Graduation Year
2013
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.A.
Degree Granting Department
Mass Communications
Major Professor
Michael Mitrook
Keywords
Cookie, Facebook, Oreo, Organization Public Relationships, Relationship Management Theory, Social Media
Abstract
Despite a growing amount of research on social media, little research has been conducted to investigate why consumers connect with brands on Facebook. As companies continue to expand their presence to the social networking website, a gap in research on social media has formed. This study focuses on consumer's connection with a brand on Facebook. To do this, this research focuses on the connection of consumers with Oreo on the website to identify the environment created that engages those who connect with the brand online. Oreo was selected as the focus of the research due to its popularity on Facebook as well as the steady engagement that occurs on its page. Utilizing a phenomenological method, this qualitative study features 12 interviews in which current Oreo fans on Facebook discussed their experience and motivations for connecting with the brand. The interview questions were designed to investigate whether the tenets of relationship management theory and Ledingham's (2003) five dimensions of organization-public relationships (trust, openness, investment, involvement, and commitment) aligned with interaction on Facebook. Overall, the responses of the participants identified a connection between organization-public relationships and engagement on social media.
Scholar Commons Citation
Gonzalez Iii, Rodobaldo Miguel, "Organization Public Relationships on Social Media: The Experience of Those Who "Like" Oreo on Facebook" (2013). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/4493
