THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS IN THE PROMOTION OF CORPORATE BRAND IMAGE AND REPUTATION IN NIGERIA

Abstract

There is a notion that getting to adopt a new idea no matter the obvious advantages is often difficult and this has played out sometimes in the Nigerian corporate landscape, apparently owing to the dominant orientation of public institutions and the lack of basic and relevant infrastructure. This has contributed to the slow pace of development in the country. With the pervasive influence of social media globally, it became necessary to interrogate the relevance, role and effectiveness of social media platforms in the promotion of corporate communication, identity and status in Nigeria. This was contemplated because of the critical role communication plays in the life of organizations and society. The work was anchored on two related theories: the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Media Dependency Theory (MDT). An in-depth interview approach was adopted for data gathering. The targets were key experts with hands-on experience in the corporate communications arena, including public affairs managers, journalism practitioners, ICT experts and business development consultants. The tool employed was an open-ended questionnaire with follow-up telephone interviews. Findings point to the absolute necessity of social media and its various platforms in promoting corporate communication and building the identity and image of organizations in Nigeria, using the right strategies. Despite its shortcomings, which include believability challenges, there was a consensus on the need for organizations to embrace the social media regime if they have to remain relevant and meet their objectives.