NIKE ON INSTAGRAM: THEMES OF BRANDED CONTENT AND THEIR ENGAGEMENT POWER

Carmen Balan

doi:10.12955/cbup.v5.894

Abstract

Instagram is the fastest developing new media of high interest to marketers. As at December 21, 2016, the community included 600 million Instagrammers. This paper explores the problem of whether various themes of branded content differ significantly in their engagement power (ability to generate likes, views, and comments). The methodological approach consists of online monitoring of content in posts of a leading brand, Nike, for its 17 verified-badge Instagram accounts. The study focused on posts during the month of February 2017. The chi-square goodness of fit test (for one variable) was applied in the data analysis stage of the research. The initial hypothesis of significant differences between branded content themes as regards their engagement power was accepted. The practical implications of these findings for marketers include better selection of brand messages for Instagrammers and an increase in engagement levels.

Highlights

The dynamics of Instagram reveals one of the most rapid growth areas among social media
The findings of this study revealed statistically significant differences between the content themes of Instagram posts by the brand, Nike
Content that focused on user experience and aspirational values appeared to have more engagement power than other themes approached by Nike

Summary

Introduction

The dynamics of Instagram reveals one of the most rapid growth areas among social media. Instagram first launched on October 6, 2010. The interest in this new communication channel was overwhelming. The first day had 25 000 people signing for membership (Instagram, 2010, October 6). According to the 2016 press news of Instagram (2016, December 21), 100 million people had joined the community by the end of the second semester of 2016. The same source reported the number of Instagrammers had surpassed 600 million members

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