• Frontpage
  • Bloggers
  • Archive
  • About
Inside

Promoting Destination Brands on Instagram: Lessons from Visit Finland.

25.04.2019 Education, Research

Mireia Pavón Jordán, Media Management MA student, Department of Culture and Media, Arcada UAS

Supervisor: Dr. Nathalie Hyde-Clarke   Examiner: Tomas Träskman

 

My MA thesis aims to illustrate how Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) can use Instagram for destination branding purposes. It focuses on Visit Finland’s Instagram activity in order to explore the different approaches in the use of this social media platform. The thesis is significant for the Master in Media Management because it reflects on the use of a new media channel, and the social and behavioral changes that have led to its success in the few last years. The research contributes to the field of social media studies by providing recommendations specifically for DMOs using Instagram.

Two different methods are used in my research. The first includes interviews with two employees of Visit Finland – a Senior Advisor from the International Marketing Department, and the Coordinator of Digital Channels. The interviews provide an understanding of the organization’s point of view regarding their activity on Instagram. During the interviews, four different approaches used on Instagram are identified. These are (1) use of user generated content, (2) collaboration with influencers, (3) encourage user participation, and (4) paid ads. The second method is a content analysis performed on four Instagram posts that illustrate the four different approaches aforementioned. The findings consider: the values conveyed in the visual and written elements, the engagement achieved by the post, the owner of the content, and how the content is shown to the users. The screenshot below shows one of the analyzed posts.

Screenshot of a post from @ourfinland, illustrating the use of user generated content (2019).

 

In my analysis, I identify that the values conveyed in the image are connection to nature, quietness, privacy, uniqueness, exclusiveness and good taste. The text is concise and clear, communicating one unique idea. It refers to one of the main tourist attractions in Finland, aurora gazing, which generates interest and motivates users to learn more. The post had 22.213 likes in March 2019, and it is one of the the top 10 Visit Finland’s most liked posts on Instagram. It illustrates the practice of using user generated content, as Visit Finland shares an image from @leviniglut’s – another Instagram user – as it is aligned with their own values and objectives as a destination brand.

All data gathered from the two methods mentioned is compared and related in order to identify patterns in the use of the social media channel and to propose a list of recommendations for future media managers using this space.

My paper confirms that social media are a valuable source of information for travelers, and therefore DMOs need to have a successful presence in them if they want to be known. The findings show that Instagram brings new opportunities for destination branding and can contribute to making a destination more popular if it is used to its fullest. The findings cannot be generalized to every DMO that wants to do destination branding on Instagram, as only Visit Finland is being analyzed in this study. However, the paper serves as a guide of different practices and provides recommendations for an appropriate use of the channel. The first recommendation is to produce interactive and engaging content that makes users feel an active part of the brand and at the same time is aligned with the destination brand’s values. The second one is to use different approaches to presenting content on the channel in order to reach different audiences and have a more complete presence in the social network. The third and last recommendation is to use all platform’s characteristic features – more specifically the use of locations and hashtags – in order to be easily found by users.

Writing my Master thesis at Arcada UAS has been a journey full of lessons learned. My study has helped me grow as social media advertising specialist. Not only have I broadened my knowledge on Instagram and the sociocultural changes that helped it become a relevant media, but I have also been able to shift my attention from a global use of the channel to practices that contribute specifically to Finnish destination branding. In addition, I have also grown personally. During the six months that I have spent on my research, I have developed a new way to analyze things and to explain data to others. That is a skill that I am taking with me for all my jobs and studies to come.

Select readings from References:

Abed, S., 2018. An empirical examination of Instagram as an s-commerce channel. Journal of Advances in Management Research, 15(2), p.146-160.

Hajli, N., Shanmugam, M., Papagiannidis, S., Zahay, D., & Richard, M., 2017. Branding co-creation with members of online brand communities. Journal of business research, 70, p.136-144.

Lund, N. F., Cohen, S.A., & Scarles, C., 2018. The power of social media storytelling in destination branding. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 8, p.271-280.

Valentini, C., Romenti, S., Murtarelli, G., & Pizzetti, M., 2018. Digital visual engagement: influencing purchase intentions on Instagram. Journal of Communication Management, 22(4), p.362-381.

 

The full thesis may be downloaded from Theseus.fi from June 2019.

Are you looking for tools to manage the rapidly changing media industry? Or do you find yourself in the media industry struggling to see the bigger picture? Learn more about our MA in Media Management here: https://www.arcada.fi/en/master/media-management 

Kultur och Media / Culture and Media

In a whirlwind of change, and a sea of possibilities, contributors to the Culture and Media blog explore and make meaning of our dynamic field. Read about the latest trends, events and academic arguments that are shaping and reshaping our world in ways that encourage us to reflect and debate on what has past and what has yet to come.

Contact details

  • kmblogg_redaktion@arcada.fi

More by the same author

  • 22.12.2020 Creativity: A Multidisciplinary Systematic Literature Review by Özgür Ak
  • 15.12.2020 Instagram Brand Awareness among fitness minded female millennials. Do values behind the company increase follower base more efficiently than mere advertising? by Polina Kantola
  • 04.11.2020 Mobile journalism in Finnish TV-news broadcasting – The impact on news storytelling
  • 28.10.2020 University management through the lens of research – Reflections on management studies at Tampere University.
  • 25.05.2020 Tampereen elokuvajuhlat 04.03.-08.03.2020
Read more

AuthorKultur och Media / Culture and Media

TagsDMO, instagram, Media Management

Meet our bloggers

International Student Ambassadors

  • 19.01.2021 My Master’s Journey
  • 16.12.2020 A day in the life of an International Business student

Arcada Research News

  • 15.12.2020 The Ministry of Education and Culture funds Arcada’s new research programme
  • 25.11.2020 Arcada’s researchers are contributing to the development of an ethical assessment of Artificial Intelligence

The NURED Project

  • 28.02.2020 Ending the NURED Project: final products, and final thoughts.
  • 30.09.2019 The NURED Final Seminar – WELCOME!
  • 13.06.2019 The NURED Roadtrip – Discussions about developing nursing curriculas across the Baltic Region

Vårdprogrammet

  • 16.04.2019 Nurses’ Confidence in Medication Administration

Arcada Entrepreneurship

  • 23.04.2019 Strategy Workshop – Paul D. Savage
  • 16.04.2019 Tieto visit- An emphatic building for activity based working style
  • 12.04.2019 Från post it-lappar till konkret förändring – ett recept till vinnande koncept

Kultur och Media / Culture and Media

  • 22.12.2020 Creativity: A Multidisciplinary Systematic Literature Review by Özgür Ak
  • 15.12.2020 Instagram Brand Awareness among fitness minded female millennials. Do values behind the company increase follower base more efficiently than mere advertising? by Polina Kantola
  • 04.11.2020 Mobile journalism in Finnish TV-news broadcasting – The impact on news storytelling

Availability statement

© 2021 Yrkeshögskolan Arcada