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The Work Behind the Representation a Qualitative Study on the Strategic Work of the Communicators Behind Political Social Media Accounts

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The work behind the representation

A qualitative study on the strategic work of the communicators behind political social media accounts.

Arbetet bakom representationen En kvalitativ studie om kommunikatörers strategiska arbete bakom sociala medier.

Erik Holm Andersson Linn Lyngen

Humaniora Medie- och kommunikationsvetenskap 15 hp Theo Röhle 05/02-16

Abstract

Social media has given politicians another platform to perform campaigning in. This essay has been a study on the relationships between politicians, social media, communicators and their mutual work behind what is published. Has this relatively new form of media channel affected the way that politicians market themselves online? How does the work behind the social media channels look, what strategies are planned behind the representation for the party leader to stand for an entire ideology with its values?

The research questions of this study: - Do the strategic work from a communicator affect what is published on the politicians personal account and the official party account, and to what extent?

- How do the communicators of Swedish political representatives use social media? Do they express their communication in a personalized manner or focus mainly on the professional part of their assignment?

- What are the most important aspects in communicating through social media?

A personalization within political campaigning has increased during the past time, much because of the new media channels working together with the traditional media channels, leaving not much to be hidden about the person that is the representative for the ideology at hand. Personalization does not mean what the person is but what qualities that this person shows. How much personalization is presented is dependent on the political climate that is in the country at hand, but this study focuses on the Swedish political climate, where personalization has become a more important part of campaigning, whether on social media or physical campaigning.

Social media can not only work as a way of presenting a party leader or the ideology but as a mobilization factor for the followers of the political accounts. This can mean information of when a political representative are to hold a press conference or present an important message in a debate, to be able to lead followers to watch the representatives in more mediums than social media. In this study it has become clear that this differs between the different social media channels, as the strategies varies to the different target groups that are followers of the accounts.

An important factor that has come up from doing this study is personal branding and branding in organizations. Since it is of great value that the representatives of the ideology perform all communication through the ground values of the party, this study has shown that the work of the communicators is of the most important value, to put a strategy together that will work as a ground for all campaigning in the party, no matter physical or online.

This study has brought most theoretical focus on organizational branding, personalization and mobilization. This laid the ground for the interview questions that we created as a method of finding the results that best would answer our research questions. We interviewed eight respondents from seven different parties, that were hired either as communicators or media strategists with focus on social media channels and campaigning through them. The results showed both differences and similarities from the respondents. For example opinions differed in social media and its effect on the political climate, but they did all agree on the way that a strategy needs to be performed to best get a positive result of an online campaign. The study came to the conclusion that social media can improve the democratic participation from the people who use it, as it is an interactive media that reaches many big target groups, but that it is of importance to know that it needs to be combined with traditional ways of campaigning. The communicators all told that meeting people physically is of importance to succeed online as well.

Sammanfattning

Sociala medier inom politiken har medfört ännu ett nytt medium för politiker att synas i. Denna uppsats ämnar att undersöka förhållandet mellan sociala medier, kommunikatörer och politiker. Har denna nya form av media påverkat sättet politiker marknadsför sig själva online? Hur ser arbetet ut ut bakom plannerandet av kandidaten för att denna ska representera hela partiets politiska värderingar och ideologi?

Denna uppsats forskningsfrågor: - Påverkar det strategiska jobbet en kommunikatör utför det som publiceras på politikerns privata konto och på partiets officiella konto, och hur mycket?
- Hur mycket påverkar kommunikatörers strategiska jobb vad som publiceras på de sociala medierna?
- Vad är de viktigaste aspekterna att ha med i en kommunikativ strategi för att bäst nå en framgångsrik kampanj inom sociala medier?

