your brand’s ethos, creating a deeper connection with your audience.
•  3.3. Interactive Content and Engagement Tactics
• The Power of Interactivity: Interactive content, such as polls, quizzes, and live sessions, can significantly boost engagement. Learn how to incorporate these elements into your social media campaigns to encourage participation.
• Engagement Tactics: Beyond the content itself, engagement tactics play a vital role. Explore techniques like responding promptly to comments, running contests, and encouraging user-generated content to keep your audience actively engaged.
•  3.4. Case Studies Exemplifying Effective Content Strategies

Real-World Examples: To solidify your understanding of crafting engaging content, we’ll delve into case studies from successful social media campaigns. These case studies will showcase how brands effectively applied the strategies mentioned above to achieve remarkable engagement and results.

Crafting engaging content is an ongoing process that requires creativity, a deep understanding of your audience, and adaptability. By following the strategies and principles outlined in this section, you can set the stage for creating content that not only captures your audience’s attention but also keeps them coming back for more, ultimately driving the success of your social media campaigns.

4. Targeting the Right Audience

In the world of social media campaigns, success hinges significantly on understanding and effectively targeting the right audience. Identifying your audience is akin to the foundation of a house; it’s the starting point upon which all your efforts will be built. Here, we delve into the critical aspects of audience targeting, providing you with valuable insights to ensure your social media campaigns hit the mark.

• 4.1 Importance of Understanding Your Audience

Before embarking on any social media campaign, it’s imperative to gain a deep understanding of your audience. This involves comprehensive market research to define demographic details such as age, gender, location, and interests. By knowing your audience inside and out, you can tailor your content and messaging to resonate with them. Case studies in this section will demonstrate how brands successfully researched and understood their target audience, leading to highly effective campaigns.

• 4.2 Segmenting Your Audience for Personalized Messaging

Once you’ve identified your broader audience, the next step is segmenting it into smaller, more specific groups. This segmentation allows you to craft personalized messages that cater to the unique needs and preferences of each group. We’ll explore various segmentation strategies, including psychographic, behavioral, and geographic segmentation. Real-world examples will showcase how brands effectively divided their audience and delivered tailored content for maximum impact.

• 4.3 Data-Driven Targeting Strategies

In today’s data-driven landscape, harnessing the power of analytics is paramount. We’ll discuss how data can inform your targeting strategies, enabling you to make informed decisions. By analyzing user behavior, engagement patterns, and conversion rates, you can refine your targeting to reach the right people at the right time. Case studies will highlight instances where data-driven targeting resulted in remarkable campaign success.

• 4.4 Case Studies Demonstrating Successful Audience Targeting

To solidify the concepts discussed in this section, we’ll present a series of case studies that exemplify the art of audience targeting. These real-world examples will showcase how renowned brands meticulously identified their audiences, segmented them effectively, and leveraged data-driven insights to create impactful social media campaigns. By examining these success stories, you’ll gain actionable insights to apply to your own campaigns, ensuring that you’re reaching the audience most likely to convert and engage with your brand.

5. Leveraging Social Media Advertising

Social media advertising has become an integral component of modern digital marketing strategies. To effectively utilize social media advertising, businesses need to understand the nuances of paid promotion, ad formats, budget allocation, and measuring return on investment (ROI). In this section, we will delve into key aspects of leveraging social media advertising for successful campaigns.

• 5.1 Paid vs. Organic Reach on Social Media

One of the fundamental decisions in social media advertising is whether to rely on organic reach or invest in paid promotion. Organic reach refers to the audience your content naturally reaches without paid promotion, while paid reach involves allocating a budget to boost content visibility. It’s crucial to strike the right balance between these two approaches. Organic reach is limited, and algorithms frequently change, making it challenging to reach a wider audience. Paid reach, on the other hand, offers more control over targeting and exposure but requires a financial investment. Businesses must assess their goals, target audience, and available resources to determine the optimal mix of paid and organic strategies.

• 5.2 Ad Formats and Placements

Social media platforms offer a diverse range of ad formats and placements to cater to different campaign objectives. Understanding these options is essential for crafting effective advertising strategies. For instance, Facebook provides options such as image ads, video ads, carousel ads, and more. Instagram offers sponsored posts and stories. LinkedIn specializes in B2B advertising, while Twitter has promoted tweets. Each platform has its strengths and audience demographics, so selecting the right ad format and placement aligning with campaign goals is critical. Creative and compelling ad content tailored to the chosen format further enhances the campaign’s effectiveness.

• 5.3 Budgeting and ROI Tracking

Allocating a budget for social media advertising is a strategic decision that impacts campaign reach and outcomes. It involves setting aside funds for ad spend, creative production, and campaign management. Establishing a clear budgeting strategy ensures that resources are utilized efficiently. Additionally, tracking ROI is essential to measure the effectiveness of advertising efforts. Tools like Google Analytics and social media platform insights provide data on ad performance, including click-through rates, conversion rates, and cost per acquisition. Regularly monitoring these metrics allows businesses to make data-driven adjustments and optimize their advertising spend.

• 5.4 Case Studies Showcasing Successful Social Media Advertising Campaigns

To illustrate the concepts discussed in this section, we will delve into real-world case studies that exemplify successful social media advertising campaigns. These case studies will provide concrete examples of businesses that effectively leveraged paid promotion, selected the right ad formats, allocated budgets strategically, and achieved measurable ROI. By examining these success stories, readers can gain insights and inspiration for their own social media advertising endeavors.

6. Harnessing the Power of Influencers

In the realm of social media campaigns, influencers have emerged as key players capable of driving brand engagement and expanding reach. This section explores the dynamics of influencer marketing, providing valuable insights into how brands can effectively harness the power of influencers.

• 6.1 Identifying the Right Influencers for Your Brand

To embark on a successful influencer marketing journey, it’s crucial to identify influencers who align with your brand’s values, target audience, and objectives. This involves meticulous research to pinpoint individuals whose content resonates with your niche. The right influencer will not only bring authenticity to your campaigns but also enhance credibility.

• 6.2 Collaboration and Partnership Strategies

Once you’ve identified potential influencers, the next step is to initiate collaborations and partnerships. Successful influencer marketing hinges on building authentic relationships with influencers. Brands must craft compelling proposals, outlining the mutual benefits of the partnership. Effective communication, transparency, and negotiation skills are essential in establishing a fruitful collaboration.

• 6.3 Measuring the Impact of Influencer Campaigns

The effectiveness of influencer campaigns goes beyond mere follower counts. In this section, we delve into the metrics and tools required to measure the true impact of influencer marketing. Brands need to track engagement rates, click-through rates, conversions, and sentiment analysis to gauge the success of campaigns. Measuring ROI and aligning influencer efforts with business goals are vital aspects of this evaluation.

• 6.4 Navigating Potential Pitfalls

Influencer marketing is not without its challenges. Brands need to be prepared to navigate potential pitfalls such as influencer controversies, authenticity concerns, and changes in influencer algorithms. This section provides strategies for mitigating risks and ensuring the longevity of influencer partnerships.

• 6.5 Case Studies of Effective Influencer Marketing

To illustrate the effectiveness of influencer marketing, we present case studies showcasing brands that have leveraged influencers successfully. These real-world examples demonstrate how influencers can amplify brand messages, drive engagement, and contribute to campaign success. Each case study offers unique insights and lessons that can be applied to your influencer marketing efforts.

7. Data-Driven Decision Making

In today’s digital age, data plays a pivotal role in the success of social media campaigns. Marketers and businesses can no longer rely solely on intuition and creativity; they must harness the power of data to make informed decisions that drive results. This section explores the significance of data-driven decision making in social media campaigns and its s.

• 7.1 Importance of Data in Campaign Decisions

Data serves as the foundation upon which effective social media campaigns are built. It provides valuable insights into audience behavior, content performance, and campaign reach. Marketers can use data to identify trends, preferences, and opportunities, allowing them to tailor their strategies for maximum impact.

By analyzing data, businesses can determine which social media platforms are most effective for their target audience, the types of content that resonate best, and the optimal posting times. This information guides campaign decisions, ensuring that resources are allocated wisely and efforts are focused where they matter most.

• 7.2 Key Metrics to Monitor for Success

To make data-driven decisions, it’s crucial to identify and monitor key performance metrics. Metrics vary depending on campaign goals, but common ones include engagement rate, click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, and return on investment (ROI). Each metric provides unique insights into campaign performance.

For instance, a high engagement rate may indicate that your content is resonating with your audience, while a low conversion rate might signal the need for optimization in your conversion funnel. By tracking these metrics, marketers can assess the effectiveness of their campaigns in real-time and make necessary adjustments to improve outcomes.

• 7.3 Tools for Social Media Analytics

The availability of advanced analytics tools has made data analysis more accessible to businesses of all sizes. Social media platforms themselves offer insights and analytics dashboards, allowing marketers to track metrics within the platform. Additionally, third-party analytics tools provide more in-depth analysis and reporting capabilities.

Tools like Google Analytics, Hootsuite, and Sprout Social enable marketers to measure the impact of their social media efforts comprehensively. These tools offer features such as audience segmentation, content performance tracking, and competitor analysis, empowering businesses to refine their strategies based on data-driven insights.

• 7.4 Case Studies: Highlighting Data-Driven Success

To illustrate the power of data-driven decision making, this section will present case studies of companies that have leveraged data effectively in their social media campaigns. These real-world examples will showcase how businesses used data analysis to refine their targeting, content, and overall strategies, resulting in significant improvements in campaign performance.

By examining these case studies, readers can gain actionable insights into the practical application of data-driven decision making. These success stories will serve as inspiration for businesses looking to maximize the impact of their social media campaigns through data-driven approaches.

8. Cross-Platform Integration

• 8.1 Coordinating Campaigns Across Multiple Platforms

In today’s digital landscape, it’s crucial for businesses to maintain a presence on various social media platforms to reach a diverse audience. Coordinating campaigns across multiple platforms is essential to ensure a consistent brand message and maximize the impact of your social media efforts. This involves strategizing how content and messaging will be adapted to fit the unique characteristics of each platform, whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or others. Successful coordination ensures that your audience receives a unified and compelling brand experience, regardless of the platform they choose to engage with.

• 8.2 Consistency in Messaging and Branding

Consistency is the cornerstone of effective cross-platform integration. It means that your brand’s messaging, tone, and visual identity should remain cohesive across all social media channels. Consistency not only reinforces your brand’s identity but also fosters trust and recognition among your audience. Achieving this consistency involves creating brand guidelines that dictate how your brand should be represented across different platforms. This includes using the same color schemes, logos, fonts, and voice to maintain a coherent brand presence.

• 8.3 Maximizing Reach Through Integration

One of the primary advantages of cross-platform integration is the ability to maximize your reach. Each social media platform has its unique user base and strengths. By integrating your campaigns, you can leverage these strengths to reach a broader and more diverse audience. For example, you might use Instagram for visually appealing content, Twitter for real-time updates, and LinkedIn for professional networking. Integrating these platforms strategically allows you to tap into the strengths of each while maintaining a consistent brand identity.

• 8.4 Case Studies of Successful Cross-Platform Campaigns

To illustrate the effectiveness of cross-platform integration, let’s look at a few case studies. For instance, a clothing brand may use Instagram and Pinterest for visual inspiration, Facebook for community engagement, and Twitter for real-time promotions. This coordinated approach enables the brand to showcase its products, connect with customers, and drive sales seamlessly. Similarly, a tech company may use LinkedIn for professional outreach, Twitter for customer support, and YouTube for informative tutorials. These examples demonstrate how businesses can strategically integrate their social media efforts to achieve specific goals and engage with their target audience effectively.

Cross-platform integration isn’t just about being present on multiple social media platforms; it’s about orchestrating a harmonious and impactful brand presence across them. By coordinating campaigns, maintaining consistency, and strategically leveraging each platform’s strengths, businesses can maximize their reach and create a more engaging social media experience for their audience. The case studies further emphasize the real-world benefits of this approach, showcasing its potential for businesses of all sizes and industries.

