Revisiting social-mediated crisis communication model: The Lancôme regenerative crisis after the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement

• Published in: Public relations review 2019-11, Vol.45 (4), p.101812, Article 101812
• Main Authors: Mak, Angela K.Y., Song, AO
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Communication; Communication dynamics; Content analysis; Crises; Crisis communication; Hong Kong Umbrella Movement; Information sources; Internet; Mass media; Political communication; Regenerative crisis; Social media; Social media influencer; Social media publics; Social networks
• ISSN: 0363-8111; 1873-4537
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pubrev.2019.101812

•Provided empirical data to explicate the regenerative crisis model with a real case.•Evaluated emotional responses of involved publics with information forms and sources.•Identified four types of influential social media creators via content analysis.•Refined the social media crisis communication model and offered practical insights. The widespread use of social media has stimulated the number of crises on a global scale and given rise to regenerative crises which involve multiple crisis stages and publics. Using the Social-Mediated Crisis Communication model and the regenerative crisis model, this study explores a real-life organizational crisis related to Lancôme Hong Kong, which was driven by the socio-political environment after the Umbrella Movement. It aims to examine the engagement strategies by different publics, and also the influence of information forms and sources on the trends of emotion among social media publics. Results also provided an empirical evaluation of the regenerative crisis model driven by a socio-political environment. An online content analysis of selected 10% sample with an online data acquisition and analysis tool (3902 Facebook posts and comments, 1178 forum posts and comments, and 244 online news articles) revealed the interlocking connection among the involved publics along with the social-mediated regenerative crisis life cycle. Followers’ emotional responses were not only attached to Lancôme, but also to third parties as information sources. Four subcategories of influential social media creators were identified. Refinement on the Social-Mediated Crisis Communication model and practical implications are suggested.