En personalisering inom politiken har ökat under den senaste tiden mycket tack vare alla nya och traditionella medier som publiken kan följa politiken med. Personalisering syftar på inte på personen själv utan på egenskaper som personen besitter. Graden av personalisering och hur det sker beror delvis på hur det politiska klimatet ser ut i respektive land och i vilken omfattning det sker i. Kommunikationen via sociala medier i politiken sker inte bara utåt utan även inom partiet för att mobilisera medlemmar inom partiet, det kan leda till att man försöker presentera när partiledare eller andra representater skall framföra ett viktigt budskap i en debatt eller en presskonferens eller liknande, där information via sociala medier kan inspirera följare att uppmärksamma detta. Detta syns tydligt i vissa sociala mediekanaler mer än andra, då det genom denna studie blivit klart att strategier bakom kommunikationen varierar mellan de olika sociala medierna. Personlig branding och branding av organisationer inom politiken kan användas för att på ett effektivt och strategiskt framställa en representant för ideologin och hela partiet på ett så lämpligt sätt som möjligt. Då det är av vikt att representanter för ideologin skall framföra alla sina budskap genom de grundvärden som ideologin står för, har det visat sig genom denna studie att en gemensam strategi bakom kommunikationen som framförs är av vikt i både fysisk och online kampanjer inom politiken. Vi valde att lägga fokus på organizational branding, mobilization och personalization när vi skapade våra intervjufrågor till den intervju som vi utförde på åtta stycken respondenter i form av antingen kommunikatörer eller mediestrateger i sju stycken olika svenska politiska partier. I resultatet av dessa intervjuer så fann vi många likheter men även skillnader i åsikter och tillvägagångssätt från partiernas representanter. Vi upptäckte att vissa hade olika uppfattningar om vilken betydelse sociala medier har för politiken men att den genomgående processen att sköta konton för det officiella partiet och hanteringen av partiledares och offentliga personers konton sker på liknande sätt.

Denna studie kom till slutsatserna att sociala medier kan öka det demokratiska deltagandet hos användarna som väljer att använda sociala medier i politiska syften. Sociala medier kan ha en stor påverkan om det når en stor publik men fortfarande behåller andra former av kommunikation väger starkt, som till exempel att fysiskt träffa sina väljare ute på torg och gator.

Preface

This preface is enclosed to this study to confirm that both authors did equal parts of this study and take equal responsibility for what is written and the results presented. In no shape or form did one author perform more or less than the other.

List of Swedish parties mentioned throughout the study

The following parties will be mentioned with the English title in the essay, along with the mentioning of the leaders of the parties. To make this a simple transition, this summary is to help get the names in context.

The Moderates - Moderaterna, party leader: Anna Kinberg Batra. The Feminist party - Feministiskt initiativ, F!, party leader: Gudrun Schyman. The Left-wing Party - Vänsterpartiet, party leader: Jonas Sjöstedt. The Liberal Party - Folkpartiet, party leader: Jan Björklund. The Christian Democrats - Kristdemokraterna, party leader: Göran Hägglund/Ebba Busch Thor. The Center Party - Centerpartiet, party leader: Annie Lööf. The Pirate Party – Piratpartiet, party leader: none. The Social Democrats – Socialdemokraterna, Party leader: Stefan Löfven.

Contents

1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………..1

1.2 Research questions and problem definition…………………………………………………... 1
2. Purpose and objective………………………………………...……………………………………... 2
2.1 Outline of the study…………………………………………………………………………….... 2

2.2 Context of the study……………………………………………………………………………….2

3. Background of the subject…………………………………………………………………………… 3
3.1 Background of social media and new technology……………………………………………..3 3.2 The political electoral system of Sweden……………………………………………………… 5 3.3 Discussion of technology and campaigning in Sweden…………………………….............. 5
4. Previous research………………………………………………………………………................... 6
4.1 Social media and building bonds………………………………………………………………. 6
4.1.1 Twitter…………………………………………………………………………..................... 6 4.1.2 Instagram………………………………………………………………………................... 7

4.1.3 Facebook……………………………………………………………………………………. 8 4.1.4 Youtube……………………………………………………………………………………… 9
5. Theory…………………………………………………………………………………………………10
5.1 Personalization…………………………………………………………………………………. 10 5.2 Mobilization……………………………………………………………………………………… 12

