Pictures of a crisis. Destination marketing organizations' Instagram communication before and during a global health crisis

Emanuele Mele; Raffaele Filieri; Manuela De Carlo

doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113931

Pictures of a crisis. Destination marketing organizations' Instagram communication before and during a global health crisis

J Bus Res. 2023 Aug:163:113931. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113931. Epub 2023 Apr 13.

Authors

Emanuele Mele¹, Raffaele Filieri², Manuela De Carlo³

Affiliations

¹ IULM University, Department of Business, Law, Economics and Consumer Behavior "Carlo Ricciardi", Via Carlo Bo, 20143 Milano, Italy.
² Audencia Business School, Marketing Department, 8 Route de la Jonelière, Nantes, France.
³ IULM University, Department of Business, Law, Economics and Consumer Behavior "Carlo Ricciardi", Via Carlo Bo, 20146 Milano, Italy.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic enhanced social media communications at a time individuals were unable to leave their homes due to the lockdown measures. A lack of research has been identified on how destination marketing organizations use social media during global health crises. Addressing this gap, the present research uses a mixed-method approach to examine the use of Instagram by Milan and Paris' Destination Marketing Organizations before and during COVID-19 and user engagement with it. Via a quantitative content analysis, Study 1 reveals communication differences between destinations and a change in promotion focus during the pandemic. Both DMOs focus on posts portraying "Culture, History and Art", which signifies stability and eternity as opposed to uncertain times. Using a thematic analysis, Study 2 reveals that both organizations promoted pro-social behavior also by employing influencers. Overall, research results document tourism organizations' pro-social use of social media during a global health crisis.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; Crisis communication; Destination marketing organization; Instagram; Pro-social behavior; Social media.