A content analysis on theme parks post on instagram in the time of COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Broadly, company use social media for commercial and communal purpose where it serves purpose to brand, sell and market their business also another way is to connect with and co-create with customer as well as providing platform to customer to bond together. With the shift towards visual content and fast-growing social network Instagram which photo, image and video sharing, it constitutes excellent vehicles for fostering relationships with customers. Same it goes during the crisis and risk, includes pandemics such as Covid19 crisis which hit whole world recently and collapse tourism and tour industry. The previous study show it is important to stay relevant and in a right momentum thru marketing communication. Therefore, this study adds limited literature on Instagram and Visual Content Analysis during crisis and risk. This study evaluated eight (8) Malaysia’s Theme Parks official Instagram during Covid19 crisis. Observing the phase of RMCO when the country ready to recover and opening economic activity including domestic tourism. Four dimensions – visual features post, frequency of post, massage advertisement appeals and marketing communication engagement measure were examined in the visual content analysis session. Subsequently, identified sub-category like emotional and informational post appeals as well as number of ‘like’ and number of ‘comments’, studying the massage hidden and needs of the readers from the Instagram posted ‘comment’ been observed and analyse. This study found that the top most engaged theme park Instagram and the top recommended theme park in travel and tour website is the same where this theme park adapt frequently post their activity on Instagram as well as communicate with their customer. This study concludes by discussing on how DMO and Tourism Marketing Manager could use their Instagram to do promotion and engagement during crisis and risk like Pandemic Covid19 by strategize their post to get sufficient number of ‘like’ and number of ‘comments’ based on emotional and informational post appeals as marketing communication engagement.