5.3 Branding in official organizations……………………………………………………………... 13 5.4 The risk of being on interactive media……………………………………………………….. 14

6. Method……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 14

6.1 Semi-structured interviews……………………………………………………………………. 15 6.2 List of respondents of the interviews………………………………………………………… 15 6.3 Selection of the respondents…………………………………………………………………. 15 6.4 The interview questions……………………………………………………………………….. 16 6.5 Validity and reliability………………………………………………………………................. 17 6.6 Analyzing the interviews……………………………………………………………................ 18 6.7 Ethical guidelines in interviews……………………………………………………………….. 19

7. Result………………………………………………………………………………………………... 19

7.1 Personal and professional approaches on social media…………………………………… 19 7.2 Different strategies and approaches for different social media channels………………… 20

7.2.1 Facebook…………………………………………………………………………………… 21 7.2.2 Instagram…………………………………………………………………………………... 21 7.2.3 YouTube…………………………………………………………………………………… 22 7.2.4 Twitter………………………………………………………………………………………. 22

7.2.5 Summary of the different approaches for the different social media channels……... 23
7.3 Negative aspects of using social media in a political campaign…………………….......... 23 7.4 A mobilization factor for the party………………………………………………………………24 7.5 Can a successful social media campaign contribute to a better result in an election?......24 7.6 Branding and presenting the ideology…………………………………………………………26 7.7 Smaller and bigger parties in communicating on social media……………………………..27

8. Analysis………………………………………………………………………………………………..29
8.1 Personalization…………………………………………………………………………………..29 8.2 Mobilization……………………………………………………………………………………….30 8.3 Branding………………………………………………………………………………….…..30

8.4 Critical discussion of social media use in campaigning…………………...…………….31

9. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….. 31

1. Introduction

In this chapter, there will be a background of the subject presented and a specification of what this study strives to be will be explained. This chapter is meant to give the reader a better entrance to the subject that is going to be researched throughout the study. There will also be a purpose presented, a description of the research questions that will lay the ground for our thesis, and the outline of the study will be presented.

This is an interesting subject due to the fact that social media has become an essential part in the way politicians communicate and interact with their followers. In the relatively short amount of time that these media platform has existed, it has become one of the more obvious ways of communicating with the possible electors in a more interactive way than previously possible. What is hoped to be brought to light with this study and what is important to communicate is the work that goes on behind the social media accounts and what is uploaded on these channels with the help of the communicators and media strategists.

Campaigning is an integral part in politics when discussing its affect on people. Political campaigning and the following result parties get in the election process is a consequence of the work made in the campaign. This is one of a few phases in politics where it is possible to measure how well the work in the politicians is interpreted by the general public and the electors. This essay therefore find it relevant to analyze and cover this part of the political work in order to find contributions to the final result in an electoral process. When analyzing campaigning in relation to the political parties social media work different factors can be found in order to see how the two phenomenons coalesce together in order to achieve the best final result as possible. To be clear of what is signified as a campaigning process in this study, it will refer to the four years between elections and the finish of the campaign right before the election. As social media is a constant factor of news feed, we feel that only the campaigning finish is not enough to analyze what the politicians want to post on their channels.

1.2 Research questions and problem definition

What this essay strives to research is how the growth of social media and new technologies in

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general have affected the way politicians through communicators market themselves online. The research will try to find how the social media has changed the way of campaigning and presenting political parties online and if there is an ongoing work behind the actual candidate in planning of how to represent the candidate for the ideology at hand and if there is a strategy behind how all politicians are supposed to enhance specific features to better get a big base of followers online.

Social media has not only become a way to present the parties main points, but also to market and brand the candidate representing the ideology. It is an interactive medium leading to an easier way to directly answer and discuss not only with colleagues but also the electors. To better be able to create a focus to fall back on throughout this research, a few research questions have been formed.

This study attempts to answer the following research questions:

- Do the strategic work from a communicator affect what is published on the politicians personal account and the official party account, and to what extent?

- How do the communicators of Swedish political representatives use social media? Do they express their communication in a personalized manner or focus mainly on the professional part of their assignment?

