Strategic use of social media affordances for marketing: a case study of Chinese DMOs

Authors

Jing Ge, University of WollongongFollow
Ulrike Gretzel, University of WollongongFollow
Rodney J. Clarke, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

86932

Publication Details

Ge, J., Gretzel, U. & Clarke, R. J. (2014). Strategic use of social media affordances for marketing: a case study of Chinese DMOs. In I. Tussyadiah & Z. Xiang (Eds.), Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2014: Proceedings of the International Conference in Dublin, Ireland (pp. 159-173). United States: Springer.

Abstract

Social media have become important platforms for tourism marketers but it is not clear if and how these organizations use social media to achieve particular strategic marketing goals. Given the enormous growth of both tourism and social media in China, this paper focuses on Weibo and its specific technological affordances. Using a case study methodology, it looks at five Chinese DMOs and analyses their Weibo activities in terms of correspondence to marketing communication elements and relation to specific technological affordances. The findings indicate that despite the opportunities for personal selling, DMOs do not fully capitalize on Weibo to achieve personal selling goals. Further, not all technological functions are used for strategic marketing purposes. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed.