Social media and corporate reputation during crises: the viability of video-sharing websites for providing counter-messages to traditional broadcast news

ABSTRACT

Exemplification, or the use of highly emotional and arousing messages to elicit responses based on impression formation, has been shown to influence perceptions of events, individuals, and organizations. News coverage concerning the use of lean finely textured beef (LFTB) is one such example, and anecdotal evidence suggests that this coverage may have had a negative impact on public perception of the manufacturers producing LFTB. The current study examined the use of social media (specifically video-sharing sites) as a means of combating the negative effects of exemplars concerning LFTB. Respondents reported their perceptions of threat severity, susceptibility, behavioral intentions to avoid LFTB, and perceptions of organizational trust and reputation associated with the manufacturer. The findings are consistent with exemplification theory and indicate that message ordering can influence exemplification effects. Results are discussed in terms of implications for public relations and risk communication.

KEYWORDS:

• Public relations
• video-sharing websites
• risk communication
• exemplification theory
• food safety

Acknowledgements

The article has not been formally reviewed by the Department of Homeland Security. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Department of Homeland Security does not endorse any products or commercial services mentioned in this publication.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCiD details

Patric R. Spence http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1793-6871

Additional information

Funding

This article was developed with support from the following two grants provided by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Centers of Excellence: National Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events, sponsor ID# 132256 35399/ DE-AC05-76RL01830; and the National Center for Food Protection and Defense, Grant Award Number 2007-ST-061-FD0001.