The role of selected themes and formats in social media marketing communication of CSR activities

Abstract

PURPOSE: The adoption of sustainability efforts by organisations, which respect people and the environment, has become standard. Nowadays, great importance is attached to the marketing communication of these activities - so that it is authentic and at the same time consistent with the overall marketing strategy. That effects in selection of themes and formats, which were particularly crucial in the undertaken research. Presentation of its results is the purpose of this article.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The authors chose large companies in Poland because of their commitment to helping Ukraine and their overall high level of implementation of CSR solutions. In order to realize the research objective, authors used a netnographic study focused on activities within social media of selected enterprises.

FINDINGS: The results of the research include CSR communication matrix of: proenvironmental and pro-social activities, static and dynamic formats, local and global content, product and non-product posts. These results will update and complement the existing knowledge and will serve practitioners in undertaking future activities in the area of CSR-related marketing communication.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Employees of large enterprises responsible for content publication on social media platforms should primarily focus on publishing non-product content related to CSR and strive for a balanced approach between environmentally friendly and socially oriented communication.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The presented article highlights the trends arising from the 2022 published content of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on social media platforms by the top large companies in Poland from the Responsible Companies Report. An analysis of marketing communication also pays attention to the communicative aspects related to the ongoing war in Ukraine in terms of assistance provided by companies operating in Poland.