9. Crisis Management on Social Media

• 9.1 Preparing for Potential Social Media Crises

In the world of social media, crises can arise unexpectedly, and it’s essential for brands to be prepared. This preparation involves developing a crisis management plan that outlines potential scenarios, roles and responsibilities, and communication strategies. Identifying the types of crises that can occur, such as negative customer feedback, product recalls, or social media scandals, is the first step. Once potential crises are identified, brands can create detailed response protocols, designate crisis team members, and establish a chain of command. Preparation also involves setting up monitoring tools to detect issues early, allowing for a swift response.

• 9.2 Handling Negative Feedback and PR Disasters

Negative feedback on social media can quickly escalate into a crisis if not handled properly. Brands must have clear guidelines for responding to negative comments, reviews, or mentions. This includes addressing concerns in a timely and empathetic manner, acknowledging mistakes when they occur, and offering solutions to rectify issues. Transparency is key in maintaining trust during crises. In the case of PR disasters, such as product recalls or public relations scandals, brands should have a crisis communication plan that includes messaging, media response, and a designated spokesperson. Effective crisis communication involves providing accurate information, taking responsibility, and outlining steps being taken to resolve the situation.

• 9.3 Case Studies Illustrating Effective Crisis Management

To better understand effective crisis management on social media, it’s valuable to examine real-world case studies. One notable example is how Johnson & Johnson managed the Tylenol crisis in the 1980s. When tampered Tylenol capsules resulted in several deaths, the company immediately recalled all products and engaged in open and transparent communication with the public. This swift and responsible action helped rebuild trust and safeguard the brand’s reputation. Another case study is how Starbucks responded to a racial bias incident in one of its stores. The company publicly apologized, closed stores for a day of anti-bias training, and continued to engage with stakeholders to address the issue. These case studies demonstrate the importance of proactive crisis management strategies.

• 10. Conclusion

In today’s fast-paced digital world, where the social media landscape is ever-evolving, the ability to craft and execute effective campaigns is more crucial than ever. This article has taken you on a journey through the various facets of social media marketing, using real-world case studies as our guiding stars. We’ve explored the impact of visual content, the art of storytelling, audience targeting, advertising strategies, influencer collaborations, data analytics, cross-platform integration, and crisis management. These are the building blocks of a successful social media campaign.

As we conclude this exploration, it’s vital to remember that the world of social media marketing is dynamic and requires adaptability. Strategies that work today may need adjustment tomorrow. However, armed with the knowledge, insights, and examples provided in this article, you are better equipped to navigate this ever-changing landscape. Your campaigns can be more than just posts and hashtags; they can be powerful tools for building brand identity, fostering engagement, and achieving your marketing goals. The path to effective social media campaigns is paved with creativity, data-driven decisions, and the willingness to learn from the successes of others. It’s time to embark on your own journey of social media success.

Connect with us at  EMB .

• Q. What’s the importance of visual content in social media campaigns?

Visual content grabs attention and boosts engagement, making it a key element in successful campaigns.

• Q. How can I measure the success of my social media campaigns?

Define KPIs, set benchmarks, use analytics tools, and analyze data to gauge performance.

• Q. Why are real-world case studies valuable for marketers?

Case studies provide practical insights and examples of effective campaign strategies.

• Q. What role does influencer marketing play in social media campaigns?

Influencers can amplify brand messages and connect with niche audiences authentically.

• Q. How do I handle a social media crisis effectively?

Preparedness, transparency, and swift response are vital in managing social media crises.

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132 Social Media Case Studies – Successes and Failures

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That is such a short-sighted and limiting point of view.

Social Media Marketing is not sales – but it can help to sell things. And personally, I have to admit that I have several times bought something, booked an event or took part in something because I saw people (friends and acquaintances OR strangers) talking about it on social media. At the same time, I have never bought anything a salesperson tried to sell me on the phone. So yes, you actually can sell me things on Social Media. And I am not the only person.

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Before you read on - we have various resources that show you exactly how to use social networks to gain massive traffic and leads. For instance, check out the following:

But limiting Social Media Marketing success or failure to the statement: For sales, you need to pick up the phone is simply b%llshi$t. You can use social media for lead generation to fill your sales funnel – but you can also use Social Media for totally different aspects of business like customer management, brand awareness, reputation management, audience building, website traffic and many other things your business can profit from.

Many people do it. I do it and have done so for other projects in the past. The honest answer to “Social Media is not working” is: It is obviously not working the way you are doing it. Try different tactics, learn, adjust, measure, optimize, try something else, try harder, and never stop at “You cannot sell on Social Media!”

So the answer is, yes you can make money with Social Media, but it is not working the same way for each and every business or situation.

Most of the time, if you do not have success with getting ROI out of your Social Media activities, it is not Social Media, which is not working, it is you who are doing something wrong or have the wrong social media strategy.

Social Media cannot simply be done by following a recipe step by step.

That can only get you so far.

In Social Media often the best approaches are already cold coffee when they become common knowledge, and everyone tries to hop on the train. You need to make assumptions, test your assumption, measure success and adjust your marketing strategy according to your results.

Hey, before you read on - we have in various FREE in-depth guides on similar topics that you can download. For this post, check out:

Social media cannot be learned by the book.

But one thing is certain: To shout out sales messages in Social Media is most likely going to fail to give you any return.

What people want and expect from their Social Media activity is so diverse, and there are many Social Media case studies in multiple situations.

Join our  free Email Course  to learn how to start your social media marketing journey:

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Instead of selecting a handful of case studies for this article, I decided to provide you with a list of resources with multiple case studies about how businesses are successfully using social media for their business success.

1.  15 B2B Case Studies for Proving Social Media ROI

Rob Petersen looks at the special situation of using social media platforms to market to businesses instead of consumers. He provides 15 examples ranging from CISCO and Demand Base to LinkedIn and SAP.

2.  50 Social Media Case Studies you Should Bookmark

SimplyZesty looks at a variety of use cases for the different social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Pinterest, Instagram and more.

3.  IBM Turns its Sales Staff Social Media Savvy

I love this example as it shows how sales and Social Media Marketing can work hand in hand. Contrary to the above-mentioned comment on our blog, IBM realized that even sales can profit from Social Media with cost-effective leads.

4.  11 Examples of Killer B2B Content Marketing Campaigns Including ROI

Lee Odden of TopRank Marketing focuses more on the Content Marketing side and provides 11 B2B Content Marketing case studies.

5.  B2B Social Media Case Study: How I made $47 million from my B2B blog

This is a personal success story from AT&T’s experience and success with a content strategy.

6.  How ASOS Use Social Media [CASE STUDY]

The story of how the fashion and beauty store ASOS has become Britain’s largest online retailer with the aid of Social Media for ecommerce and online marketing.

7.  5 Outstanding Social Media Campaigns

The examples include the story from a hairdresser who increased sales by 400% without spending a penny. It is not only the big companies who can profit from Social Media.

8.  3 Small Businesses That Found Social Media Success

The examples range from customer service, brand perception to social engagement.

9.  The Best Social Media Campaigns of 2014

These marketing campaigns are more about creating more engagement, generate more fans and increase loyalty amongst audience members for the brand and not so much about direct ROI. Still, they explain how to get it right.

It is not only the social media success stories you can learn from. Sometimes you can learn from other peoples’ failures at least as much as from their successes. Here are some social media case studies on failed social media activities. The failures tend to be on a smaller scale, resulting from bad communication and reactions turning the Social Media conversation in an unwanted direction. It is rare that a company admits to a complete campaign and a ton of money gone down the drain. Still, even from these smaller examples, we all can learn our lessons for our behavior in Social Media:

1.  Social Media Fails: The Worst Case Studies of 2012

The examples are campaign focused and include examples from McDonald’s and Toyota.

2.  19 horrific social media fails from the first half of 2014

These are examples of how you should not communicate in Social Media and showcase some ways you should not copy on how to jump onto trending hashtags and events in Social Media.

3.  5 Big Social Media Fails of 2013 (and What We Learned)

4.  Top 12 Social Media Marketing Mishaps

These are examples of what can happen to you and how a social media Sh$tstorm can brew up. It makes sense to read some of these and talk about possible reactions before any of this kind happens to you. Simply be prepared.

Final Words

I hope you find some useful marketing tips in my little collection of Social Media case studies – or at least, have some fun browsing through these examples. I find them encouraging as they show the variety of cases where Social Media can help your business. And they show how many humans are in Social Media, making it a place where things can go wrong and go well. It is up to you to leverage the full power of social networks and turn the tide.

If you are looking for even more case studies here you go:

Digital Marketing Case Studies

Content Marketing Case Studies

Instagram Marketing Case Studies

Twitter Marketing Case Studies

Forget Failure. Get the simple process to success:

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You get easy-to-follow step-by-step action plans and you will see the first results after a couple of days. Check out “ The Social Traffic Code ” – there is a special offer for you!

“The Social Ms blog and books have shown us great possibilities of growing on Twitter and via online media. In addition, they actually respond to email reactions. Practicing what they preach gives them the credibility edge.” Guy Pardon, Atomikos

Don’t miss out – make a decision for success! 

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Social media for strategic communications: 4 ways to strengthen your brand narrative

Written by by Ronnie Gomez

Published on  February 23, 2023

Reading time  5 minutes

Over the past few years, corporate communications has undergone quite the makeover. Today’s always-on digital world has drastically increased the work it takes to craft a memorable brand narrative. When it comes to standing out, social media for strategic communications isn’t just helpful—it’s necessary.

This advice isn’t limited to promotional efforts, either. Integrating social into every aspect of your strategy drives more compelling, authentic messaging from the ground up.

Communications and social media are a match made in heaven. Keep reading to learn how social media can take your strategic communications strategy to the next level.

How to use social media for strategic communications

Social is the perfect vehicle for connecting with your most valuable stakeholders. Consumers, investors, employees—they’re all there waiting for you. If you want to capitalize on the opportunity, here are four ways to elevate social’s role in your corporate communications toolkit .

1. Power up public relations efforts

Once upon a time, “marketing” and “public relations” existed in their own respective lanes.

Now, social media has blurred the boundaries between the two, driving even closer collaboration between the functions. It’s no wonder almost three-quarters (73%) of PR professionals don’t think the term “ public relations ” as it’s defined today will describe the work they’re doing in five years.

Forward-thinking strategic communications professionals are partnering with social teams to pressure test media pitches, messaging and more. These efforts support a more cohesive brand experience that spans beyond a single channel.

To explain how communications and social media teams might work together, let’s look at a practical example. Say you’re preparing to write a press release on an upcoming campaign launching in partnership with a high-profile spokesperson.

Before starting your draft, you could use a tool like Sprout Social to run two Social Listening Topics : one to assess your current brand health and another to determine the cultural conversation surrounding your spokesperson.

Your Listening Topics will track and analyze the conversations around relevant topics to understand consumer sentiment. Review dynamic word clouds, related keywords and hashtags, sentiment data and more for information that can guide your draft.

Some key questions to ask while digging could be:

• How are people currently talking about your brand? Has sentiment been trending up or down in recent months? What can you gather about your content or customers from these results? How can you use that information to create an exciting, highly-tailored press release?
• How are people talking about your spokesperson? How is consumer sentiment around them trending? Is there anything that could be cause for concern? What terms and phrases are frequently coming up in these conversations?

Share these findings with your social media team to get more bang for your buck. From there, you can tailor the social arm of the campaign strategy to complement press initiatives for maximum impact.

2. Mitigate employer brand risk

An employer brand is made up of more than just approved messaging grids. It’s a combination of all the macro and micro customer, employee and candidate interactions that happen every single day. When these conversations happen online, they’re out there for everyone to see.

Authentic social conversations can’t be restrained by a multi-step approval process, but that doesn’t mean you need to accept any and all risk. The right toolkit can empower your team to strive for cohesion and accuracy when discussing your company with their extended network.

More than half of engaged social users would post about their company if somebody wrote the content for them. Tapping into this opportunity can elevate your brand message in a way that feels authentic to potential hires, consumers and other stakeholders.

Brands using Employee Advocacy by Sprout Social curate pre-approved employee advocacy content right alongside their brand social media posts. Brands navigating social in highly regulated industries can even require the use of pre-approved messaging on specific posts, so compliance is never left up to chance.

Advocacy content populates in a centralized feed where employees can pick and choose what they’d like to share with their personal networks.

These curated content round-ups benefit both communications teams and their cross-functional colleagues. They keep people up to date on need-to-know announcements and content offerings, empowering colleagues to advance their social presence in a brand-friendly way.

