Purpose The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the current state of research on the significance of big data in and for corporate communication and to introduce a framework which provides specific connecting points for future research. This is achieved by summarizing and reviewing the insights provided by relevant articles in the most significant scholarly journals. The paper also investigates trends in the literature. Design/methodology/approach On the basis of a systematic literature review, 53 key articles from 2010 to 2015 were further analyzed. Findings The literature review illustrates the potentialities of big data for corporate communication, especially with regard to the field of marketing communication. It also reveals a dramatic lack of research in the fields of public relations and internal communication with respect to big data applications. Research limitations/implications The online databases used in this paper comprised of refereed scientific journals with the highest impact factor in the respective disciplines. Journals with a lower impact factor and books were not included in the search process for this thematic analysis. Practical implications This paper provides a conceptual framework that describes four phases of strategic big data usage in corporate communication. The results show how big data is able to highlight stakeholders’ insights so that more effective communication strategies can be created. Originality/value This paper brings together previously disparate streams of work in the fields of communication science, marketing, and information systems with respect to big data applications in corporate communication. It represents the first attempt to undertake a systematic and comprehensive interdisciplinary overview of this kind.

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Open data provide great potential for society, for example, in the field of smart cities, from which all citizens might profit. The trust of these citizens is important for the integration of various data, like sensitive user data, into an open data ecosystem. In the following study, we analyzed whether transparency about the application of open data promotes trust. Furthermore, we formulated guidelines on how to create transparency regarding open data in an ethical way. Using an open-data-based fictitious smart city app, we conducted an experiment analyzing to what extent communication of the technical open data application process and the ethical self-commitment for the transparent communication of data application affect trust in the app’s provider. The results indicate that the more information users obtain regarding the use of open data, the more trustworthy they perceive the app provider to be, and the more likely they are to use the app.