- What are the most important aspects in communicating through social media?

With this it is meant to come to a conclusion on what the evolution of social media has meant from the perspective of communicators, media strategists and also of the politicians in their campaign strategies. What doors that have been opened as a way of communicating directly with possible electors and what positive and negative aspects have come up as it is an ever available and open forum for all to participate in. How much of what is published that is from the actual politician and how much is directed from a communicator that is read by their followers on social media is going to be researched in this study. How the planning behind the publishing on both personal and official party accounts is manifested and what is taken into consideration in this planning is also something that will be researched in the empirical work of this study. The research will strive to find answers as to what is most focused on by the strategists and the communicators - whether it being them showing a more personal version of the politician to create a possible way of easier connection for

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the followers, or a professional approach more focusing on the political standpoints in current events. To be able to understand how the media strategists and communicators work with what to publish on the accounts, we need to know how big their role is in this part of their work and how much they can affect what is published. After that we are able to find out what it is that they find to be of most value to present in their strategy, how they form it and in what ways the politician is presented in the most lucrative way, if a personal or professional approach is more used.

When using strategies for social media, it might differ in the major parties in Sweden, like the social democrats and the Moderates, and the smaller parties like the Feminist party, if they do or do not have media strategists and communicators that are hired to work with what is posted on their social media channels. It might differ in the way that strategist and communicators value the tool of social media in the Swedish campaigning system and the possible negative aspects of this evolution. An interesting aspect to see at the end of this study is whether the opinions from the communicators and the media strategists differ on how important the social media channels are or that the social media followers of a politicians are strictly there for entertainment purposes.

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2. Purpose and objective

The purpose of this study is to try and present the way communicators work behind the social media accounts of the official representatives (in this case politicians and official accounts) on social media channels. How communicators and media strategists within the parties present a plan on what to express, how to handle the communication with the public and what should be expressed and withhold within the frames of the person to portray. Essentially this is a study on the work that goes on behind the social media accounts, what the followers of politicians gets to see and what strategy lay behind it. It will be researched to what extent communicators have control over what will be published, how the balance between professional and personal posts is measured and for what purpose they use social media in general. The work behind the presentation of politicians and how social media has evolved it.

2.1 Outline of the study

The outline of this study will be presented in a traditional manner where the background and the situation of the Swedish campaigning landscape will be described. There will be a short presentation of the four major social media platforms that are as of today mostly utilized by Swedish politicians and in what way previous research states that they should best be utilized. After this there will be a short summary on why social media has such a vast part in communication and an important tool maintaining the public interest for the political situation in Sweden between the electoral periods, thus making the four years in between as important campaigning periods.

2.2 Context of the study

The study will try to find answers to how social media is utilized by communicators as a tool in the four years between elections and in the actual electoral campaigning period. This is to be able to make the politicians connect with more people in a different manner than possible before, since the interactivity that is on social media creates a possibility to establish a bond between the politician and the electors. Social media provides the opportunity for the politicians to show a more personal side of themselves. Social media is available for the followers at all times, and being personal on accounts can give the feel of being unfiltered as opposed to news feed of the media, thus giving the impression of a personal bond. The study will aim to find how social media works as a tool of bridge building for the politically active people and how the communicators behind these accounts plan for

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the way it is to be used. The purpose of the essay will be to try to present the way a strategic plan is presented for the politicians before starting to use the accounts, and how these strategies might take form. It will also be researched what the communicators feel are the strongest privileges in having the ability to use social media is and how they think it has affected the way of campaigning both in positive and negative way.

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3. Background of the subject

This chapter is a presentation of the evolutionary process of social media and new technology to provide a more grounded understanding of why this evolution has changed the communication in politics of today. Together with a shorter description of the electoral system in Sweden this will build a better based understanding to our stand point of this study.