3. Empower your executive team

Delivering on a strong executive brand presence is a unique challenge for strategic communications teams. You want your C-suite to share sharp, incisive thought leadership, but that can often fall to the wayside in favor of running a company.

That said, executive communications is too important to slip through the cracks. According to a recent report from FTI Consulting , 82% of business leaders agree that there is a wider reward for the company if they have an active leader on social media.

Don’t just meet executives in the middle on drafting or brainstorming, meet them at 80% and give them something to react to. Time is an exec’s most valuable resource, so if they’re investing it in comms, you need to maximize the ROI. Hannah Fleishman Director of Executive Communications, HubSpot

Efficient workflows are at the core of executing an executive communications strategy. Members of your C-suite should be able to review content, provide feedback and approve messaging in just a few clicks.

Sprout’s External Approvers workflow supports this process by allowing collaborators who do not have a seat in the platform to review, approve and reject content.

Getting sign-off for social content shouldn't be a workflow headache. Enter external approvals and commenting: https://t.co/AF0c85JWs7 . 🤝 🚦 pic.twitter.com/Kgwj5hi64d — Sprout Social (@SproutSocial) January 18, 2023

This type of teamwork can have a lasting impact on everything from marketing and sales to investor relations . It’s a great way to support your C-suite as they step into their role as a face of the brand.

4. Control the narrative around potential crises

There’s nothing more anxiety-inducing than a potential brand crisis. The first bits of chatter on a defective product or out-of-touch statement can kick off a snowball effect that feels impossible to stop.

That’s where social media comes in. Social plays two significant roles in any successful crisis communication plan . It’s both a proactive monitoring tool and a reactive engagement tool.

Social media is a consumer go-to for voicing concerns when a brand crisis strikes. A social media listening strategy can help your brand stay on top of messages across networks to ensure you don’t miss any red flags.

Sprout helps both communications and social media professionals keep tabs on brand health with a sentiment analysis tool that provides immediate context around the conversations surrounding your brand and industry.

In the event of a crisis, brands can use those insights to inform their response to the situation. Sharing a public apology from the brand account may seem straightforward, but an insensitive response can land your brand in even more hot water.

Hopefully, you’ll only ever need to use social media’s proactive crisis management benefits. Still, it never hurts to be prepared.

Harness the power of social media for strategic communications

A social-first approach to strategic communications has the power to reinvent a brand in the eyes of the people who matter most. Ground your strategy in real-time social insights to ground your strategy in the voice of your ideal customer.

Sprout Social offers a suite of tools designed to help brands strengthen their market position with actionable insights. Sign up for a free trial today and future-proof your brand for tomorrow.

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Crisis communications: What it is and examples brands can learn from

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Case Studies in Strategic Communication

An online, peer-reviewed, open access journal.

To cite this article Young, C. L., & Flowers, A. (2012). Fight viral with viral: A case study of Domino’s Pizza’s crisis communication strategies. Case Studies in Strategic Communication, 1 , article 6. Available online: http://cssc.uscannenberg.org/cases/v1/v1art6

Access the PDF version of this article

Fight Viral with Viral: A Case Study of Domino’s Pizza’s Crisis Communication Strategies

Cory L. Young Arhlene Flowers Ithaca College

Domino’s Pizza was embroiled in a viral crisis situation when two rogue employees posted videos of adulterated food on YouTube in April 2009. Tim McIntyre, Vice President of Communications, was part of the internal team that delivered the company’s crisis communication plan through Twitter and YouTube. What makes this story so compelling is the social media aspect of both the crisis itself and the strategy for managing the crisis. Using a case study approach, this paper assesses Domino’s decision to integrate the same medium that sparked the crisis into the strategies to manage the situation, and it questions the efficacy of best practices and principles of crisis management in the age of social media.

Keywords : Domino’s Pizza; crisis communication; social media; YouTube; Twitter; case study; public relations

Overview and Background

The way in which companies communicate with stakeholders during a crisis event is rapidly changing with the 24-hour access provided by the Internet, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Public relations practitioners and other communication executives are struggling to craft messages and maintain control of the flow of messages within this dynamic landscape. As Schiller (2007) explains, in “times of crisis, while corporate communication executives are preparing manicured statements, customers are [simultaneously] blogging, e-mailing and posting photos out of rage and desperation because the very people who should be listening to them aren’t” (p. 16). Bell (2010) asserts that stakeholders become “interpretive communities in organizational crisis contexts,” capable of cultivating an organization’s reputation through information they receive in cyberspace (p. 148). Social media allow stakeholders to control when, where, and how “reputational meanings are born and disseminated” as “an organization’s reputation is built on the stories formed by stakeholders and spread within networks” (Aula, 2011, p. 28, 30). Nowhere is this dynamic between organizations and their publics more apparent than on video sharing sites, such as YouTube, that encourage citizens and bloggers to be the co-producers of messages.

Burgess and Green (2009) explain that YouTube users engage with this medium “as if it is a space specifically designed for them and that should therefore serve their own particular interests” (p. vii). This can have enormous positive or negative impacts for organizations involved in crisis management, including but not limited to the inability of boundary spanners to monitor the vastness of this space; malicious users who might create a crisis; and the leveraging capabilities of this platform to enhance a brand during a crisis. Just as consumers can use this social medium to create a crisis for a company and interpret an organization’s reputation throughout, so too can an organization use this medium to manage a crisis and improve its reputation. Patrick Doyle, President of Domino’s Pizza, would come to understand this dynamic as his brand suffered a devastating blow when two employees uploaded a vulgar video demonstrating their grotesque adulteration of food.

Bob Garfield (2010), a writer for Ad Age Blogs , recounts in an online article how this incident began. On Easter Sunday in April 2009, two Domino’s employees who were bored “working in a North Carolina store figured it would be just hilarious to post a video of themselves, defiling sandwich ingredients” (para. 2). The duo created five videos in total, one of which showed an individual sticking mozzarella cheese up his nose and then blowing the cheese on a sandwich, among other unsanitary and stomach-turning activities. An estimated 1 million people viewed these videos before they were pulled two days later.

During the first 24 hours, Tim McIntyre, Vice President of Corporate Communications, surveyed the situation and determined that the videos were not a hoax. He then began to communicate internally and externally with “relevant audiences at that time [including] our social media people, our head of security, senior management team,” according to Amy Jacques (2009) in an article published in The Public Relations Strategist (para. 4, 7). McIntyre collaborated with the consumer watchdog organization GoodAsYou.org , which first alerted Domino’s of the employee video, to identify the rogue employees as Kristy Hammond and Michael Setzer. By Tuesday, according to McIntyre, the company was responding to customers’ queries on Twitter about whether the company knew about the situation, what the company was doing, and why the company had not issued an official statement (Jacques, 2009). By Wednesday, Patrick Doyle, President of Domino’s Pizza, recorded an apology that was then uploaded onto YouTube.

During this event, bloggers and journalists alike captured this crisis in articles and case studies, offering step-by-step timelines [1] (Jacques, 2009; Peeples & Vaughn, 2010) and criticisms of Domino’s responses (Beaubien, 2009; Esterline, 2009; Gregory, 2009; Vogt, 2009; Weiss, 2009; York, 2009). What follows in this case study is an analysis of Domino’s crisis communication strategies, using a blend of best practices for crisis management from the principles of public relations management crafted by Arthur W. Page and from an academic perspective as the framework for analysis. From a communication perspective, according to Jaques (2008), case studies “are generally a narrative of events which are critically examined in relation to recognized public relations theories and models in order to fully appreciate what happened and to consider alternative strategies and outcomes” (p. 194), and are written to provide practical value to managers and practitioners alike who are struggling to manage and control the flow of messages in the viral/digital landscape (Coombs, 2008; “How Social Media,” 2009; Oneupweb, 2007).

The Arthur W. Page Society is a professional organization for executives in the public relations and communication industries. Named after one of the first public relations executives to work for a Fortune 500 corporation (AT&T), this organization is charged with the goal of “embracing the highest professional standards; advancing the way communications is understood, practiced and taught; and providing a collegial and dynamic learning environment” (“Vision, Mission & Goals,” n.d., para. 2). According to the Society’s website, the following principles are designed to guide public relations practitioners’ actions and behaviors and exemplify Page’s philosophy of public relations management: (1) Tell the truth ; (2) Prove it with action ; (3) Listen to the customer ; (4) Manage for tomorrow ; (5) Conduct public relations as if the whole company depends on it ; (6) Realize a company’s true character is expressed by its people ; and lastly, (7) Remain calm, patient and good-humored (“The Page Principles,” n.d.).

These principles are similar to the 10 best crisis communication practices Seeger (2006) generated, based on the work of communication scholars and expert practitioners:

• Process approaches and policy development ;
• Pre-event planning ;
• Partnership with the public ;
• Listen to the public’s concerns and understand the audience ;
• Honesty, candor, and openness ;
• Collaborate and coordinate with credible sources ;
• Meet the needs of the media and remain accessible ;
• Communicate with compassion, concern and empathy ;
• Accept uncertainty and ambiguity ; and
• Messages of self-efficacy .

Veil, Buehner, and Palenchar (2011) extend Seeger’s best practices, incorporating social media tools by making social media engagement a part of risk and crisis management policies and procedures; incorporating social media when scanning the environment; being a part of rumor management to determine appropriate channels; and using social media to communicate updates in an interpersonal manner (pp. 119-120).

Compiling and synthesizing these practices is not an easy task as “crises and disasters are relatively unique in nature, inherently dynamic, and unpredictable” (Bell, 2010, p. 151). These practices, according the Seeger (2006) “do not constitute a plan, but are the principles or processes that underlie an effective crisis communication plan and effective crisis response” (p. 242). Given the nature of crises, these practices will unfold and evolve differently within each situation.

Taking a situational approach to crisis communication, Coombs (2004) offers the Situational Crisis Communication Theory as an explanation for how organizations select a crisis response strategy. Essentially, a crisis triggers attributions of responsibility to the organization from stakeholders, along three dimensions: 1) whether the crisis has happened before or will likely happen again; 2) whether the event was controllable or uncontrollable by an individual or the organization; and 3) whether the crisis occurs within the organization or external to it. In this case, Domino’s as an organization was not directly responsible for this crisis, as the event occurred internally at the hands of employees, and this type of crisis had never happened before.

Based on stakeholder attributions, an organization will respond communicatively by cycling through a four step process: 1) observe events; 2) interpret information for accuracy and relevance; 3) choose a strategy among alternatives; and 4) implement the solution (Hale, Dulek, & Hale, 2005). Ideally, the strategy chosen will be aligned with the best practices and principles articulated above and will follow the four step process. Did Domino’s follow the best practices outlined by Seeger and the Page principles? What were the brand’s overall actions, decisions, and strategies for managing the crisis? In the case of Domino’s, it was not the consumers’ attributions of responsibility to Domino’s that triggered the strategy. Rather, what triggered Patrick Doyle’s decision to deliver a video apology on YouTube was the medium itself, which begs the questions, How did social media impact or influence the decision making process?, and What crisis communication lessons were learned in the process?

Strategies and Execution

This first Page principle—Tell the truth—begs a series of questions about whose truth needs to be told and about what in particular. In crisis situations, multiple truths or social constructions of the event(s) are vying for attention simultaneously: in general, customers, the company, its employees, and the media. In the case of Domino’s, particular watchdog organizations like GoodAsYou.org and Consumerist.com were also constructing versions of the event. The truth that Tim McIntyre, VP of Communications, wanted to convey was that this incident was “a rogue act of two individuals who thought they were being funny. That they do not represent this brand. That they do not represent the 100,000 people who work every day at Domino’s Pizza all over the world” (Flandez, 2009, para. 6). The truth that Patrick Doyle wanted to articulate was that “We didn’t do this. We’re sorry. And we want to earn your trust back” (Peeples & Vaughn, 2010, p. 3).

