Analyzing the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra's Facebook Community Engagement With the Honeycomb Model

Introduction

With the continuous development of social media and mobile technologies, user information behavior has changed because of the Internet (Yu et al., 2021; Wang et al., 2016; Lam et al., 2019; Lau et al., 2020; Fong et al., 2020; Dong et al., 2021). Brands and organizations need to establish good social networks and connect with users, as social media can help promote brands, turn potential users into formal users, and engage them (Dhir & Torsheim, 2016; Swani, Milne, Brown, Assaf, & Donthu, 2017; Wang et al., 2022; Jiang et al., 2022).

According to the official website of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HKPhil), it is one of the most influential symphony orchestras in Asia, attracting more than 200,000 music lovers a year, with musicians from all over the world (Wang et al., 2022). Its performances have also been well received worldwide and won the Gramophone Orchestra of the Year Award. HKPhil has opened a school of education, which has attracted many students and teachers to participate. HKPhil holds concerts in schools, hospitals, and other public communities every year to outreach the public to directly serve users and bring musical happiness to the audience (Yu, Chiu, & Chan, 2022).

The predecessor of the HKPhil was the Sino-British Symphony Orchestra, which was renamed HKPhil in 1957 and officially became a professional orchestra in 1974 (Yu, Chiu & Chan, 2022). The main sponsors of HKPhil are the Swire Group and the Jockey Club Foundation. Since 2006, Swire has helped the Hong Kong Orchestra promote excellent art, popularize Chinese and foreign music, and allow the people to enhance the aesthetics of music and enhance Hong Kong’s reputation worldwide. The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office also supports the Hong Kong Orchestra. With funding from the government, patrons, and foundations, HKPhil launches new popular programs, music education courses, and community programs every year. In 2015, HKPhil completed a grand European tour covering London, Zurich, Eindhoven, Birmingham, Berlin, and Amsterdam. In 2017, HKPhil also toured Asia and Oceania, performing in Seoul, Daban, Singapore, Melbourne, Sydney, and other places. In 1978, HKPhil recorded its first record with Philips Records. In 1997, the orchestra was selected for the album “Heaven, Earth and Earth: Symphony 1997” to celebrate the return of Hong Kong. HKPhil closely cooperated with the Hong Kong Opera House, art festivals, dance troupes, and other institutions. The educational activities of HKPhil are diverse and open. Excellent curriculum design and teachers attract more than 40,000 students and teachers to participate each year. The Hong Kong Philharmonic Academy collaborates with HKPhil and the Hong Kong Academy of Music.

Social media tools are essential for cultural organizations to improve their reputation and attract new audiences (HKPhil, 2021; Zhang et al., 2022). HKPhil uses seven social media tools: Facebook, Twitter, Bilibili, YouTube, Instagram, WeChat, and Weibo. Facebook has its largest number of fans, with 55,000 subscribers as of December 2021, which aligns with the fact that Facebook has the largest social media user base in Hong Kong (Chan et al., 2020; Lam et al., 2022). The second is Instagram (10,000), followed by YouTube (9,680), Twitter (2,273), and Weibo (4,976). The Bilibili video site has only 1,364 fans and subscriptions. Among the social media tools, HKPhil has relatively more fans on international social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.