Twitter Advertising by Coca-Cola; The Multinational Brand and a Local Subsidiary

Abstract

As businesses expand from their home country to other countries, communicating to the new markets is of utmost importance. Social media have over the years been useful in communicating to different markets in real time. Social media go beyond geographical boundaries, reaching everyone who has access. This research was done to study Twitter advertising by multinational brands and their local subsidiaries. Using Coca-Cola as a case study. The study is qualitative in nature, employing textual analysis. Based on Katz and Blumler's uses and gratifications theory, the study found how Coca-Cola gratified the needs of different markets, using Twitter. The findings showed that Coca-Cola, while advertising and communicating on Twitter, meet the needs of their audiences through pop culture, sports, festivities, promotions, and consumer interactivities. This study adds to African communication scholarship on multinational brand advertising. Further, it contributes to knowledge of local subsidiary advertising strategies on Twitter in the advertising literature.