However, in wanting to be honest, open and candid (Seeger, 2006) about the situation, Domino’s needed to take responsibility. However, taking responsibility had the potential of exposing the organization to lawsuits and other legal vulnerabilities (Claeys & Cauberghe, 2012), including freedom of speech and copyright claims. In order to mitigate the consequences of being truthful and minimize the damage to the organization’s reputation, the company collaborated and coordinated with credible sources (the watch dog organizations and local authorities) and partnered with the public to observe and interpret the events , so as to not “act too hastily and alert more consumers to the situation it was attempting to contain” (York, 2009, para. 5), and to not “add fuel to the online fire” (Levick, 2009, para. 5). Unfortunately, a consequence of following the principles and best practices was that a 24 hour lag occurred. Because Domino’s hesitated, customers began tweeting about whether the company actually knew what was happening and questioning what it was going to do about the videos. Veil, Buehner, and Palenchar (2011) point to the fact that “The power to communicate remains with the communicating organization and their behaviors and narrative content, not in the technology” (p. 120).

A second challenge in telling the truth in the digital age hinges on additional questions (Roberts, 2010): Where in cyber and virtual spaces does an organization tell the truth and with what social medium or platform? York (2009) brought this to our attention in her online article, asking “why Domino’s has been lambasted for a lack of social media presence. After all . . . the brand is on MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and most visibly on Facebook with nearly 300,000 fans” (para. 18). There is a big difference, however,

between how emerging social media are used for marketing and how they work in a serious crisis situation . . . Companies that fail to integrate their marketing efforts with their online crisis response plans before a crisis hits are letting their antagonists have free reign. (Levick, 2009, para. 2-4)

The first message acknowledging the crisis was uploaded onto the corporate website on the day after the offending videos had been posted, but the message hardly yielded any hits. Domino’s did not reach its most popular audience through this social medium.

According to McIntyre, prior to this event ,

[the crisis team had a social media plan] already in place. We didn’t want to just jump in without a strategy. We wanted to do it right. So the irony for us was that we have a plan and we were going to implement it only a week later, so we ended up having to jump in [during] a crisis, which was the opposite of how we wanted to do it. (quoted in Jacques, 2009, para. 10)

However, after listening to the customers/publics’ tweets , the company was compelled to speed up the implementation of the social media plan. A decision was made to

[change] course and [respond] with a viral video . . . [that] featured all the elements of effective crisis communication. The company president apologized. He thanked the online community for bringing the issue to his attention. He separated the company from wrongdoers and announced their prosecution. And he outlined steps that Domino’s was taking to deal with the issue to make sure it never happens again (Levick, 2009, para. 6).

This strategy and decision to fight the crisis’ viral nature using YouTube was the tipping point that allowed the company “to cull user-generated content from social networking sites and use the platform for distributing information back to users” in order to prove itself with action and to communicate with passion, concern and empathy (Veil et al., 2011, p. 114). Levick (2009), in an online article for Bloomberg Businessweek , stipulated that “Domino’s not only demonstrated concern for its customers, but also an understanding of the critical importance of reaching out to a target audience on its own terms and in its own preferred space” (para. 7). This strategy and decision also suggests that Domino’s has the ability to manage the crisis for tomorrow : “This crisis happened online. It had to be dealt with online. By learning that lesson under fire Domino’s broke new ground and opened a new chapter in the ongoing evolution of crisis communications” (Levick, 2009, para. 7).

Evaluation & Discussion

Arthur W. Page advocated for public relations practitioners to tell the truth, a laudable goal to aspire to, but nonetheless one that is increasingly challenging in today’s digital era. Initially, Domino’s relied on its traditional technology (the Internet) to upload a video response on its corporate website to tell the public the truth about the situation. However, the number of people who viewed this video paled in comparison to the number of YouTube viewers who watched the employee prank videos—over one million within 24 hours. This realization accelerated and expedited the implementation of Domino’s social media plan that was still in development.

The crucial lesson to be learned about crisis communication comes in the form of extending and aligning the Situational Crisis Communication Theory with best practices for the integrating of social media (Veil et al, 2011). Coombs (2004) stipulated that a crisis triggers stakeholders’ attributions regarding the organization’s level of responsibility. These attributions, in turn, influence the strategy that an organization will use to lessen the damaging effects. In this case, however, it was not stakeholder attributions that dictated Domino’s strategy, but rather it was the social medium in which the crisis occurred that shaped the company’s decision to respond on YouTube as well as its overall strategy.

The only way to combat and lessen the impact of a social media generated crises like what Domino’s experienced is to integrate social media into crisis communication strategies and to create strategies for monitoring social media dialogue (Tinker, Fouse, & Currie, 2009). Schiller (2007) agrees that “Brands that get it right will be the ones that will use the same online tools as their customers” (p. 16). Further, Peeples and Vaughn (2010) concluded that Domino’s “effectively leveraged social media – the same channel used by the pranksters – to transparently communicate the company’s efforts to address the situation” (p. 1).The end result was that Domino’s emerged from this vulnerability criticized, yet knowledgeable about the reality of crisis communication in the age of social media.

The reality of crisis communication today is complex and contradictory. The speed at which consumers generate information about organizations is surpassing the speed by which public relations practitioners can monitor and verify the validity of such content, in order to respond before, during, and after a crisis incident. Because social media users can instantaneously create visual and textual dialogue with an organization, there is a corresponding expectation that organizations should respond just as quickly throughout all phases of a crisis incident. But taking the time to verify information and craft appropriate and effective responses is necessary to avoid legal issues and other complications. This dynamic has several implications for:

• How often organizations need to communicate with stakeholders: Regular updates across multiple social media should occur, using such platforms as HootSuite or Bottlenose to ensure consistency.
• How far and wide organizations need to span the boundaries of cyberspace and social media for potential crises and for potential stakeholder groups that can be impacted and affected: Johnson, Bazaa, and Chen (2011) conducted a study on boundary spanning, concluding that “organizations should focus on recruiting, attracting, and nurturing those online users with high levels of enduring involvement and social identity,” i.e., highly engaged social media users (p. 15).
• How organizations can manage their online reputations through search engine optimization (SEO).
• How new principles and best practices need to be developed to determine what messages or images from which stakeholder groups will tip towards a crisis.

As organizations grapple with these new directions, employees and consumers will need to learn how to accept uncertainty and ambiguity , and remain calm, patient and good humored.

Discussion Questions

• What impact does social media have on public relations practices, particularly crisis communications and reputation management? How significant is it for organizations today to monitor content on social media sites, including hash tags and other signs of internal and external dialogue?
• How should crisis communications preparedness plans address the proliferation of social media outlets?
• From the perspective of crisis communicators concerned with social media, what else could Domino’s have done or said to prove with action that its key messages are sincere? What other messages could Domino’s have delivered?
• What other types of traditional media and social media could Domino’s have used to reach its stakeholders?
• What other challenges do you think that PR practitioners, marketers, or corporate communicators could have in telling the truth in the digital age?
• How important is speed of response rate in a digital world, particularly when an organization is facing a crisis situation?
• Are there any other conclusions that you can draw from this incident?

Learning Activities

• According to its website, Media Curves “is the leader in public perception of topical issues.” This communications research company uses its patent pending technology to evaluate the “believability” of a particular video, such as the apology posted on YouTube by Domino Pizza’s President Patrick Doyle. To see how Media Curves’ technology captured people’s perceptions of Doyle’s apology video, watch Doyle’s apology video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFiXWboPD5A . Discuss the specific moments in the video that people found most believable and least believable and what public relations practitioners can learn from studies like this. Visit the Media Curves website to watch other assessments of video apologies.
• Using the framework presented in this article, apply the Arthur W. Page Society’s principles (“Vision, Mission & Goals,” n.d.), Seeger’s (2006) best practices, and Veil, Buehner, and Palenchar’s (2011) suggestions for integrating social media to United Airlines and its handling of Dave Carroll’s “United Breaks Guitar Video” or to Providence Renaissance and its handling of “Joey Quits” video . What lessons can be learned about social media and crisis communication from analyzing these organizations’ strategies?
• To see how Domino’s has dealt with this crisis, consider some background information about its Pizza Turnaround campaign . How does this compare with the best practices? How did tweets like #newpizza help?

[1] A visual timeline of the first four days is available on the Arthur W. Page’s website: http://www.awpagesociety.com/insights/winning-case-studies/2010/

Aula, P. (2011). Meshworked reputation: Publicists’ views on the reputational impacts of online communication. Public Relations Review, 37 , 28-36.

Beaubien, G. (2009, April 21). Domino’s YouTube flap: ‘A landmark event in crisis management.’ Public Relations Tactics . Retrieved December 31, 2012, from http://www.prsa.org/SearchResults/view/7978/105/Domino_s_YouTube_flap_a_landmark_event_in_crisis_m

Bell, L. M. (2010). Crisis communication: The praxis of response. The Review of Communication, 10 (2), 142-155.

Burgess, J., & Green, J. (2009). YouTube: Online video and participatory culture . Malden, MA: Polity Press.

Claeys, A., & Cauberghe, V. (2012). Crisis response and crisis timing strategies, two sides of the same coin. Public Relations Review, 38 , 83-88.

Coombs, W. T. (2004). Impact of past crises on current crisis communication: Insights from Situational Crisis Communication Theory. Journal of Business Communication, 41 (3), 265-289.

Coombs, W. T. (2008, April 2). Crisis communication and social media. Institute for Public Relations . Retrieved December 31, 2012, from http://www.instituteforpr.org/topics/crisis-communication-and-social-media/

Esterline, R. M. (2009, April 25). Case study: Domino’s YouTube video . Retrieved December 31, 2012, from http://crisiscomm.wordpress.com/2009/04/25/case-study-dominos

Flandez, R. (2009, April 20). Domino’s response offers lessons in crisis management. The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved December 31, 2012, from http://blogs.wsj.com/independentstreet/2009/04/20/dominos-response-offers-lessons-in-crisis-management

Garfield, B. (2010, January 11). Domino’s does itself a disservice by coming clean about its pizza: We like apologies and honesty, but there are limits. Just ask Ford. Ad Age Blogs . Retrieved December 31, 2012, from http://adage.com/article/ad-review/advertising-domino-s-a-disservice-ads/141393

Gregory, S. (2009, April 18). Domino’s YouTube crisis: Five ways to fight back. Time Magazine . Retrieved December 31, 2012, from http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1892389,00.html

Hale, J. E., Dulek, R. E., & Hale, D. P. (2005). Crisis response communication challenges: Building theory from qualitative data. Journal of Business Communication, 42 (2), 112-134.

How social media are changing crisis communications—for better and worse. (2009, November 1). Security Director’s Report, 9 (11), 2-5.

Jacques, A. (2009, August 17). Domino’s delivers during crisis: The company’s step-by-step response after a vulgar video goes viral. The Public Relations Strategist . Retrieved December 31, 2012, from http://www.prsa.org/Intelligence/TheStrategist/Articles/view/8226/102/Domino_s_delivers_during_crisis_The_company_s_step

Jaques, T. (2008). A case study approach to issue and crisis management: Schadenfreude or an opportunity to learn? Journal of Communication Management, 12 (3), 192-203.

Johnson, P. R., Bazaa, U., & Chen, L. (2011, May). The new boundary spanners: Social media users, engagement, and public relations outcomes . Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, Boston, MA. Retrieved December 31, 2012, from http://www.icavirtual.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/FULL-PAPER-SUBMISSION-TEMPLATE-EK1.pdf

Levick, R. S. (2009, April 21). Domino’s discovers social media. Bloomberg Businessweek . Retrieved December 31, 2012, from http://www.businessweek.com/print/managing/content/apr2009/ca20090421_555468.htm

Oneupweb. (2007). Principles of crisis management in a viral age: Integrating the tools and lessons of search 2.0 into a comprehensive crisis response [White paper]. Traverse City, MI: Oneupweb. Retrieved December 31, 2012, from http://internetetopinion.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/crisis_management.pdf

The Page principles. (n.d.). Arthur W. Page Society . Retrieved December 31, 2012, from http://www.awpagesociety.com/about/the-page-principles/

Peeples, A. & Vaughn, C. (2010). Domino’s “special” delivery: Going viral through social media (Parts A & B). Arthur W. Page Society case study competition in corporate communications . Retrieved December 31, 2012, from http://www.awpagesociety.com/insights/winning-case-studies/2010

Roberts, J. (2010, March 18). Bringing your brand back from the brink. Marketing Week . Retrieved December 31, 2012, from http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/bringing-your-brand-back-from-the-brink/3011206.article

Schiller, M. (2007, March 5). Crisis and the web: How to leverage the Internet when a brand takes a hit. Adweek, 48 (10), 16.

