Understanding the world heritage sites’ brand diffusion and formation via social media: a mixed-method study

Abstract

Purpose Building on social media and destination brand-related literature, this study aims to explore World Heritage Sites’ (WHSs) brand diffusion and formation process from long-term and short-term perspectives, which includes brand diffusion, user-generated content (UGC), opinion leaders and brand events’ impact. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a mixed-method including text mining, keyword analysis and social network analysis to explore the brand formation process of four popular WHSs in Beijing, namely, the Palace Museum, Great Wall, Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven and more than 10,000,000 users’ data on Sina Weibo has been implemented to uncover the underlying social media branding mechanism. Findings The results show that the number of postings keeps in a stable range in most months, but, in general, there are no common rules for changing trends among the four WHSs; long-term high-frequency keywords related to history and culture account for a higher percentage; different kinds of accounts have varying impacts on information diffusion, in which media accounts lead to a bigger influence. However, more followers do not necessarily mean more interactions and most of the interaction ratio is much lower than 0.01000; brand events facilitate brand dissemination and have an impact on the creation of UGC. Practical implications This study is valuable for destination marketers to deeper understand brand diffusion and formation and provides valuable insights for developing effective destination marketing strategies. Originality/value Unlike previous studies that only concern a few parts of destination brand formation via social media (e.g. brand diffusion, brand events or opinion leaders’ impact), this study takes a more comprehensive perspective by systematically analyzing the brand formation process of WHSs on social media. By considering both long-term diffusion and short-term representative events, this study provides a more holistic understanding of the branding mechanism.

Digital technology in tourism: a bibliometric analysis of transformative trends and emerging research patterns

“…One of the main factors influencing the landscape is e-tourism, which is defined by the smooth integration of the Internet and information technology (Buhalis et al ., 2023). Social media platforms are vital for the dissemination of information and the forming of impressions since they serve as venues for traveller interactions and experiences (Wang et al ., 2023). The hospitality sector, which is known for its dynamic character, has to deal with the introduction of smart tourism technology, which offers creative ways to improve overall travel experiences and client happiness (Gomes et al ., 2024).…”

Social network analysis in hospitality and tourism: Guest editorial

“…1. These are the numbers associated to the 13 papers: 1 – Wang et al (2023); 2 – Jokar et al (2022); 3 – Yang et al (2022); 4 – Ness et al (2022); 5 – Baggio et al (2022); 6 – Shrestha et al (2023); 7 – Ivars-Baidal et al (2023); 8 – McLeod et al (2022); 9- Blasi et al (2022); 10 – Vila-Lopez and Kuster-Boluda (2022); 11 – Breznik et al (2022); 12 – Wang et al (2022); 13 – Chen (2022). …”

“…Social media branding strategies Wang et al (2023) explored brand formation and diffusion processes in World Heritage Sites' in Beijing through a mixed method which connects text mining, keyword analysis and SNA. The study contributes to the understanding of social media branding mechanism which includes brand diffusion, user-generated content, opinion leaders and brand events' impact.…”

Dynamic Mechanism of Destination Brand Diffusion: Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation

“…Scholars have paid close attention to information dissemination in social media when studying destination branding, including the utilization of social media micro-film marketing by destinations [25], an exploration of the characteristics and underlying motivations that propel the public to engage in the sharing of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) concerning destinations [26], and investigation into the evolution of destination image as shaped by social media commentary [27]. However, few studies have focused on the communication mechanisms of destination brand marketing events on social media platforms and the influencing factors, especially in-depth analyses of the dynamics of information dissemination based on the user perspective.…”