The Communication Strategy Of “The Future Awards Season 7”

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the communication strategy of The Future Awards Season 7 (2012) with emphasis on the channels of communication. The Future Awards is an annual event with several stages and processes all of which need to be communicated to the target audience. The study identified the communication channels used at each stage of the award and the reason for the choice of such channels by the organisers. Daft and Lengel‟s media richness theory guided the study. Data were collected qualitatively using an interview guide to conduct in-depth interviews for detailed information and responses. Six senior managers responsible for the planning and execution of the award in relation to communication were interviewed. Communication channels such as social media, websites, television, radio, print, outdoor, interpersonal communication, events and telephones were identified as having been employed. The research also found that the major communication channel used was social media and the overall strategy was the use of entertainment celebrities for the video and voice promotions to communicate with the target audience which was mainly young people within the ages of 15-35. Social media was the richest medium amongst all the various channels selected by The Future Awards organisers; against the face-to-face channel identified by Daft and Lengel as the richest medium of communication. The lean channels were formal letters, magazines and posters, corresponding to that proposed by Daft and Lengel as the lowest information rich channels. Facebook and twitter in particular were powerful tools that helped in achieving the communication strategy for the season.