Social media branding in the food industry: comparing B2B and B2C companies’ use of sustainability messaging on Twitter

Abstract

Purpose Supply chains are under increased scrutiny as consumers have become aware of the dark side of downstream production practices. Many articles and exposés have led consumers to be more conscious of purchasing products from companies who source materials in a socially responsible and ethical manner. As a result, business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumers (B2C) companies are under increased pressure to source raw materials in a transparent and ethical way. Because of the associated costs, companies then look to benefit from increased brand equity by promoting to consumers how ethical their products are. The purpose of this study is to look at the case of the food industry to analyze sustainability messaging on Twitter in both B2B and B2C companies to determine which of the dimensions of sustainability (people, profit, planet) are being emphasized. Design/methodology/approach In this study, two published dictionaries were combined to capture the three dimensions of “sustainability,” and these scales were then used to analyze Twitter posts. This study created a unique software package to classify, mine, collect and analyze Twitter data. This study used these tools to analyze 246,386 Twitter posts within a sample of 39 leading B2C and B2B food companies over a 10-year period (2012–2021) to explore brand messaging and engagement rate. Findings This research revealed several interesting results. These include how B2B companies have emphasized the employee (people) dimensions of sustainability, while B2C companies have had a more balanced approach that overall has prioritized the economic dimension (profit) of sustainability. The data on audience engagement revealed a mismatch between the types of sustainability messaging B2B companies and B2C companies in the food industry are posting and what engages audiences. Originality/value This study fills several gaps, including analyzing how B2B and B2C companies use sustainability language in their social media brand management, as well as looking at which dimensions of sustainability they emphasize and which ones engage audiences the most. This research is also novel in combining multiple existing scales under one project to analyze the triple bottom line in the analysis of qualitative texts.

Aligning sustainability goals of industrial operations and marketing in Industry 4.0 environment for MSMEs in an emerging economy

“…Notably, Papadas et al (2017) find that deploying market research to detect green needs in the marketplace and targeting environmentally conscious customers/consumers are very important for green marketing at strategic level. To become more authentic and socially responsible, B2C marketing is pushing their B2B partners' sustainability activities into limelight (Garner and Mady, 2023). Thus, to make value chain sustainable, focus should be given to make activities of B2B buyers and suppliers sustainable.…”

“…As B2B companies are directly not exposed to the people, historically they are less proactive and under public scrutiny for sustainability (Garner and Mady, 2023; Hoejmose et al , 2012). However, sustainability positioning of B2B suppliers has potential to influence not only their competency but also the buyer performance (Casidy and Lie, 2023).…”

“…However, sustainability positioning of B2B suppliers has potential to influence not only their competency but also the buyer performance (Casidy and Lie, 2023). Today, digitalization has strongly influenced B2B companies to market their sustainable products and processes to gain more legitimacy, especially using social media (Garner and Mady, 2023; Sivarajah et al , 2020). Given the potential of social media, AI and BDA to enhance sustainability, there is a need for B2B marketing to adapt these I4T, as they lag in the adaptation of social media (Sivarajah et al , 2020), AI (Mikalef, 2021) and BDA (Sivarajah et al , 2020).…”

“…Given the potential of social media, AI and BDA to enhance sustainability, there is a need for B2B marketing to adapt these I4T, as they lag in the adaptation of social media (Sivarajah et al , 2020), AI (Mikalef, 2021) and BDA (Sivarajah et al , 2020). Some researchers (Garner and Mady, 2023; Papadas et al , 2017) have found that B2B and business to consumer (B2C) approach to sustainability differs. In food industry, more emphasis is given to social dimension of sustainability in B2B marketing while a balanced focus (between social, environment and economic) is preferred in B2C marketing (Garner and Mady, 2023).…”

“…Some researchers (Garner and Mady, 2023; Papadas et al , 2017) have found that B2B and business to consumer (B2C) approach to sustainability differs. In food industry, more emphasis is given to social dimension of sustainability in B2B marketing while a balanced focus (between social, environment and economic) is preferred in B2C marketing (Garner and Mady, 2023). Papadas et al (2017) conceptualize and validate green marketing functions by suggesting green marketing-oriented firms should use green initiatives at a strategic, tactical and internal level.…”