AN APPLICATION OF THE SIX-SEGMENT MESSAGE STRATEGY WHEEL TO BRAND POSTS ON INSTAGRAM

Abstract

Instagram is one of the most important platforms to reach social media users today. Brands can use Instagram for paid partnerships and sponsored posts. They can also use their profiles to reach and engage with consumers by posting photos and videos about their products and services. This study employs Taylor’s (1999) six-segment message strategy wheel to explore how brands are using their Instagram profiles to convey brand messages to their target audiences. 10 brands from various product and service categories are selected and a total of 300 brand posts from February to May 2018 were analyzed. The findings indicate that transmission message strategies are used more than ritual strategies. Ration strategy was most frequently used strategy (75,9%), followed by sensory (45,4%) and routine strategies (33,7%). Ego is the least used strategy (4,3%). General-informational was most frequently used creative approach (62,3%), followed by general-transformational (17,7%) and use occasion (10,0%). It is also revealed in this study that informational creative approaches were used with transmission strategy. Transformational creative approaches’ were used mostly with ritual strategy with the exception of is “Use Occasion” strategy.