The Role of Social Media in Promoting Organizational Brand: A Case of Telecommunication Organizations in Tanzania

Öz

This study was conducted with the aim of exploring the role of social media in promoting organizational brand. The study had three objectives. The first objective is to determine the ways that telecommunication organizations in Tanzania use to promote organizational brands on Facebook. The second one is to find out the customers’ perspective on the impacts of the telecommunication organizations’ activities on Facebook. The last one is to unveil challenges that telecommunication organizations face in promoting the organizational brand on Facebook. The study used mixed methods research design. The content analysis was used to gather data from the Facebook pages of the four telecommunication organizations of Tanzania. The interviews and online questionnaire survey (OQS) incorporated participants who liked the Facebook pages of the four telecommunication organizations. Interviews were conducted to 16 participants while OQS was used to collect data from 100 respondents through Google Forms. The study was conducted under two theories; Theoretical Model of Corporate Branding in Social Media (TMCBSM) in industrial marketing and Cognitive Dissonance Theory. The study adopted the TMCBSM model for analyzing the Facebook posts of the telecommunication organizations while Cognitive Dissonance Theory was applied in measuring and revealing of the understanding of the OQS and interview participants on the organizational brands. Social media was found to play significant role in promoting organizational brand of the telecommunication organizations through creating organizational brand recognition and awareness to stakeholders. The study found that social media generate engagement and interactivity that build relationships between organizational brand and their stakeholders and create experiences for stakeholders which build organizational brands.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Social Media
• Facebook
• Organizational Brand
• Organizational Communication
• Telecommunication Organizations

Kurumsal Markaların Desteklenmesinde Sosyal Medyanın Rolü: Tanzanya Telekomünikasyon Şirketleri Örneği

Öz

Bu çalışma, kurumsal markaların desteklenmesinde sosyal medyanın rolünü belirlemek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Çalışmanın üç amacı bulunmaktadır. İlki, Tanzanya'daki telekomünikasyon kuruluşlarının Facebook'ta kurumsal markalarını tanıtmak için kullandıkları yolları belirlemektir. İkincisi, telekomünikasyon kuruluşlarının Facebook'taki faaliyetlerinin etkilerine ilişkin müşterilerin bakış açısını ortaya çıkarmaktır. Sonuncusu ise telekomünikasyon kuruluşlarının Facebook'ta markalarını tanıtırken karşılaştıkları zorlukları ortaya çıkarmaktır. Bu amaçlara ulaşmak için çalışmada karma yöntem kullanılmıştır. Veri toplamak için hem nitel (içerik analizi ve görüşme) hem de nicel (çevrimiçi anket) araştırma yöntemlerinden faydalanılmıştır. Tanzanya'daki dört telekomünikasyon kuruluşunun Facebook sayfalarından veri toplamak için içerik analizi gerçekleştirilmiştir. Görüşme ve çevrimiçi anket sözü edilen dört telekomünikasyon kuruluşunun Facebook sayfalarını beğenen katılımcıları içermektedir. Görüşme, 16 katılımcı ile, çevrimiçi anket ise 100 kişi ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışma iki teori altında yürütülmüştür. Bunlar, Sosyal Medyada Kurumsal Markalamanın (TMCBSM) Teorik Modeli ve Bilişsel Uyumsuzluk Teorisidir. Çalışma, telekomünikasyon kuruluşlarının Facebook gönderilerini analiz etmek için TMCBSM modelini benimserken, çevrimiçi anket ve görüşme ile katılımcılarının kurumsal markalara ilişkin anlayışlarının ölçülmesi ve ortaya çıkarılmasında Bilişsel Uyumsuzluk Kuramı uygulanmıştır. Çalışma sonucunda sosyal medyanın, kurumsal marka tanınırlığı ve farkındalık yaratarak telekomünikasyon kuruluşlarının kurumsal markalarını desteklemede önemli bir rol oynadığı tespit edilmiştir. Çalışma, sosyal medyanın kurumsal markalar ve paydaşları arasında ilişkiler kuran katılım ve etkileşim yarattığını ve paydaşlar için kurumsal markaları inşa eden deneyimler oluşturduğunu ortaya koymuştur.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Sosyal Medya
• Facebook
• Kurumsal Marka
• Kurumsal Iletişim
• Telekomünikasyon Kuruluşları

Kaynakça

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