Culture and brand communications in social media: an exploratory analysis of Japanese and US brands

Abstract

To better understand how popular brands use social media and also address the relationship between culture and brand communications in the era of social networks, this study content analysed the use of Facebook and Twitter by the top 100 US and Japanese brands. The top 100 US brands investigated in this study seemed to be way more active and assertive when compared with the top 100 Japanese brands. The results showed that Japanese brands in general ask fewer questions, post less frequently, do not address their fans directly, do not initiate conversations, reveal less amount of info on brand profiles and do not allow fans to post on their walls. Based on the findings, the relationship between local culture and social media practices was further elaborated.