The role of strategic communication in facing paracrisis: a multiple case approach in the lab-grown meat industry
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7433/s125.2024.06Keywords:
strategic communication, communication strategy, paracrisis, social media, cultured meat industry, multiple case studyAbstract
Purpose of the paper: This article explores the strategic role that communication can play in preventing crises and minimizing their negative effects in the cultured meat industry.
Methodology: The article adopts an exploratory methodology, particularly a multiple-case approach, to explore in detail and compare the communication strategies adopted by leading companies on the social media Facebook.
Findings: The findings of the study show evidence of paracrisis in the negative comments expressed by users to the corporate communication conveyed on Facebook, as well as highlighting the main objectives of strategic communication, such as educating the public, creating network effects, and creating emotional storytelling to increase public consciousness on the issue of cultured meat.
Research limits: The limitations of this research, which future studies can overcome, lie in the small sample of companies analyzed and the lack of quantitative methodologies suitable for measuring the real benefits of strategic communication on business performance.
Practical implications: The study provides many implications for managers and practitioners, such as establishing a stable presence on the leading online discussion channels to contain negative narratives, spread by detractors, and developing proactive communication strategies to highlight the positive contributions made by the company's activities.
Originality of the paper: The paper's originality lies in its appreciation of strategic communication's central and multifaceted role in the innovative cultivated meat sector. Emphasizing its essential role in the pre-crisis phase in monitoring the external environment and identifying the most influential stakeholders in the narrative.
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