Seeger, M. W. (2006). Best practices in crisis communication: An expert panel process. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 34 (3), 232-244.

Tinker, T., Fouse, D. (Eds.), & Currie, D. (Writer). (2009). Expert round table on social media and risk communication during times of crisis: Strategic challenges and opportunities [Report]. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association. Retrieved December 31, 2012, from http://www.apha.org/NR/rdonlyres/47910BED-3371-46B3-85C2-67EFB80D88F8/0/socialmedreport.pdf

Veil, S. R., Buehner, T., & Palenchar, M. J. (2011). A work-in-progress literature review: Incorporating social media in risk and crisis communication. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 19 (2), 110-122.

Vision, mission & goals. (n.d.). Arthur W. Page Society . Retrieved December 31, 2012, from http://www.awpagesociety.com/about/vision-misson-goals/

Vogt, P. (2009, April 24). Brands under attack: Marketers can learn from Domino’s video disaster. Forbes . Retrieved December 31, 2012, from http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/24/dominos-youtube-twitter-leadership-cmo-network-marketing.html

Weiss, T. (2009, April 22). Crisis management—Domino’s case study research. Trendsspotting Blog . Retrieved December 31, 2012, from http://www.trendsspotting.com/blog/?p=1061

York, E. B. (2009, April 20). What Domino’s did right–and wrong–in squelching hubbub over YouTube video. Advertising Age [Online]. Retrieved December 31, 2012, from http://adage.com/article/news/crisis-pr-assessing-domino-s-reaction-youtube-hubub/136086/

CORY L. YOUNG, Ph.D. , is an associate professor of communication management and design in the Department of Strategic Communication, Roy H. Park School of Communications, at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York, where she teaches courses in corporate communication. Email: youngc[at]ithaca.edu.

ARHLENE FLOWERS is an associate professor of integrated marketing communications in the Department of Strategic Communication, Roy H. Park School of Communications, at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York, where she teaches courses in public relations. Email: aflowers[at]ithaca.edu.

Acknowledgments

This manuscript was made possible in part by a James B. Pendleton grant from the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College. A version of this paper was presented at the International Communication Association’s pre-conference hosted in Tokyo, Japan, June 2010. Additionally, the following graduate assistants need to be acknowledged for their research contributions: Rui Liu, Savitha Ranga, Nate (Zheli) Ren, and Danielle Clarke.

Editorial history Received November 4, 2011 Revised April 9, 2012 Accepted June 12, 2012 Published December 31, 2012 Handled by editor; no conflicts of interest

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Case Studies

Social media – case study.

“By giving people the power to share, we’re making the world more transparent.”

–Mark Zuckerberg

Localiter is an online social media community that grows local businesses by creating online word of mouth marketing campaigns to build awareness and grow revenue.

Localiter required an online following of cost-conscious individuals that were passionate about supporting local businesses.

Initially, there was not a minimum viable product developed

They needed the market segmented and analyzed in order to target the ‘lowest hanging fruit’ to generate working capital quickly

Worked with renowned designers and developers to create a compelling brand that would excite the target market

Using specifically targeted Pay-Per-Click campaigns, we generated traffic to the website and subsequently, email form submissions.

Created a strong following through earned advertising, using a number of online portals and social media platforms

Networked at TED events with thought leaders in technology to created alliances

Partnered with a notable local public relations firm to champion the business

Generated hundreds of sales on the first day

Built a list of thousands of opted-in emails, and thousands of followers on social media.

Acquired in early 2011 by ICG America in order to expand their service offerings

• Marketing Audit
• Social Media Consulting
• Cross Cultural Communications
• Competitive Intelligence
• Business Planning
• Strategic Advisory
• Advertising
• Product Management
• Agriculture – Case Study
• Security – Case Study
• Social Media – Case Study
• Energy – Case Study
• Franchising

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International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction

HCI 2015: HCI International 2015 - Posters’ Extended Abstracts pp 91–96 Cite as

Social Media Use and Impact on Interpersonal Communication

• Yerika Jimenez 2 &
• Patricia Morreale 3  
• Conference paper
• First Online: 01 January 2015

36k Accesses

2 Citations

2 Altmetric

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 529))

This research paper presents the findings of a research project that investigated how young adult interpersonal communications have changed since using social media. Specifically, the research focused on determining if using social media had a beneficial or an adverse effect on the development of interaction and communication skills of young adults. Results from interviews reveal a negative impact in young adult communications and social skills. In this paper young adult preferences in social media are also explored, to answer the question: Does social media usage affect the development of interaction and communication skills for young adults and set a basis for future adult communication behaviors?

• Social media
• Social interaction
• Interpersonal communications
• Young adults

You have full access to this open access chapter,  Download conference paper PDF

1 Introduction

Human interaction has changed drastically in the last 20 years, not only due to the introduction of the Internet, but also from social media and online communities. These social media options and communities have grown from being simply used to communicate on a private network into a strong culture that almost all individuals are using to communicate with others all over the world. We will concentrate on the impact that social media has on human communication and interaction among young adults, primarily college students. In today’s society, powerful social media platforms such as Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (IG), and Pinterest have been the result of an evolution that is changing how humans communicate with each other. The big question we asked ourselves was how much has social media really impacted the way that humans communicate and interact with each other, and if so, how significant is the change of interpersonal interaction among young adults in the United States today?

The motivation behind this research has been personal experience with interaction and communication with friends and family; it had become difficult, sometimes even rare, to have a one-on-one conversation with them, without having them glancing at or interacting with their phone. Has social interaction changed since the introduction of advanced technology and primarily social media? In correlation with the research data collected in this study, it was concluded that many participants’ personal communication has decreased due social media influence encouraging them to have online conversations, as opposed to face-to-face, in-person conversations.

2 Related Work

The question of how social media affects social and human interaction in our society is being actively researched and studied. A literature review highlights the positive and negative aspects of social media interaction, as researchers battle to understand the current and future effects of social media interaction. A study done by Keith Oatley, an emeritus professor of cognitive psychology at the University of Toronto, suggests that the brain may interpret digital interaction in the same manner as in-person interaction, while others maintain that differences are growing between how we perceive one another online as opposed to in reality [ 1 ]. This means that young adults can interpret online communication as being real one-on-one communication because the brain will process that information as a reality. Another study revealed that online interaction helps with the ability to relate to others, tolerate differing viewpoints, and express thoughts and feeling in a healthy way [ 2 , 3 ]. Moreover a study executed by the National Institutes of Health found that youths with strong, positive face-to-face relationships may be those most frequently using social media as an additional venue to interact with their peers [ 4 ].

In contrast, research reveals that individuals with many friends may appear to be focusing too much on Facebook, making friends out of desperation rather than popularity, spending a great deal of time on their computer ostensibly trying to make connections in a computer-mediated environment where they feel more comfortable rather than in face-to-face social interaction [ 5 ]. Moreover, a study among college freshman revealed that social media prevents people from being social and networking in person [ 6 ].

3 Experimental Design

This research study was divided into two parts during the academic year 2013–2014. Part one, conducted during fall semester 2013, had the purpose of understanding how and why young adults use their mobile devices, as well as how the students describe and identify with their mobile devices. This was done by distributing an online survey to several Kean University student communities: various majors, fraternity and sorority groups, sports groups, etc. The data revealed that users primarily used their mobile devices for social media and entertainment purposes. The surveyed individuals indicated that they mainly accessed mobile apps like Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram, to communicate, interact, and share many parts of their daily life with their friends and peers.

Based on the data collected during part one, a different approach and purpose was used for part two, with the goal being to understand how social media activities shape the communication skills of individuals and reflects their attitudes, attention, interests, and activities. Additionally, research included how young adult communication needs change through the use of different social media platforms, and if a pattern can be predicted from the users’ behavior on the social media platforms. Part two of this research was conducted by having 30 one-on-one interviews with young adults who are college students. During this interview key questions were asked in order to understand if there is a significant amount of interpersonal interaction between users and their peers. Interpersonal interaction is a communication process that involves the exchange of information, feelings and meaning by means of verbal or non-verbal messages. For the purposes of this paper, only the data collected during spring 2014 is presented.

4 Data Collection

Through interviews, accurate results of the interaction of young adults with social media were collected. These interviews involved 30 one-on-one conversations with Kean University students. Having one-on-one interviews with participants allowed for individual results, first responses from the participant, without permitting responses being skewed or influenced by other participants, such as might occur in group interviews. It also allows users to give truthful answers, in contrast to an online or paper survey, as they might have second thoughts about an answer and change it. The one-on-one interviews consisted of ten open-ended questions, which were aimed to answer, and ultimately determine, how social media interaction involuntarily influences, positively or negatively, an individual’s attitude, attention, interests, and social/personal activities. The largest motive behind the questions was to determine how individual communication skills, formally and informally, have changed from interacting with various social media platforms. The interviews, along with being recorded on paper, were also video and audio-recorded. The average time for each interview was between two to ten minutes. These interviews were held in quiet labs and during off-times, so that the responses could be given and recorded clearly and without distraction (Fig.  1 ). A total of 19 females and 11 males participated, with ages ranging from 19 to 28 years old.

Female participant during one-on-one interview

After conducting the interviews and analyzing the data collected, it was determined that the age when participants, both male and female, first began to use social media ranged between 9 to 17 years. It was found that, generally, males began to use social media around the age of 13, whereas females started around the age of 12. The average age for males starting to use social media is about 12.909 with a standard deviation of 2.343. For females, the average age is 12.263 with a standard deviation of 1.627. From this, we can determine that males generally begin to use social media around the age of 13, whereas females begin around the age of 12.

After determining the average age of when participants started using social media, it was necessary to find which social media platforms they had as a basis; meaning which social media platform they first used. MySpace was the first social media used by twenty-three participants, followed by Facebook with three users, and Mi Gente by only one user, with two participants not using social media at all. It was interesting to find that all of the participants who started using Myspace migrated to Facebook. The reasoning provided was that “everyone [they knew] started to use Facebook.” According to the participants, Facebook was “more interactive” and was “extremely easy to use.” The participants also stated that Myspace was becoming suitable for a younger user base, and it got boring because they needed to keep changing their profile backgrounds and modifying their top friends, which caused rifts or “popularity issues” between friends. After finding out which platform they started from, it was also essential to find out which platform they currently use. However, one platform that seemed to be used by all participants to keep up-to-date with their friends and acquaintances was Instagram, a picture and video-based social media platform. Another surprising finding was that many users did not use Pinterest at all, or had not even heard of the platform. After determining which social media platforms the users migrated to, it was essential to identify what caused the users to move from one platform to another. What are the merits of a certain platform that caused the users to migrate to it, and what are the drawbacks of another platform that caused users to migrate from it or simply not use it all?

4.1 Social Interaction Changes

For some participants social interaction had a chance for a positive outcome, while others viewed it in a more negative aspect. The participants were asked if their social interactions have changed since they were first exposed to social media (Table  1 ). One participant stated that “it is easier to just look at a social media page to see how friends and family are doing rather than have a one-on-one interaction.” As for people’s attitudes, they would rather comment or “like” a picture than stop and have a quick conversation. On the other hand, another participant felt that social media helped them when talking and expressing opinions on topics that they generally would not have discussed in person. Moreover, the participants are aware of the actions and thing that they are doing but continue to do it because they feel comfortable and did not desire to have one-on-one interactions with people.

The participants were also asked to explain how social media changed their communication and interactions during the years of using social media (Table  2 ). The data shows that participants interact less in person because they are relating more via online pictures and status. For other participants, it made them more cautious and even afraid of putting any personal information online because it might cause problems or rifts in their life. On the contrary, some participants stated that their communication and interaction is the same; however, they were able to see how it had changed for the people that are around them. A participant stated that “internet/social media is a power tool that allows people to be whatever they want and in a way it creates popularity, but once again they walk around acting like they do not know you and ‘like’ your pictures the next day.”

5 Discussion

The data illustrated in this paper shows how much the introduction and usage of social media has impacted the interaction and communication of young adults. The future of interaction and communication was also presented as a possibility, if the current trend continues with young adults and social media or online communities. This raises the notion of possibly not having any social, in-person interaction and having all communication or interaction online and virtually with all family and friends.

