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Retailers' press release activity: market signals for stakeholder engagement?

Paul Whysall (Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK)

European Journal of Marketing

ISSN: 0309-0566

Article publication date: 1 September 2005

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Abstract

Purpose

To increase understanding of the role, content and effectiveness of press releases.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative and quantitative analyses of UK supermarkets' press releases in 2001/2002, a medium previously little researched in marketing, are undertaken.

Findings

Supermarkets seek stakeholder engagement on diverse issues with different mixes of groups. Treating releases as market signals demonstrates the important role of the press as filters and interpreters. Intended messages frequently fail to reach target audiences, and when they do can be significantly reinterpreted, so that positive claims are reported critically and negatively. Larger chains apparently produce more releases and gain more newspaper coverage, but generally volume of releases does not improve likelihood of press coverage.

Research limitations/implications

The nature of qualitative data, the limited time frame, and possible omissions from source archives.

Practical implications

As level of coverage varied independently of turnover, higher release activity of larger chains was questioned. Seeking differentiation through press releases becomes problematic with the press as filters.

Originality/value

This paper increases knowledge of press releases as market communications, and contributes to the literature of market signalling, notably emphasising the press as important signal intermediaries.

Keywords

Citation

Whysall, P. (2005), "Retailers' press release activity: market signals for stakeholder engagement?", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 39 No. 9/10, pp. 1118-1131. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090560510610752

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2005, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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