3.1 Background of social media and new technology New technology and social media has been through a rapid evolutionary process, in which vast changes in the way we live our everyday life has been revised. The availability not only of news, but of official people through social media enables the public to follow them on a daily basis. Social media allows contact between all people which increases the availability of the politicians and their personal life, as they have become even more public than before. This equals a change in the way people communicate with each other, in how they get their daily news. However, what will be focused on in this study is the change in how people can now get their information from their own choice of politicians and the portrayal of the politicians online.

The role as a representative of an ideology has become more public due to the evolution of social media. The public can now chose who they want to follow and thereby get information from, so the pressure of maintaining a good appearance is constant. The followers have the power to choose who they want to follow, but the communicators and the media strategists can use this as tool just as well. It is a quick and interactive way of communicating with the people that they want to have by their side, and it gives the opportunity for a new way of campaigning. The politicians now have a new way of presenting themselves, and the communicators are able to better strategically plan how they want to portray their politician.

The development of new technology almost ensures that one election will differ from another in the way the media landscape is during that particular time (Gulati, 2010). In the 1954 American election there was a large shift in the media landscape, when the television succeeded as the primary medium to provide its public with information and messages surrounding the election (Gulati, 2010).

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Before the invention of the television the radio was the only way for the public to get a direct connection with the candidates or the politicians, except for seeing them live during gatherings in public spaces (Spiller & Bergner, 2011). That is why the Republican side chose to dedicate the largest part of their campaign budget in radio campaigning, because of the direct communication it offers (Spiller & Bergner, 2011). The entrance of the television resulted in a whole new level of personal connection from the candidates to the public, through an instant and direct medium (Spiller & Berger, 2011). Television is still one of the leading and largest channels for information (Spiller & Berger, 2011). However today the Internet has taken over the role of videos, since YouTube provides the possibility to reach a larger amount of people through sharing videos on other social media platforms through linking and sharing of clips added by the politicians or by other accounts (Harvey, 2014). Social media has become somewhat of a spin off product of the Internet. This has become the easiest way for the politicians to spread messages as a press conference or a speech can be uploaded and shared both in text and video (Spiller & Bergner, 2011).

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    239 | Studies in English Language and Education, 6(2), 239-250, 2019 Meme as Political Criticism towards 2019 Indonesian General Election: A Critical Discourse Analysis P-ISSN 2355-2794 E-ISSN 2461-0275 Hesti Raisa Rahardi* Rosaria Mita Amalia Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Cultural Science, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, Jawa Barat 45363, INDONESIA ABstract This study aims to investigate the memes created by Nurhadi-Aldo, a Fictional presidential candidate. Data is collected From Nurhadi-Aldo’s Instagram profile. The descriptive qualitative approach was used and the sampling procedure carried out was purposive sampling. To analyze the data and to uncover the hidden values, the three-dimension analysis proposed by Fairclough (2001) was used. The First dimension was textual analysis where the textual and visual sign of the presidential memes were examined. The second dimension was the analysis of the discursive practice surrounding the production of Nurhadi-Aldo memes. And the last was the sociocultural practice analysis that deals with how Indonesian internet users reacted to this viral phenomenon. The result points out that the memes represent the visualization of public social critics toward a political condition in Indonesia. With regards to the content creator, Nurhadi-Aldo’s memes Further indicate the scepticism value of Indonesian youth. These Findings Further confirm that the Function of the meme is not limited to entertainment purpose only, but also to deliver political criticism. Hence, it is expected that the Findings will give more insights into how certain values can be delivered through the use of everyday text, such as memes. Keywords: CDA, Fairclough’s framework, memes, fictional candidates, hidden values.
  • The Ice Bucket Challenge and Social Media

