Tweet, Tweet, Retweet: Conversational Aspects of Retweeting on Twitter
HICSS '10 Proceedings of the 2010 43rd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences
What is Twitter, a social network or a news media?
Proceedings of the 19th international conference on World wide web
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The remarkable rise of social network sites (SNS) and associated developments in consumer behavior presents research opportunities as well as challenges for marketing practitioners engaged in push-based traditional and digital marketing communications. This paper seeks to contribute to SNS literature by investigating its impact on organizational digital relationship marketing communications and how such organizations may respond strategically in the age of social media. A multiple case study approach was used to examine the challenges and concerns of English football clubs in relation to SNS. Within-case analysis preceded across-case analysis in order to identify emergent themes and key issues. The results provide empirical insights into current levels of integration of relationship marketing initiatives. Concerns of SNS include inertia, control and monetisation. The willingness and ability of cases to harness online community value is also tempered by concerns related to brand control. This paper is perhaps one of the first studies to focus on the organizational perspective of the SNS phenomena. Findings identify factors organizations should consider when devising a strategic response to the challenges and opportunities faced by SNS, with a view to influencing consumer behavior to mutual benefit. Such factors are tempered by the short-term commercial focus of cases concerned. Further research may include other countries, wider elements of social media and research from the consumer perspective.