Post‐earthquake crisis communications in Taiwan: An examination of corporate advertising and strategy motives

Abstract

This study examines gestures, themes, message copy points and imagery, and strategy motives reflected in corporate advertising appearing in the China Times and United Daily News, two leading newspapers, in the month following the devastating Chin‐Chin earthquake in Taiwan in September 1999. The study identified four possible corporate strategy motives in post‐crisis corporate communications: social responsibility, communal relationship building, enlightened self‐interest and impression management. A content analysis of adverts (n=100) suggested communal relationship building drove corporate advertising endeavours. Corporate philanthropy was the most common gesture described in the adverts, and the most frequent themes and message components focused on the restoration of society. No significant differences were found between companies headquartered in Taiwan versus elsewhere, or between companies headquartered in Asia versus the West. Implications for examining crisis communications and underlying motives behind public relations communications are discussed.

Citation

Ho, F. and Hallahan, K. (2004), "Post‐earthquake crisis communications in Taiwan: An examination of corporate advertising and strategy motives", Journal of Communication Management, Vol. 8 No. 3, pp. 291-306. https://doi.org/10.1108/13632540410807709