Abstract
The paper aims to explore new methods and practices for looking into crises in online environments by using social media listening tools and methods. Based on the case of two privately owned hospitals in Romania facing boycotts due to their response to the COVID-19 outbreak, we study the social media conversations on the topic, the emerging themes, the visibility triggered and the impact on the brand and actors involved. Drawing on a social media listening and crisis communication framework, our research looks to unveil the relationship between stakeholders’ expectations and brand promise, aiming to foresee predictive crisis communication and management models.
Highlights
The widespread usage of social media today [1,2], along with organizations’ efforts to establish solid relationships with stakeholders in online environment [3,4], resulted in changes of the communication ecosystem and, to shifts in crisis communication and management [5,6]
In response to the challenges that crisis communication and management faces today and the need to reach predictive models for practitioners, our research aims to shed light on how social media listening tools may be used in preventing crises and in understanding the threats that organizations may be facing in online environments
As opposed to Sanador who limited its public relations and communication actions related to the problem athand, Medlife started a communication campaign centered on audience education with respect to how to properly react and treat a common cold and flu and how to proceed in case individuals have symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection
Summary
The widespread usage of social media today [1,2], along with organizations’ efforts to establish solid relationships with stakeholders in online environment [3,4], resulted in changes of the communication ecosystem and, to shifts in crisis communication and management [5,6]. Organizations are offered various tools, platforms and services for online monitoring in order to look and listen to conversations in online environments [4]. With the help of all these instruments, organizations have the resources to understand the mechanisms of online visibility and can explore its patterns [10,11,12]. They are empowered to observe the ways users of social media platforms engage in conversations about brands and can observe their emotions towards events and messages [13]. As the digital ecosystem is fluid and dynamic, social media monitoring and listening are not enough for building a predictive model for crisis communication and management
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