6 Conclusion

Referring back to the question asked during the introduction: how much has social media impacted the way we communicate and interact with each other? After reviewing all the findings, seeing the relationship individuals have with their mobile phones, and comparing social media platforms, it is clear that many young adults have an emotional attachment with their mobile device and want interaction that is quick and to the point, with minimal “in-person” contact. Many young adults prefer to use their mobile device to send a text message or interact via social media. This is due to their comfort level being higher while posting via social media applications, as opposed to in-person interaction. To successfully and accurately answer the question: yes, social media has had a very positive and negative effect on the way we communicate and interact with each other. However, how effective is this method of “virtual” communication and interaction in the real world?

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• Published: 27 March 2024

Earthquake conspiracy discussion on Twitter

• Dmitry Erokhin   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-5191-0579 1 &
• Nadejda Komendantova   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-2568-6179 1  

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Natural disasters like earthquakes, and global crises like pandemics have historically captured the public’s imagination and prompted people to seek explanations. However, in times of limited information, these explanations can take the form of conspiracy theories, particularly regarding the origins or causes of such events. With the advent of social media conspiracy theories can spread quickly and easily, leaving little room for critical thinking. The focus of this study is the analysis of the so-called High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) conspiracy, which explains earthquakes through the employment of secret weather control weapons. This study aims to answer the research question of how the discourse on the HAARP conspiracy theory changes over time, and what are the potential catalysts for heightened attention to this conspiracy theory. This study uses the Twitter API to collect tweet frequencies about this conspiracy from January 2022 through March 2023. The empirical data include over one million tweets on HAARP. The sentiment analysis of the HAARP conspiracy theory is applied to the tweets before, during, and after the 6th of February 2023 earthquake in Syria and Turkey. In addition, this study investigates possible triggers of the development of the HAARP tweet frequency. This study finds that the frequency of HAARP discussion increases following a high-impact earthquake. There is also a positive correlation between average tweet sentiment and the number of tweets, which could indicate that the discussion of HAARP reinforces people’s beliefs. This study makes a significant contribution to the field of social psychology and communication by providing insights into the dynamics of belief reinforcement within online communities amidst heightened attention to conspiracy theories triggered by significant events. This knowledge has broader implications for understanding the impact of social media on public perception during crises.

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Introduction

In recent years, there have been several high-impact events that have left people searching for answers. From the COVID-19 pandemic to the United States Capitol attack, people have been grasping for explanations for what is happening in the world around them (Armaly et al., 2022 ; Freeman et al., 2022 ). In some cases, these events have led to the spread of conspiracy theories as people try to make sense of what they are seeing. A conspiracy theory is a belief or explanation that suggests that a group of people or organizations are secretly plotting or working together to carry out a harmful or illegal act, often with the aim of gaining power or control over others (Douglas et al., 2019 ). They can range from relatively harmless or amusing (e.g., the belief that the world is controlled by a secret organization of cats) to highly controversial and dangerous (e.g., vaccines are harmful and can cause a wide range of health problems), and can have significant social, political, and economic consequences.

Conspiracy theories often arise after unexpected and high-impact events that have long-lasting negative consequences. Some examples of such events include the 9/11 attacks, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and the COVID-19 pandemic (Freeman et al., 2022 ; Stempel et al., 2007 ; Knight, 2000 ). When unexpected events occur, people naturally try to make sense of them (Van Prooijen and Douglas, 2017 ). They want to understand why they happened and who is responsible. In some cases, the explanation is clear, and the responsible parties are held accountable. However, sometimes the event is particularly shocking or tragic, and the explanation is not immediately apparent. People may begin to look for alternative explanations. This is where conspiracy theories come in. They offer an alternative explanation for the event. These theories often involve complex and convoluted narratives that are difficult to verify, and they may involve multiple actors working together to carry out the conspiracy (Lazić and Žeželj, 2021 ).

An earthquake is an example of such an unexpected and high-impact event, in particular, such a massive one as the earthquake in Syria, and Turkey on the 6th of February 2023 with a magnitude of 7.8. This earthquake was so powerful that it left thousands of people dead and many more injured. After this natural disaster, there were a lot of conspiracy theories about what caused it. Some people believe that the earthquake was caused by a secret government experiment gone wrong. Others believe that it was an act of God or punishment for something bad that happened in the world (Kanhai et al., 2016 ). Regardless of what people believe, it is important to understand why conspiracy theories exist in the wake of disasters like the 2023 earthquake. One reason why conspiracy theories abound after events like this is because people are looking for someone to blame (Biddlestone et al., 2021 ). When something bad happens, it is human nature to want to find someone to blame. This can be especially true when the event is as devastating as an earthquake. People want to know why this happened and who is responsible. Another reason for all the conspiracy theories is that people need answers and explanations when faced with tragedy (Van Der Wal et al., 2018 ). They want to make sense of what happened and often turn to stories or theories that provide these explanations, even if they are not based on facts.

Another reason for the popularity of conspiracy theories is the ease of access to information through social media and the internet. With the active penetration of social media into everyday life, social media have become a major source of information, including an important source for discussions of conspiracy theories. This was especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic when social media discussions with huge amounts of uncontrolled conspiracy and other misinformation Footnote 1 led to the emergence of the so-called infodemic with negative consequences on people’s behavior and crisis response (Erokhin et al., 2022 ).

Against the backdrop of the pervasive High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) conspiracy theory discourse on Twitter—without differentiating between proponents, opponents, or those neutral to the theory—this study seeks to scrutinize the evolutionary trajectory of this discussion. This study aims to answer the research question of how the discourse on the HAARP conspiracy theory changes over time, and what are the potential catalysts for heightened attention to this conspiracy theory.

Understanding the catalysts of changing conspiracy theory attention can provide invaluable insight into how narratives around such theories mutate, gain traction, or fade in the digital sphere. This study attempts to take a look at the drivers contributing to the longevity and proliferation of conspiracy theories in online platforms despite the different perspectives or positions held by different Twitter users. By exploring the changing discourse and identifying key factors provoking increased interest in the HAARP conspiracy theory, this study seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the changing landscape of online conspiracy narratives and thereby expand understanding of the relationship between digital communication, public discourse, and belief formation. Examining the HAARP conspiracy theory in the context of seismic events such as earthquakes is of particular importance due to the ubiquity of conspiracy narratives attributing natural disasters to human intervention. HAARP, known for its scientific studies of the ionosphere, is often misinterpreted and associated with speculative views claiming its involvement in triggering earthquakes. Understanding the evolution and spread of the HAARP conspiracy theory provides a unique opportunity to see how misinformation is intertwined with natural disasters, potentially influencing public perception, political reaction, and scientific understanding of these events.

This study employs the Twitter API to gather data on tweet frequencies related to the HAARP conspiracy from January 2022 through March 2023, totaling over one million collected tweets. In doing so, almost all available tweets about HAARP in the specified period are collected, as Twitter’s Academic API is capable of generating comprehensive datasets by capturing nearly complete samples of Twitter data across a diverse range of search terms (Pfeffer et al., 2023 ). The research explores potential factors influencing the variation in HAARP tweet frequency. Additionally, sentiment analysis is conducted on tweets before, during, and after the February 6, 2023 earthquake in Syria and Turkey. The findings reveal an increase in HAARP discussions following significant disasters and a positive correlation between average tweet sentiment and tweet quantity, suggesting that HAARP discussions may strengthen people’s beliefs.

Section “Background” delves into the background of conspiracy theories in relation to social media and earthquakes. Section “Methodology” outlines the data and methodology utilized in the study. In section “Results”, the results of the study are presented. Section “Discussion” discusses the results. Lastly, section “Conclusion” provides a concluding summary of the findings.

Social media and conspiracy theories

Social media has played a significant role in the spread of conspiracy theories in recent years (Cinelli et al., 2022 ). Platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, have provided a means for individuals to share their beliefs and ideas with potentially large audiences.

Conspiracy theories often thrive on social media due to the ease of sharing and the ability to connect with like-minded individuals (Theocharis et al., 2021 ). Social media algorithms that promote engagement and prioritize sensational content can also contribute to the spread of false information and conspiracy theories (Landi et al., 2021 ; Bradshaw, 2020 ).

Some conspiracy theories that have gained significant traction on social media include claims that the COVID-19 pandemic is a hoax (Erokhin et al., 2022 ; Jennings et al., 2021 ). Others assert that vaccines are part of a government-led effort to control the population. These false claims have caused misbehaviors of the public, including vaccine hesitancy and the spread of misinformation that has fueled the pandemic (Pertwee et al., 2022 ). People who believe in conspiracy theories may become increasingly isolated from mainstream society, leading to feelings of persecution and a greater distrust of authority (Uscinski et al., 2020 ; Pound and Campbell, 2015 ).

Earthquakes and conspiracies, the case of Turkey-Syria earthquake

Earthquakes are natural disasters that can cause immense damage and loss of life. They are a result of the movement of tectonic plates, and they can occur anywhere in the world, although some areas are more prone to seismic activity than others (Kelleher, 1972 ). Despite the scientific explanations behind earthquakes, there are some who believe that they are the result of conspiracies rather than natural causes (Erokhin and Komendantova, 2023 ; Gkinopoulos and Mari, 2023 ).

One popular conspiracy theory is that earthquakes are caused by secret government organizations or other groups with advanced technology (Radford, 2014 ). Proponents of this theory claim that these groups use energy weapons or other devices to create seismic activity in order to achieve their own objectives (Sheshpari, 2018 ). Some believe that these objectives may include the destruction of certain cities or the destabilization of political regimes (De Mucci, 2015 ). Another conspiracy theory is that earthquakes are caused by extraterrestrial forces (Shlien, 1972 ). Some claim that aliens use their advanced technology to create earthquakes on Earth as a means of experimentation or even as a way to punish humans for their actions. This theory is often supported by anecdotal evidence, such as sightings of UFOs near areas that have experienced earthquakes (Persinger, 1980 ).

On the 6th of February 2023, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 hit the southern and central regions of Turkey as well as the northern and western parts of Syria. The death toll has continued to rise with confirmed fatalities exceeding 57,300 as of the 20th of March 2023. Given that the earthquake was one of the most serious in power and impact, it generated a great deal of discussion, including the spread of conspiracy narratives. On the 6th of February 2023, the number of tweets containing the word earthquake rose to 1.5 million (see Fig. 1 ). One popular theory was that the earthquake was the result of a secret weapon developed by a foreign government or other group. According to this theory, the weapon used advanced technology to create seismic activity in the region as a means of achieving its own objectives. Some proponents of the theory claimed that it was a deliberate attack on the region, possibly as part of a large geopolitical strategy.

Daily tweet frequency on earthquake (01 February 2023—28 February 2023).

Many people have also referred to the so-called HAARP as being the potential cause of the earthquake. HAARP is a research program funded by the US government that investigates the ionosphere (Weinberger, 2014 ). Despite its scientific purposes, the HAARP program has been the subject of various conspiracy theories. One of the most popular HAARP conspiracy theories is that the program is used for weather control, mind control, or even causing natural disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes (Deruelle, 2020 ; Miller and Miller, 2003 ; Naiditch, 2003 ). According to this theory, the HAARP program uses a network of high-frequency radio waves to manipulate the ionosphere, which in turn affects the Earth’s climate and weather patterns and even causes natural disasters.

Table 1 contains a conspiracy tweet example and a graphical illustration created by Midjourney artificial intelligence.

Methodology

The methodology of this research includes several methods and several steps.

First, this study applies the case study method. A case study method is a research approach that involves in-depth investigation and analysis of a single individual, group, or phenomenon (Feagin et al., 2016 ; Fidel, 1984 ). The goal of a case study is to gain a deep understanding of the specific case being studied and to generate new knowledge or insights that can be applied to similar situations in the future. Case study approach has been widely applied in the study of conspiracy theories. E.g., there are studies analyzing separate conspiracy theories related to COVID-19 (Erokhin et al., 2022 ), monkeypox (Elroy et al., 2023 ), or earthquakes (Erokhin and Komendantova, 2023 ). The approach of this study is analyzing one conspiracy theory related to earthquakes, which is the most easily identifiable and differentiable from non-conspiracy Footnote 2 . The HAARP case study as well as the case study of the recent Turkey-Syria earthquake are selected.

