Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of visual communications on Instagram users’ propensity to engage with image-based content through online behaviors such as liking, sharing, commenting and following, and their intention to purchase the product depicted in the visual communications. Design/methodology/approach An experimental design was used to measure the effect of branded Instagram images on a sample of active Instagram users. Two features of Instagram images (subject’s gaze: direct vs indirect; product salience: low vs high) were manipulated and their interactive effect tested on online behaviors. Findings The paper offers empirical evidence that direct gaze and high product salience positively affect digital visual engagement. Moreover, digital visual engagement influences intention to purchase. Research limitations/implications The hypotheses were tested on a single product category and on only two image-based features. Further studies might replicate the experiment on different product categories and include different image-based features. Practical implications This empirical study can offer communication managers important information on the image-based features that are most effective in increasing digital visual engagement and positively influencing purchase intentions in visual communications. Originality/value The study empirically demonstrates that the choice of specific image-based features in visual communication matters for increasing digital visual engagement among Instagram users.

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Purpose – The aim of this paper is to develop and test a theoretical framework, grounded in managerial and organisational theories of dialogue, through which organisations can take decisions in relation to the most appropriate crisis response strategies for handling social media stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach – The theoretical framework is developed through a conceptual analysis of literature on dialogue, social media and crisis communication. The theoretical framework is then tested in eight different international organisations experiencing a crisis. For each case, different web contents, such as organisations' status updates/posts, links, videos published on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, were analysed using a rhetorical research approach. Findings – The analysed organisations apply different online dialogue strategies according to crisis types and in combination with specific crisis response strategies. Most of the organisations investigated carry on those dialogue strategies suitable to develop consensus (concertative), guide conversations on specific topics or issues (framing), find solutions to the crisis collectively (transformative). Concertative strategies were often associated with informative crisis response strategies, framing strategies with denial and justification crisis response strategies and transformative strategies with corrective actions. Research limitations/implications – By using a dialogic perspective in setting up online conversations with their external stakeholders, the paper proposes a theoretical model to explain companies' decisions in carrying on online dialogues during critical situations and thus contribute to the body of knowledge on online crisis communications. Practical implications – The proposed model can support crisis communicators to manage dialogue's aims and dimensions differently by taking into account both contextual and situational conditions. Originality/value – By integrating management studies on dialogue into crisis communication and social media literature, the authors intend to offer an alternative thinking of organisations' decision-making in relation to crisis response strategies and social media stakeholders.

Purpose -This paper aims to argue that corporate communication reaches its full potential in building corporate reputation, when it moves beyond the influencing of public opinion's perceptions, towards the shaping of organizational reality by engaging stakeholders as the main reputation drivers. Design/methodology/approach -The paper describes the case study of a leading dairy company in Italy, Granarolo, where stakeholder engagement activities have been put at the centre of the corporate reputation development. Findings -It is argued that corporate reputation of Granarolo has been built on a network of stakeholder partnerships through which the company continuously improves organizational learning and develops new business solutions. In particular, the activation of co-decisional processes involving stakeholders, the building of partnerships, and the stimulation of supporting behaviours, enabled the company to recover from a severe loss of confidence by investors in the second half of the 1990s. Originality/value -The paper proposes the case of a company where the corporate communication function effectively contributed to reputation development, because it moved beyond the mere activity of listening to stakeholders, towards a deeper engagement with stakeholders which looked for shared business solutions.

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of strategic communication during a change management process within the internationally famous Ferrari corporation. The aim is to show that strategic communication, through its main components, can be a pivotal lever that supports continuous improvement and helps drive organizational success.Design/methodology/approachThe change management process at Ferrari is described and interpreted through the framework of the entrepreneurial organization theory (EOT), from which the four components of strategic communication are derived.FindingsThe paper explores the case of Ferrari, which started a reorganization process in which the main actors were employees and strategic communication represented the crucial component.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper focuses on one single organization. Additional research is needed to generalize the effectiveness of the proposed strategic communication model.Practical implicationsThe paper shows that the four strategic communication components (i.e. aligning, energizing, visioning, and constituting), if applied in an integrated manner, can give insightful stimulus for the management of important change programs.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the change management literature by linking strategic communication, continuous improvement and entrepreneurial theory.