More Than Words: an Analysis of Communication on Twitter for an Apparel Heritage Brand

Advances in technology and society have changed the way people use the Internet. While customers use online platforms for interactions and information exchange, businesses strive to create brand awareness or engagement. This thesis is an exploratory study to understand online communication of a heritage brand by analyzing its Twitter brand community. Using grounded theory approach, Dann’s classification (2010) was used on branded and non-branded tweets to identify the types of messages that dominated the online community. Driven by the findings, types of users for non-branded communication was analyzed to expand understanding. The results suggest that engagement should be modified in accordance to the type of user for whom the message is addressed. The findings present new insights for marketers who are willing to explore the full potential of online communication. The study highlights the importance of online brand communities while expanding the understanding of Twitter communication through Dann’s classification.