The effects of social media and apology response strategy on a brand in crisis communication in Vietnam

Abstract

In the digital era, media crisis can happen to any brand. The popularity of social media can make the crisis uncontrollable. Vietnamese consumers are increasingly utilizing social media such as Facebook for seeking and sharing crisis information. On the other hand, social media can be a channel for brands to respond to the crisis effectively and timely. However, literature on social media users' expectation on brands’ crisis response method is inadequate, especially in the Vietnamese context. By conducting a case study analysis of 4 brands’ crises, this paper explores the opinions given by prospects on social media, by means of interpreting data from their actual posts, comments and shares on Facebook. Content analysis of 447 items was examined to present the insights regarding the dimensions and themes consumers seek on brands’ crisis communication. The most frequently observed dimension is response method, and apology is recognized as the top response method preference. The case study research and content analysis on social media explored the expectations of Vietnamese consumers in relation to the crisis response during crises. In brief, apology response strategy in a timely manner can enhance brand image, brand awareness and promote brand trust. This also contributes to the reduction of the crisis’s damage and supports brand recovery after the crises. This paper contributes to Vietnamese marketing communications literature by revealing the factors prospects most commonly seek on a brand’s crisis response. Through understanding the consumers’ expectations, brands can more accurately implement communications strategy in handling crises. The findings also provide exploratory information for further investigation in this field.