    The Ice Bucket Challenge and Social Media

    TM GUIDE WISEBBB WISE GIVING ALLIANCEGIVING : WINTER/HOLIDAY 2014 THE ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE & SOCIAL MEDIA ® INSIDE New Study on 7 Charity Trust 2 How to Read the 8 List of National ® Fundraising Charities Goes Viral: Q&A about the 51 The Ice Bucket Challenge Wise Giving & Social Media Guide A Publication of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance National Charity 51 10 Seal Program Standards 52 List of Nationally for Charity Soliciting Charities Accountability The Wise Giving Guide is published three times a year to help donors make more BBB Wise Giving Alliance Board of Directors informed giving decisions. This Myrl Weinberg – Chair Rick Johnston guide includes a compilation of President, National Health Council Vice President, ICF Interactive the latest evaluation conclusions Washington, DC Glen Allen, VA completed by the BBB Wise Cass Wheeler – Vice Chair Andras Kosaras Giving Alliance. Strategic Consultant/Coach/Speaker Arnold & Porter LLP Georgetown, TX (former CEO, American Washington, DC Heart Association) If you would like to see a Paulette Maehara particular topic discussed Mark Shamley – Treasurer President (retired) President, Association of Corporate Association of Fundraising Professionals in this guide, please email Contributions Professionals • Orlando, FL suggestions to Char Mollison [email protected] Audrey Alvarado – Secretary Faculty and Program Coordinator Alvarado Consulting Nonprofit Management Program, or write to us at the (former Vice President, Nonprofit Johns Hopkins University • Washington, DC address below. Roundtable of Greater Washington) Patrick Rooney Washington, DC Executive Director, Center on Philanthropy at WINTER/HOLIDAY ISSUE 2014 Holly Cherico Indiana University • Indianapolis, IN Director, Marketing & Communications, Claire Rosenzweig BBB Wise Giving Alliance The Kingsbury Center • Washington, DC President, BBB/Metropolitan New York 3033 Wilson Blvd.
  • Going 'Viral' on Social Media: a Study of Popular Videos on Facebook

    Going 'Viral' on Social Media: a Study of Popular Videos on Facebook

    Amity Journal of Media & Communication Studies (ISSN 2231 – 1033) Copyright 2016 by ASCO 2016, Vol. 6, No. 2 Amity University Rajasthan Going ‘Viral’ on Social Media: A Study of Popular Videos on Facebook Prof. Archana R Singh Ishrat Singh Punjab University, India Abstract This study identifies ‘viral’ videos shared on official Facebook pages of three top leaders of Punjab, the state that is set to go for assembly elections in early 2017.Once the videos are identified, they will be analysed for various elements in the content. This study uses multi stage sampling process. In the first stage, the three top politicians belonging to three major parties are identified. The official Facebook pages of the selected political leaders are chosen as the universe of the study. The results of this study show that internet is not as effective a medium to reach the masses as far as the popular perception go because having large number of ‘views’ or ‘likes’ does not translate into a simple gesture such as ‘share’ in order for a video message to go viral. Keywords: viral, social media, political sphere,video Introduction With the world increasingly going digital and political campaigns being driven online, one finds every political party trying hard to join the bandwagon and register an online presence. We have witnessed the phenomenon in the 2014 General Elections in India and are also witnessing it in the Presidential Race in the USA. The phenomenon is true not just for national level election campaigns but is evident in the assembly elections as well. This paper casts a look at the Punjab Assembly election scenario as the race to go ‘viral’ is on.
  • The Supernatural Media Virus Virus Anxiety in Gothic Fiction Since 1990