The data is collected with the help of the Twitter API. Twitter API V2 for academic research is used to extract daily tweet frequencies by the keyword “HAARP” to analyze the discussion development of HAARP (01 January 2022–4 March 2023) and to extract tweets on HAARP to analyze the sentiment of the discussion (01 January 2023–28 February 2023). The selected timeline allows for a comprehensive analysis of HAARP discussions, capturing a significant period to observe the evolution of discourse from January 2022 to March 2023. The broader timeframe offers insights into the long-term trends and shifts in public opinion, while the specific January to February 2023 period enables a more focused examination of sentiment during a critical phase of the discussion related to the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey. Tweets on the peak days of the discussions are also extracted and analyzed to understand why the peaks occurred.

During the data analysis, this study looks for what drives the discussions. Over the study period, HAARP peaks are mostly related to natural disasters such as earthquakes. That is why this study investigates the connection between earthquakes and the HAARP discussion further and estimates a positive and significant correlation between the number of HAARP-related tweets per day as well as the magnitude of the strongest earthquake on a particular day.

This study uses Azure Sentiment Analysis to estimate the sentiment of the discussion on HAARP. Azure Sentiment Analysis is a natural language processing service offered by Microsoft Azure that analyzes text data and determines the sentiment (positive, negative, or neutral) expressed in it. It first preprocesses the text by removing stop words (commonly used words that do not carry much meaning), stemming (reducing words to their root form), and tokenizing (breaking the text into individual words or phrases). It then uses a machine learning model to analyze the sentiment expressed in it. The model is trained on a large corpus of text data and uses statistical algorithms to classify the sentiment of the text. Azure’s sentiment analysis service assigns a score between 0 and 1 to indicate the degree of positive sentiment in a given text. A score closer to 1 indicates a highly positive sentiment, while a score closer to 0 indicates a highly negative sentiment. A score between 0.45 and 0.60 indicates a neutral sentiment. Microsoft Azure Machine Learning has already been successfully applied in various literature (e.g., Qorib et al., 2023 ; Harfoushi et al., 2018 ; Qasem et al., 2015 ). This study uses Midjourney to create an illustration of the HAARP conspiracy. Midjourney is an artificial intelligence capable of creating AI art. An illustration of the HAARP conspiracy could enrich the article by offering a visually engaging and informative supplement to the textual content, potentially enhancing reader engagement, comprehension, and interest in the topic.

Whereas in the analysis of tweet frequencies, the study focuses on all languages, in data collection the study is limited to English tweets when analyzing the sentiment of the HAARP discussion.

This study uses Twitter API and collects tweet frequencies between the 1st of January 2022 and the 4th of March 2023. In total, there are 1 041 633 tweets on HAARP.

In addition, this study tests for the correlation between HAARP and the maximum magnitude of an earthquake on a given date. The expectation is that the prevalence of conspiracy beliefs tends to intensify in correlation with the magnitude of earthquakes, where more severe earthquakes in the analyzed time period often garner heightened public attention (Bossu et al., 2023 ; Ruan et al., 2022 ). This increased visibility and impact of larger earthquakes on communities may inadvertently elevate the susceptibility to conspiratorial interpretations, thereby emphasizing the need to explore how such catastrophic occurrences intertwine with the proliferation of conspiracy beliefs (Erokhin and Komendantova, 2023 ). This study uses the Significant Earthquakes Archive operated by the United States Geological Survey ( 2023 ) to extract data on earthquakes. It is a scientific agency of the United States government that studies the natural resources and hazards of the earth. The database provides comprehensive information on earthquakes that have occurred all over the world. The earthquake database is constantly updated with the latest earthquake data, and it includes a wealth of information on each earthquake, including magnitude, location, depth, time, shaking intensity, and tsunami information.

Table 2 summarizes the number of tweets per month. In total, in the observed period, there were 1 041 633 tweets on HAARP.

Table 3 presents summary statistics on a monthly basis, and Table 4 —on a daily basis.

The frequency analysis shows that peaks in the discussion on HAARP were mostly attributed to severe earthquakes. Figures 2 and 3 reveal that the discussion on HAARP had its all-time high on the 6 th of February 2023 with more than 150 000 tweets. It was the day when a 7.8 earthquake struck southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria. The next highest point is the 23 rd of November 2022 with 11,700 tweets when a 6.1 earthquake struck near Düzce, Turkey Footnote 3 . It is followed by the 19th of September 2022 with more than 6100 tweets when a 7.7 earthquake struck between the Mexican states of Michoacán and Colima. The 5 700 tweets on the 30th of November 2022 were connected to a very heavy rainfall Footnote 4 , which hit several states in south-eastern Brazil in late November 2022 Footnote 5 . On the 19th of July 2022 a video with more than 160 000 views “China: world’s largest weather-modification system (HAARP)” Footnote 6 was published, which explains the peak with more than 3600 tweets the day after. The peak of about 2500 tweets on the 27th of December 2022 was connected with a discussion of a research campaign, which was launched by HAARP in cooperation with NASA. On the 16th of March 2022, a 7.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Fukushima, Japan, which led to a peak in the HAARP discussion on the 18th of March with about 2400 tweets.

Daily tweet frequency on HAARP (01 January 2022–4 March 2023).

Daily tweet frequency on HAARP (01 January 2022–4 February 2023).

Given that most of the HAARP-related highs were related to earthquakes this study analyzes the correlation between the number of tweets on HAARP on a date and the highest magnitude of an earthquake on this date for all the earthquakes between January 2022 and March 2023. The correlation is positive and significant (0.1438***). The frequency of the HAARP discussion increases with the earthquake magnitude.

Table 5 summarizes the results on the sentiment of the HAARP discussion and the tweet frequency. The average sentiment and the sentiment standard deviation have a negative and significant correlation. It implies that differences in sentiment decline with higher sentiment. There is a positive and significant correlation between the number of tweets and the mean sentiment. Figure 4 shows that the mean sentiment of tweets was below the January – February 2023 average before the February 2023 earthquake and increased thereafter.

Mean sentiment score over time (01 January 2023–28 February 2023).

In addition, this study analyzes and compares the discussions before and after the February 2023 earthquake. When looking into the discussions from January 2023 until the earthquake, the discussion on HAARP is quite diverse and covers a wide range of topics, from weather manipulation and climate control to conspiracy theories and government involvement (see Fig. 5 for the 50 most frequently used words). The sentiment in the discussion seems to be mixed, with some expressing genuine concern about the potential impact of HAARP on the environment and weather patterns, while others are more skeptical and view it as a tool for conspiracy theories. One of the most discussed topics is the potential use of HAARP for weather manipulation and geoengineering. Many individuals in the discussion express concerns about the impact of HAARP on natural weather patterns and climate change. Some believe that HAARP is being used to control the weather, while others are skeptical and view it as a conspiracy theory. Another prominent topic is the connection between HAARP and chemtrails. Some individuals in the discussion link these two phenomena, suggesting that they are part of a large conspiracy related to weather control and manipulation. This has sparked debates about the validity of such claims and the potential implications for the environment and public health. Additionally, there are references to government involvement and secrecy surrounding HAARP. Some individuals express skepticism about the official narrative and question the true intentions behind HAARP’s operations. This has led to discussions about the need for transparency and accountability in scientific research and government initiatives related to weather and environmental control.

The word clouds were constructed using https://www.wortwolken.com/ .

Quite a varied discussion on HAARP also followed the February 2023 earthquake that covered a wide range of sentiments and topics (see Fig. 6 for the 50 most frequently used words). Some people express skepticism and concern about the potential use of HAARP for weather manipulation and geophysical warfare. There are mentions of HAARP being a powerful geophysical weapon and its alleged capability to initiate earthquakes and other natural disasters. Some individuals also suggest that recent earthquakes, such as the one in Turkey, may have been caused by HAARP. The sentiment in the discussion is mixed, with some expressing genuine concern and seeking to understand the potential implications of HAARP, while others dismiss it as a conspiracy theory. The main topics of discussion include the alleged use of HAARP for weather modification, its potential role in seismic events, and its connection to geopolitical tensions. Additionally, there are references to climate change, geoengineering, chemtrails, and the impact of HAARP on the environment.

Word cloud of the 50 most frequently used words (06 February 2023–28 February 2023).

In summary, before the earthquake, the keywords and phrases primarily revolved around conspiracy theories related to weather control and manipulation, such as “weather modification”, “chemtrails”, “geoengineering”, “climate hoax”, and “global warming”. There were also mentions of specific individuals and organizations, such as “Mike Hudema”, “Pentagon”, “DARPA”, and “WEF”, suggesting a focus on alleged secretive activities and agendas. After the earthquake, the keywords shifted to focus on the earthquake itself and related topics. There were mentions of specific locations and events, such as “Turkey”, “earthquake”, “Istanbul”, “Bosphorus”, and “Sanliurfa”. Additionally, there were references to military equipment and operations, including “DDG”, “soldiers”, “NATO”, and “anchored”, indicating a shift in focus from conspiracy theories to the earthquake and its potential causes and effects.

This study finds that the frequency of HAARP discussion is positively correlated with the magnitude of an earthquake. However, though the Pearson correlation coefficient serves as a valuable metric in analyzing relationships between variables, it harbors limitations. While its application can highlight strong statistical significance, acknowledging its potential weaknesses is crucial, especially in scenarios where multivariate analysis could offer a more comprehensive understanding. Indeed, a simple correlation analysis often falls short of elucidating causation or determining the cause-and-effect dynamics between variables. This is particularly evident in cases where the correlation coefficient is low. Despite these constraints, when confronted with a situation like the earthquake triggering discussions about HAARP, rather than the converse, the correlation enables us to observe the likelihood of such events. While one should be cautious not to conflate correlation with causation, such observations do offer valuable insights, especially when substantiated by strong statistical significance.

This study also finds a positive correlation between average tweet sentiment and the number of tweets, which could indicate that the discussion of HAARP reinforces people’s beliefs. Users discussing conspiracy theories may feel more positive when they find other people who share their beliefs because it reinforces their worldview and provides a sense of validation and community. When they encounter others who believe in the same conspiracy theories, it can confirm their suspicions and give them a sense of belonging to a group that shares similar ideas and beliefs (Douglas et al., 2017 ). In addition, group discussions and social media can create an “echo chamber” effect, where individuals are exposed to information and opinions that confirm their existing beliefs while dismissing any opposing viewpoints (Cinelli et al., 2022 ). This can further reinforce the conspiracy theory and make it harder for individuals to question or doubt their beliefs. Furthermore, the feeling of being part of a “secret club” or possessing special knowledge that is hidden from the general public can give individuals a sense of empowerment and importance. This can lead to a psychological phenomenon known as “grandiosity”, where individuals feel a sense of superiority over those who do not share their beliefs (Ük and Bahcekapili, 2022 ).

One of the limitations is the use of a single platform—Twitter—and a single language—English— when analyzing tweet sentiment. Uncertainties from the sole data source and missing geo-tag information can be reduced using other social monitoring data, such as Google Trends (Gizzi et al., 2020 ; Kam et al., 2021 ). Geoparsing is another possibility to identify the location of users (Baranowski et al., 2020 ). Geoparsing is possible through alternative metadata channels, including the user’s nationality, hometown, and direct references to specific locations within the message itself (e.g., province or city names). Although this approach entails estimations and may occasionally assign messages to inaccurate locations, leveraging a substantial volume of data, rather than individual tweets, helps mitigate the impact of potential inaccuracies in geoparsing, thus reducing random noise in the analysis.

Figure 7 shows that the search for HAARP on Google peaked following the major earthquake in Syria and Turkey similar to the number of tweets. This study also found that other earthquakes, which triggered peaks both in the Twitter discussion and Google searches (see Fig. 8 ). There was a peak following the 19th of September 2022 earthquake, the 23rd of November 2022 earthquake, the 30th of November 2022 rainfall. However, there was no difference in activity following the video publication in July 2022 suggesting that the video was mainly spread on Twitter and its discussion did not have a spillover effect on Google searches. The March 2022 earthquake in Japan also did not have any effect on the change in Google searches. There was only a slight increase in Google searches following the December 2022 launch of a campaign by HAARP and NASA. Google Trends also allows figuring out where the search queries come from. Table 6 shows the top 10 regions searched for HAARP.

Google Trends HAARP worldwide interest over time (01 January 2022–4 March 2023).

