HOW GUCCI HAS SOLIDIFIED ITS CORPORATE BRAND STRATEGY THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA—A CASE STUDY

Öz

With technology evolving every day, it is no wonder that new ways of communication emerge sooner than one can imagine. The latest and most talked-about form of two-way communication is social media. By enabling brands to communicate with their customers, social media has surpassed the traditional forms of communication brands used to favour, such as print media. Corporate branding helps companies to stand out from their competition by distinguishing what is unique about them, and social media is an invaluable asset in achieving a coherent corporate brand. With constant innovation, brands are able to integrate social media into their marketing strategies and enable consumers to freely express their opinions and to get in touch with the brand, building positive associations around the brand. This article will analyse Gucci’s corporate brand identity and its use of social media as a tool in communicating this identity to its consumers through a literature review followed by a case study, including any recommendations for the brand. 

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Keywords: Gucci,social media,corporate branding,brand identity

Kaynakça

1. Balmer, J. M., & Gray, E. R. (2003). Corporate brands: what are they? What of them?. European journal of marketing, 37(7/8), 972-997.
2. Balmer, J. M., & Greyser, S. A. (2006). Corporate marketing: Integrating corporate identity, corporate branding, corporate communications, corporate image and corporate reputation. European journal of marketing, 40(7/8), 730-741.
3. Burt, S. L., & Sparks, L. (2002). Corporate branding, retailing, and retail internationalization. Corporate Reputation Review, 5(2-3), 194-212.
4. DeFanti, M., Bird, D., & Caldwell, H. (2013). Forever now: Gucci’s use of a partially borrowed heritage to establish a global luxury brand. In LC neilson (ed.), Varieties, Alternatives, and Deviations in Marketing History: Proceedings of the 16th Biennial Conference on Historical Analysis and Research in Marketing (CHARM), CHARM Association, Copenhagen, Denmark (pp. 14-23).
5. Erdoğmuş, İ. E., & Cicek, M. (2012). The impact of social media marketing on brand loyalty. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 58, 1353-1360.
6. Han, Y. J., Nunes, J. C., & Drèze, X. (2010). Signaling status with luxury goods: The role of brand prominence. Journal of Marketing, 74(4), 15-30.
7. Harris, F., & De Chernatony, L. (2001). Corporate branding and corporate brand performance. European Journal of marketing, 35(3/4), 441-456.
8. Jackson, T., & Haid, C. (2002). Gucci Group-the new family of luxury brands. International Journal of New Product Development and Innovation Management, 4(2), 161-172.

9. Lipsman, A., Mudd, G., Rich, M., & Bruich, S. (2012). The power of “like”: How brands reach (and influence) fans through social-media marketing. Journal of Advertising research, 52(1), 40-52.
10. Mangold, W. G., & Faulds, D. J. (2009). Social media: The new hybrid element of the promotion mix. Business horizons, 52(4), 357-365.
11. Nueno, J. L., & Quelch, J. A. (1998). The mass marketing of luxury. Business Horizons, 41(6), 61-68.
12. Saravanakumar, M., & SuganthaLakshmi, T. (2012). Social media marketing. Life Science Journal, 9(4), 4444-4451.
13. Trusov, M., Bucklin, R. E., & Pauwels, K. (2009). Effects of word-of-mouth versus traditional marketing: findings from an internet social networking site. Journal of marketing, 73(5), 90-102.
14. Virvilaite, R., Tumasonyte, D., & Sliburyte, L. (2015). The influence of word of mouth communication on brand equity: Receiver perspectives. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 213, 641-646.