#MrpMyStyle as brand communication: an analysis of Mr Price brand image as reflected through Facebook.

Abstract

This study investigates the hashtag #mrpmystyle as brand communication. Through observation of Mr Price‟s Facebook page, and its activities over a period, to evaluate the effectiveness of the Mr Price Facebook page in directing consumers to its website. The main aim of this research study was to evaluate the social media platform „Facebook‟, in order to understand how the Mr Price brand used the platform to communicate with its consumers and vice versa. The study made reference to secondary sources to support the phenomenon that brand communication on social media can be effective. However it required constant engagement and encouragement between a brand and its consumers in order for the brand‟s image to be positively perceived. This study adopted a thematic analysis as to analysing data drawn from the Facebook activities, observed from Mr Price page. Information from the Mr Price Facebook page was then coded and interpreted through qualitative themes which were influenced by the study‟s objectives. The data was collected through e-observation where a total number of seventy posts were analysed for data collected from the Mr Price Facebook page. These posts were critically analysed through a thematic analysis in order to determine the level of communication that occurred between the Mr Price brand and its consumers on a daily basis. The information was interpreted qualitatively in order to get a holistic understanding of the communication patterns and whether this communication could be classed as „effective‟. The study formulated recommendations in order for brands to improve the manner in which they used social media platforms (specifically Facebook) as a communication tool between them and their consumers.