An exploration of how public relations practitioners used social media to engage with consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a case of a fast-food company in South Africa

Abstract

In South Africa, the first lockdown periods affected fast-food franchises significantly, with these establishments forced to close, or only partially operate, between March and June in 2020. Fast-food establishments are significant contributors to South Africa's food and beverages industry, and their closure during the stricter lockdown periods negatively impacted the country's economy. Furthermore, during the hard lockdown in 2020, there was a rise in misinformation proliferated online about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the operations of fast-food companies during various alert levels. It was thus vital for the public relations (PR) practitioners in these franchises to effectively engage with consumers, to inform them about the operational protocols their organisations would be adhering to during the different lockdown levels. With (public) interpersonal contact prohibited, it was vital for these practitioners to effectively utilise various social networking platforms to engage with consumers for informational purposes and to communicate interactively with this stakeholder group. In this study, the researcher explored which platforms the public relations team in a specific fast-food franchise used to engage with consumers, why they chose to use specific social networks to interact with these stakeholders, and what messages they sent to this constituent group. Lastly, the researcher sought to discover whether the public relations team was symmetrical in their interactions with consumers on social media during the period studied. The study was framed through the lens of stakeholder theory and the two-way symmetrical model and employed a qualitative research approach. Additionally, the researcher used the case study design, with data collected through interviews and a thematic content analysis of the company’s Twitter and Facebook pages. Content posted between March and July 2020 was sampled, with the researcher observing the change in the tone of messages shared on social media during lockdown levels five, four, and three in South Africa. The results indicated that the public relations team in the selected franchise occasionally utilised social media, working alongside the digital department to disseminate informational messages to consumers during stricter lockdown periods. Social media was used by these practitioners for crisis communication messaging, to share information about the corporate social initiatives the company was involved in, and to manage the franchise’s reputation during the hard lockdown. Furthermore, the digital team primarily engaged symmetrically with consumers on Twitter and Facebook. The public relations team would only respond to queries from consumers when matters of contention escalated online. There is an ongoing debate regarding the value and utility of social media utilisation by public relations professionals in various industries. Furthermore, many polemical articles have been published regarding the use of specific online platforms by these practitioners. Some academics argue that public relations professionals’ utilisation of social networks has been overly praised and inadequately critiqued. Therefore, this study contributes to advancing additional scholarly debate on social media utilisation by public relations practitioners in a specific market.