Visual brand communication and user engagement on Instagram

Abstract

The aim of this study is to find out what kind of visual brand communication evokes higher engagement of Instagram users and why? This is because, an upsurge of new information and communication technologies has influenced the way people live, more and more consumers are moving towards social media requiring brands to adjust the way they communicate by following consumers to social media. Instagram, an image sharing platform happens to be one of the social media platforms that has seen major success and many brands are using it to communicate and interact with their targeted audiences. For brands to succeed in keeping their customers engaged, they need to stand out from other content in the platform, making it necessary for brands to understand the kind of visual preference their target audience need.

The theory of the thesis was based on existing academic literature of visual communication and of social media with a focus on Instagram while the empirical part of the study was conducted by utilizing qualitative research method. Ten in depth interviews were conducted with users between the age of 21 and 32 in Helsinki, Finland. The results of the study suggested that users preferred to engage with visual brand communication that evoke a connotative association which leads to the development of an emotional reaction in them. Additionally, this kind of content motivated lurkers (passive users) to visibly engage with the brand content.