Google Trends HAARP worldwide interest over time (01 January 2022–4 February 2023).

Another limitation of the study may lie in the application of the Azure Sentiment analysis (Microsoft, 2023 ). The sentiment prediction model, primarily trained on product and service reviews, might not exhibit optimal performance in scenarios beyond this domain. Challenges may arise with dialects and less-represented languages in the training dataset, potentially impacting accuracy. Additionally, the system lacks an intricate understanding of the relative importance of sentences in a document and may not grasp elements like sarcasm or contextual factors such as tone of voice or prior conversation. Despite efforts to minimize bias, there remains a possibility of encountering inaccurate and unreliable output. However, given that this study analyzes tweets in English without referring to any prior conversations the potential bias should be low.

This study contributes to several strands of literature, including the study of conspiracy theories, social media dynamics, and natural disasters. In the realm of conspiracy theories, the study sheds light on the evolving landscape of online conspiracy narratives, providing insights into the catalysts that drive the proliferation and longevity of such theories. It also contributes to the understanding of how social media platforms facilitate the spread of conspiracy theories. Furthermore, the study adds to the literature on natural disasters by examining the intertwining of conspiracy beliefs with earthquakes.

The implications of this study are far-reaching and have significant relevance for the audience as well, particularly in the context of media psychology. The study sheds light on the dynamics of belief reinforcement within online communities amidst heightened attention to conspiracy theories triggered by significant events, such as natural disasters. For the audience, this study underscores the importance of critical thinking and analysis, especially during times of crisis. It highlights the potential impact of social media on public perception and the spread of misinformation, emphasizing the need for accurate and reliable information to be disseminated to the public. In terms of media psychology, the study provides insights into what drives narratives around conspiracy theories in the digital sphere offering a valuable understanding of the relationship between digital communication, public discourse, and belief formation. This can help media psychologists and researchers better comprehend the mechanisms through which conspiracy theories spread and gain influence and develop strategies to counteract the negative effects of misinformation and conspiracy narratives.

Future research could focus on the validation of the study findings using surveys or interviews to find the received risk of the public (Liu et al., 2023 ) and to analyze reasons behind conspiracy beliefs, which could include character traits, social norms, mental health conditions, and others (Ahadzadeh et al., 2023 ; Gong and Ren, 2023 ; Green et al., 2023 ).

The findings of this study reveal that conspiracy theories remain a popular topic of discussion on social media, with the frequency of discussion increasing after a high-impact earthquake. This study finds that major earthquakes like the severe February 2023 earthquake in Syria and Turkey do trigger the HAARP discussion on Twitter.

Furthermore, the analysis of sentiment suggests that the discussion of conspiracy theories reinforces people’s beliefs, leading to a more positive discussion with a higher number of tweets. This suggests that once people believe in a particular conspiracy theory, they are less likely to question it or engage in critical thinking and may even seek out information that confirms their beliefs.

In conclusion, the prevalence of conspiracy theories on social media is a growing concern, and this study has provided important insights into the dynamics of these theories and their impact on public discourse. The findings suggest that more needs to be done to promote critical thinking and analysis and to provide accurate and reliable information to the public, particularly during times of crisis. By doing so, it is possible to help prevent the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories and ensure that the public is better equipped to navigate complex issues in an informed and rational way.

Data availability

Twitter data and publicly available data were used for the analysis as described in the study.

Misinformation encompass false or inaccurate information, whether created intentionally or not, that is disseminated (Komendantova et al., 2023 ). On the other hand, disinformation is specifically crafted with the conscious aim to deceive, cause harm, or influence different social groups.

To give an example of why it is important one could think of the conspiracy on Bill Gates’ role in the COVID-19 pandemic. Whereas some tweets could be related to the conspiracy, there could be non-conspiracy tweets as well as talking about Bill Gates donating money for the development of vaccines. In this case, one would need to train a machine learning algorithm, which would be able to distinguish between conspiracy and non-conspiracy tweets. On the other hand, it is quite sure that HAARP is most likely related to conspiracies when discussing earthquakes.

The fact that two major peaks coincide with major earthquakes that occurred in Turkey could also lie in the fact that some populations may be more subject to conspiracy beliefs. E.g., Gürpınar ( 2019 ) refers to Turkey as a “conspiracy nation”.

Though other types of natural disasters such as rainfalls could trigger the HAARP discussion, the study focuses on earthquakes because as the findings and literature reveal the HAARP conspiracy is most frequently connected to earthquakes.

Though significant rainfall events occurred worldwide in 2022, only the rainfall in Brazil led to a high number of tweets discussing HAARP in connection to the rainfall. One explanation could be a general widespread conspiracies in Brazil where “false information … has penetrated … society” claiming a plot of developed nations against Brazil (Silva, 2022 ).

It is an interesting observation that in this case HAARP is used as a nominative name. Although the program is not related to China, China’s climate change program is also referred to as HAARP. It can be assumed that this is an attempt to link the program to conspiracy theories. Many of the tweets are accompanied by comments that climate change is a hoax or a plot.

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The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and publication of this article: this work was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 101021746, CORE (science and human factor for resilient society).

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Photochemical cyclopropanation in aqueous micellar media – experimental and theoretical studies †.

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While in nature, reactions occur in water-based confined compartments, for a long time, water has been often regarded as an unsuitable medium for organic reactions. We have, however, found that photochemical cyclopropanation of styrenes with diazo compounds or their precursors can be performed in micellar systems. COSMO-RS studies revealed that the reactivity correlates with the predicted critical micelle concentration (CMC), with higher CMC values delivering higher yields.

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Study: Breaking gender stereotypes leads to more effective communication

When men use more "feminine" language, seen as more warm, communal and nurturing, their apologies are more effective, the study found.

Saying "I'm sorry," especially in the workplace, can be tricky terrain. Delivering an effective apology can help resolve conflicts, restore trust and promote collaboration among co-workers.

But what works best?

A research team including a University of Arizona faculty member says that to make your next apology more effective, use language that goes against gender stereotypes.

Sarah Doyle , associate professor in the Department of Management and Organizations in the Eller College of Management, said the team wanted to find out what constitutes an effective apology in the workplace – and whether the content of a successful apology looks different depending on the gender of the apologizer. The research was published in the Journal of Applied Psychology .

The team used past research to define "masculine" and "feminine" language, including a study from 2003 that defined masculine language as having more agency and being more assertive, confident and self-assured, and feminine language as warm, communal and nurturing. The team labeled apologies with more masculine language as "agentic," and those with more feminine language as "communal." Overall, Doyle's team found that those who "violated" gender stereotypes were seen as delivering more effective apologies.

"We found that women delivering masculine-style apologies benefited because they were seen as displaying higher levels of assertiveness and enhancing their perceived competence," Doyle said. "The men delivering apologies with more stereotypically feminine language were seen as having greater interpersonal sensitivity that enhanced their perceived benevolence or warmth."

Sarah Doyle

Starting with celebrities

The team began its series of four studies by searching through a platform that is a well-known hotspot for celebrity apologies: X, formerly known as Twitter. They ultimately examined 87 apology tweets from celebrities, including rapper and singer Lizzo, comedian Kevin Hart, actor Tyler Posey and television personality Kendra Wilkinson. Public reaction to those tweets supported the idea of apologizers benefiting by violating gender stereotypes, especially for the women in the sample, Doyle said.

"The female celebrities who delivered apologies that were higher in these masculine qualities were especially likely to receive these benefits," Doyle said. "There were higher 'like' counts and the sentiments in response to those apology tweets were much more positive."

For women delivering an apology on the platform, a one-point increase in agentic language, as measured on a five-point scale, returned an average of more than 17,000 additional likes, Doyle said.

Everyday apologies

In the second study, 366 working adults participated in a scenario in which their accountant sends them an email apologizing for making a mistake on their taxes. Individuals were randomly assigned to one of four groups classified by a male or female accountant delivering a stereotypically masculine or feminine apology. Participants then rated different components of the apology and determined whether they would like to continue using the accountant. The data lined up with the results from the first study, showing, for both male and female apologizers, that the counter-stereotypical apology was more effective.

The third study involved 441 individuals participating in the same accounting scenario but asked them to respond to the accountant's apology and determine whether they wanted to keep working with them. The fourth study was similar to the third, but used a scenario involving a paperwork error by a nurse to see if using a more traditionally female occupation would change the results. The data from each study showed counter-stereotypical apologies were seen as more effective, especially for female apologizers.

Across the studies using the accounting or nursing scenarios, researchers found that, for women, delivering a counter-stereotypical apology increased the apology's perceived effectiveness by an average of 9.7%. For men, using a counter-stereotypical apology increased perceived effectiveness by an average of 8.2%.

"It's important to mention that we did not find that men and women are penalized for giving a stereotypical apology," Doyle said, "Rather, they benefit from giving a counter-stereotypical one. Thus, any apology is likely to be better than no apology at all."

Sorry to ask, but what did we learn?

Put simply, there are a lot of different ways to apologize, and it can help to think it through, Doyle said.

"I think people assume that 'I'm sorry' is a consistent and effective way to apologize, but there are a lot of different ways to say that," Doyle explained. "Not all apologies are the same, and it can help to be a little bit more deliberate about the language that you're using and the content that is included in your apology."

The research team is hoping the results can lead people to think beyond how often we apologize, and to put more focus on how we communicate.

"Much of the literature suggests women apologize too much and men don't apologize enough," Doyle said. "But I think the frequency conversation is a bit oversimplified. It's not just about whether people should apologize more or less, but how we can construct apologies differently. It's what you include in that apology that's really going to matter."

The research team also included Beth Polin from Eastern Kentucky University; Sijun Kim from Texas A&M University; Roy Lewicki from The Ohio State University; and Nitya Chawla from the University of Minnesota.

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RFK Jr. calls Biden a greater threat to democracy than Trump

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr . said Monday that he sees President Joe Biden as more of a threat to democracy than presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump .

In an interview on CNN , Kennedy argued that Biden "has used the federal agencies to censor political speech," appearing to refer to a case before the Supreme Court that could affect the level of contact between government officials and social media companies regarding content removal.

Last month, a majority of Supreme Court justices appeared to be wary of arguments that the Biden administration was unlawfully telling social media platforms to take down problematic conduct.

“I can make the argument that President Biden is the much worse threat to democracy, and the reason for that is President Biden is the first candidate in history, the first president in history, that has used the federal agencies to censor political speech ... to censor his opponent,” Kennedy said.

“I can say that because I just won a case in the federal court of appeals and now before that Supreme Court that shows that he started censoring,” Kennedy also said.

The Kennedy campaign did not directly respond to a question about the legal case he appeared to refer to.

Kennedy, a prominent anti-vaccine activist, has used social media to spread misinformation related to vaccines and Covid. The Children’s Health Defense group, an anti-vaccine group led by Kennedy, was kicked off Instagram and Facebook, both owned by Meta, in 2022 for spreading misinformation about vaccines and Covid.

The Democratic National Committee blasted Kennedy in a statement after the interview.

"With a straight face Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that Joe Biden is a bigger threat to democracy than Donald Trump because he was barred from pushing conspiracy theories online," DNC senior adviser Mary Beth Cahill said. "There is no comparison to summoning a mob to the Capitol and promising to be a dictator on day one."

"Robert F. Kennedy Jr. laid to rest tonight any doubts that he’s a spoiler candidate by pushing his MAGA talking points in prime time," she added.

Cahill was a chief of staff for the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, Kennedy’s uncle.

The Biden campaign deferred to the DNC when it was reached for comment.

Biden has made preserving democracy a cornerstone of his re-election campaign, juxtaposing his actions to protect democratic institutions with Trump's actions.

"Folks, but for all the threats posed to the country, the greatest threat he poses is to our democracy, and that’s not hyperbole," Biden said about Trump at a campaign event last week.

As Biden allies fear that Kennedy could siphon votes away from the president and help Trump return to the White House, several members of Kennedy's family have been vocal in their support for Biden and their criticism of RFK Jr.

Kennedy, like Trump, has a history of arguing that elections were "stolen."

During Monday's CNN interview, he reiterated a false claim that the 2000 and 2004 elections were "stolen."

Similarly, Trump has regularly made false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. Rioters who breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, have echoed his falsehoods as rationale for their behavior.

Megan Lebowitz is a politics reporter for NBC News.