    The Supernatural Media Virus Virus Anxiety in Gothic Fiction Since 1990

    From: Rahel Sixta Schmitz The Supernatural Media Virus Virus Anxiety in Gothic Fiction Since 1990 July 2021, 290 p., pb., 5 b&w ill., 54 col. ill. 44,00 € (DE), 978-3-8376-5559-9 E-Book: PDF: 43,99 € (DE), ISBN 978-3-8394-5559-3 Since the 1990s, the virus and the network metaphors have become increasingly pop- ular, finding application in a broad range of everyday discourses, academic disciplines, and fiction genres. In this book, Rahel Sixta Schmitz defines and discusses a trope recurring in Gothic fiction: the supernatural media virus. This trope comprises the confluence of the virus, the network, and a deep, underlying media anxiety. This study shows how Gothic narratives such as House of Leaves or The Ring feature the super- natural media virus to negotiate as well as actively shape imaginations of the network society and the dangers of a globalized, technologized world. Rahel Sixta Schmitz, born in 1991, earned her doctorate in cultural studies at the Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Germany in 2020. Her research focuses on Gothic fic- tion across all narrative media, especially Gothic in the late twentieth and twenty-first century. For further information: www.transcript-verlag.de/en/978-3-8376-5559-9 © 2021 transcript Verlag, Bielefeld Contents Acknowledgments............................................................9 Introduction: The Age of Virus Anxiety ...................................... 11 1. The Virus, the Network, and the Supernatural Media Virus ............ 39 1.1 Theories of Metaphor .................................................. 39 1.2 The Viral Metaphor: The Spread of the Virus Across Disciplines ......... 44 1.3 The Ubiquity of the Network Metaphor and the Emergence of the Network Society ..................................................
  • No Ice Bucket Challenge’Adapted from an Original and Article by Willpiles Oremus of on Likes in Return

    No Ice Bucket Challenge’Adapted from an Original and Article by Willpiles Oremus of on Likes in Return

    To be used in answering S ecTion 4 – MeDiA STUDIES Take the ‘NoEDIT oIceRIAL Bucket CoMMENT Challenge’ acebook has become saturated with videos of people dumping buckets of ice on their heads. They’re taking the ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’, a viral phenomenon whose apparent purpose is to raise moneyF for charity. Yet it’s hard to shake the feeling that, for most of the people posting ice bucket videos of themselves on Facebook, Vine and Instagram, the charity part remains a postscript. Remember, the way the challenge is set up, the ice-drenching is the alternative to contributing actual money. Some of the people issuing the challenge have tweaked the rules by asking people to contribute money even if they do soak themselves. Even so, a lot of the participants are probably spending more money on bagged ice than on the Do not fetch a bucket, fill it with ice, or charity concerned. dump it on your head. As for ‘raising awareness’, few of the Do not film yourself or post anything on videos I’ve seen contain any substantive social media. information about the charity, why the money is needed, or how it will be used. Just donate the money and feel free to More than anything else the ice bucket politely encourage your friends and videos feel like an exercise in raising family to do the same. awareness of one’s own zaniness and/or Congratulations! Not only have you attractiveness. Watch some videos and contributed to a good cause but you’ve you’ll see the stunt is really just about done your part for the environment by getting friends to film themselves doing conserving the energy and fresh water something dumb for no reason.
  • The Key Elements of Viral Advertising. from Motivation to Emotion in the Most Shared Videos

    The Key Elements of Viral Advertising. from Motivation to Emotion in the Most Shared Videos

    revistacomunicar.com http://www.revistacomunicar.com/indice-en/articulo.php?numero=43-2014-20 The Key Elements of Viral Advertising. From Motivation to Emotion in the Most Shared Videos Comunicar Journal 43: Media Prosumers (Vol. 22 - 2014) http://dx.doi.org/10.3916/C43-2014-20 Dafonte-Gómez, Alberto Abstract From its origins in the mid ‘90, the application of the concept of virality to commercial communication has represented an opportunity for brands to cross the traditional barriers of the audience concerning advertising and turn it into active communicator of brand messages. Viral marketing has been based, since then, on two basic principles: offer free and engaging content that masks its commercial purpose to the individual and use of using a peer-to-peer dissemination system. The transformation of the passive spectator into an active user who broadcasts advertising messages promoted by sponsors, and who responds to needs and motivations of individuals and content features which has been described by previous research in this field, mainly through quantitative methods based on user perceptions. This paper focusses on those elements detected in its previous research as promoters of the sharing action in the 25 most-shared viral video ads between 2006 and 2013 using content analysis. The results obtained show the most common features in these videos and the prominent presence of surprise and joy as dominant emotions in the most successful viral videos. Keywords Advertising, Internet, video, viral, social web, social media, emotion, content analysis English PDF file Spanish PDF file 1. Introduction and State of the Art. Viral Video Advertising and the Role of an Active Spectator Viral video advertising may be the most popular manifestation of viral marketing phenomena.