Social media, brand communication and customer engagement in Michelin-starred restaurants during a time of crisis

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to analyse the brand communication on social media (SM) made by two- and three-starred restaurants and the customer reaction in terms of engagement effects during a crisis. The research highlights the connections between brand communication and engagement dynamics on Instagram by looking for differences in the strategies of two and three-starred restaurants and by highlighting the changes in the background engagement drivers.Design/methodology/approachUsing data collected from 5,666 Instagram posts by 34 Italian Michelin-starred restaurants, the authors analysed the crisis-driven changes in online communication and customer engagement comparing three phases of the COVID-19 pandemic by applying a linear regression model with fixed effects.FindingsMichelin-starred restaurants changed their strategies of brand communication to overcome the effects of the crisis. The findings highlight the importance of SM as a tool to stay in touch with consumers and the pivotal role of customers in engagement, especially during a pandemic.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is among the first studies to investigate the changes in brand communication and the effects on customer engagement during a pandemic, with a focus on Instagram. It contributes to understanding the role of platform and the main drivers of engagement on Instagram, as well as suggesting how managers can improve brand value using SM.

Attitudes towards urban green during the COVID-19 pandemic via Twitter

COVID-19 has had economic, social and environmental impacts worldwide. Governments have adopted containment measures to limit the spread of the virus. Urban green spaces (UGSs) were included among the non-essential activities and were consequently closed during the lockdown periods in some countries. This study analysed tweets posted by users to understand the citizens' perception and sentiment in relation to the closure of UGS in Italy. Results revealed that people felt a strong deprivation feeling in relation to the restrictions imposed on UGS access, which limited the number of spaces for supporting mental and physical wellbeing of citizens. Users from urban areas were more affected by the lockdowns and more willing to share thoughts on social media, demonstrating a strong emotionality. Furthermore, findings show that users seemed concerned about their children's health, expressing awareness about the benefits of being in contact with nature. UGS is able to provide services to citizens, and close-to-home parks are fundamental for the community, in particular during a health emergency. The implementation of urban design, which includes green areas to support health and environment challenges, should be addressed by policy-makers to create opportunities for a green and resilient recovery of cities, and prepare for future emergencies.

Together we win: Communities of practice to face the covid crisis in higher education

Communities of practice (CoPs) have been adopted in different contexts to facilitate knowledge exchange and mutual learning between professionals sharing common interests, practical issues, or decision problems. In higher education, they have been employed to favour interactions, "communitarian" mutual support, and exchange of experience within faculty, students, and staff. In all these situations, the central assumption is that collaboration helps, which implies a recognition that success in teaching and learning is more successful if individual problems, solutions, and experiences are shared and discussed openly. Currently, CoPs in general - and in education especially - are applied to "business as usual" situations - where there is often enough time for the community to discuss issues and reflect on possible solutions. Few is known about what happens in a totally different situation like the case of emergency - for instance, after a conflict, a natural disaster, or during a pandemic. In higher education, the faculty may need to react fast to ensure the continuity of educational services and/or to adapt it to the new scenarios. This paper examines the experience at University of Padova (Italy) at the time of the COVID crisis. The infection hit Italy at the beginning of the second term, and all instructors and students needed to quickly move all teaching and learning activities online. A CoP of faculty, established one year before, was asked to support this transition. The case study examines this experience by highlighting the structure of the CoP and its key roles, management style, functions and KM processes, achieved results, efficacy, and problematic issues. The paper provides lessons about pros and cons of a CoP in the special situation of a crisis due to pandemic. Also, it highlights pros and cons of this organizational arrangement applied to higher education institutions. © 2020 Academic Conferences and Publishing International Limited. All rights reserved.