THE IMAGE OF GERMAN CORPORATIONS ON WIKIPEDIATHEORETICAL GROUNDWORK, EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS AND COURSES OF ACTION

Jeannette Gusko | MASTER THESIS | UNIVERSITY OF LEIPZIG

Digital Communication Awards 201130.09.2011

*conflict of interest

„It‘s the COI*, stupid!“

Jeannette Gusko | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

Holistic research design

Comparative online content analysis of Wikipedia articles and corporate websites of 110 companies listed in German indices DAX (30), MDAX (50) and TecDAX (30)

Online questionnaire of 30 PR managers about Wikipedia engagement

Aims and research questions: Identify image consistence/differences in social

media and company-operated contexts Formulate courses of action for online image on

Wikipedia

3

Jeannette Gusko | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

Analytical framework4

Wikipedia Corporate website Online journalism Communities and Weblogs

Transparency of communication

low (authors mostly unknown, motivation and qualification mostly unknown)

high(originator known, contact possible)

high(editorial team known, contact possible)

medium (authors known, partly pseudonyms, may be contacted)

Aims of communication information, definition self-representation, information

information, explanation, investigation

self-expression, networking, information, investigation

Style of communication informative, (quasi-) neutral,bottom-up

informative, persuasive, quasi-subjective,top-down

informative, investigative,top-down

subjective, informative, interactive, persuasive, bottom-up

Access for recipients free and free of charge free and free of charge partly free, paid premium and archive content

mostly free and free of charge

Recipient‘s role user / reader, author user / reader user/ reader user/ reader, commentator, multiplier

Power of companies (PoC) and recipients (PoR) on image building

PoC < PoR PoC > PoR PoC > PoR PoC = PoR

Communicated corporate image

condensed actual image of authors (amateurs and experts)

planned image of the company

actual image of journalists

actual image of authors (mainly amateurs)

Jeannette Gusko | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

Ranking positions of Wikipedia articles in Google, n = 110

among top 5 not among top 5

Jeannette Gusko | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

Empirical results

Two thirds of corporate Wikipedia articles are ranked among the top 5 search results on Google

Wikipedia is no „real-time“ medium

Last edits of Wikipedia articles by index, n = 110

Empirical results

Jeannette Gusko | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

Number of authors of Wikipedia articles by index, n = 110

Empirical resultsDAX companies and high-risk brands attract higher diversity of Wikipedia authors

Jeannette Gusko | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

products

performance

history/tradition

employees

finance

innovation

CSR

scandal/lawsuits

competitioncompany (basic)

Wikipedia

Corporate Website

Topics of Wikipedia articles and Corporate Websites, n = 110

Empirical results

WP focuses on history, scandal/lawsuits & finance

Jeannette Gusko | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

Conclusion

Institutionalization of Wikipedia <> Conflict of

Interest

active image comunication on Wikipedia is risky

self-declaration and transparency

engagement with the community

aim for neutral coverage, counteract

misinformation

optimizing preceding image communicationJeannette Gusko | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

Thank you.

Jeannette Gusko | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

Jeannette GuskoM.A. Communication ManagementResearch Assistant Ostfalia University of Applied Sciencesj.gusko@ostfalia.de+49 177 267 83 28@JeanneRaffut

Literature

Gusko, J. (2011): The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia. Theoretical groundwork, empirical analysis and courses of action

Zerfass, A./ Gusko, J. (2011): Enzyklopädie der Images, pr Magazin, 06/11.

Zerfass, A./Sandhu, S. (2008): Interaktive Kommunikation, Social Web und Open Innovation: Herausforderungen und Wirkungen im Unternehmenskontext, in: Zerfass, A. /Welker , A./Schmidt , J.(Eds.): Kommunikation, Partizipation und Wirkungen im Social Web. Band 2: Strategien und Anwendungen: Perspektiven für Wirtschaft, Politik, Publizistik, Neue Schriften zur Online-Forschung 3, Halem Verlag, Köln.

Jeannette Gusko | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

Empirical results

positive

neutral

negative

Jeannette Gusko | Ostfalia University | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

Topic scandal/ law suits in Wikipedia articles by index, n = 110

Overall tonalities of Wikipedia articles are mainly neutral

Empirical results

Jeannette Gusko | Ostfalia University | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

DAX articles are by far the most read

Page impressions of Wikipedia articles by index, n = 110