Abstract
This chapter examines the brand manager's point of view on content marketing and brand management in the social media. Using the filters of media gatekeeping, the authors study Greek executives' views and practices in local and multinational firms and agencies. Findings indicate that gatekeeping still prevails. The dipole between control and security on the one hand, and openness and dialog on the other, determines all decision-making processes. A standardization of practices is observed, especially around brand communities and content publishing, as well as a need for control and risk avoidance. Global brands rely on headquarter-provided content requesting approvals for any modification. Local brands tend to outsource and monitor content calendars. Most brands consider what to release rather than what not to. They maintain a narrow, campaign-oriented mindset that reflects traditional practices and have not embraced the requirements for transparency and openness that prevail in the social media environment.
TopBackground
In this landscape where new terms and ideas like “brand journalism” emerge, (Bull, 2013) the media gatekeeping filters ought to be reexamined. For more than fifty years, media gatekeeping has been among the most influential contributions in communication theories. Articulated by Shoemaker and Reese, this model outlines five dimensions of content filters, namely: individual influences, professional routines, organizational influences, extra-media influences and the cultural environment. Digital technologies have a profound effect on each of these filters because they enable interaction on a “many-to-many” scale and strengthen extra publisher influences (Cossiavelou & Bantimaroudis, 2009). The approach of brands as publishers calls for a reexamination of the agenda-setting for potential customers, especially for product and service content that will manage to inspire trust and lead to purchase (Hermida, Fletcher, Korell, & Logan, 2012) or enhance brand image (Felix, Rauschnabel, & Hinsch, 2017). The relationship among content generator -the brand- and content retriever -the consumer- is crucial for this agenda setting.
The individual filter seems to become a fuzzy concept as new practices emerge and need to be redefined and researched. Consumers strive with the challenges of constant re-skilling. At the same time, professionals strive to keep up with the changes, improve practices and maintain a sense of control (Hua Jiang, Yi Luo, & Owen Kulemeka, 2017) while proving ROI still remains a pressing issue: 39% of marketers say proving the ROI of their marketing activities is their top marketing challenge (Hubspot, 2018).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Media Gatekeeping: The process through which information is filtered for dissemination, whether for publication, broadcasting, the Internet, or some other mode of communication.
Online Brand Community: A group of consumers formed in an online platform, on the basis of attachment to a product or brand.
Social Media Strategy: A set of processes and action that determine which supporting platforms and tools an organization will use, and how, so as to achieve communication objectives.
Brand Publishing: A marketing strategy where brands treat themselves not as advertisers but as content publishers.
Content Marketing: A type of marketing that involves the creation and sharing of online material (such as videos, blogs, and social media posts) that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services.
Brand Management: The activity of supervising the promotion of a particular brand.
Approval Process: A set of steps leading to a decision within an organization.