Department of Media and Communication Center for Communication Research

Strategic Communication

Coordinator: Prof. Yi-Hui Christine Huang
Members: Dr. HUANG Guanxiong, Prof. HUANG Yi-Hui Christine, Dr. WANG Yuan

Keywords: Strategic communication, risk- and health-centered communication, crisis communication, digital public relations, digital advertising, integrated marketing communication, digital analytics approach to strategic communication, social media analytics and communication/relationship/trust management, society and culture.

Introduction

The cluster recognizes the fast-pace of change in contemporary societies and institutions by developing new methods for responding to this climate in an integrated way. Drawing on the subfields of public relations, advertising, and integrated marketing communications, members of the cluster have addressed both long-standing and emerging issues in applied communication domains, such as crisis communication, risk communication, marketing communication, trust management, relationship management, and issue management. A dual emphasis is placed on theoretical development and pragmatic solutions for strategic communications practitioners.

Research themes

  • Crisis communication, risk communication, and integrated communication, particularly in relation to Chinese culture. This line of research aims to develop a holistic picture of a Chinese model of crisis and risk communication in contrast to Western patterns.
     
  • Native Advertising on Social Media. This line of research investigates strategies for leveraging native advertising in terms of content creation and platform selection on social media. The research provide actionable insights for media planners, creative directors, and brand managers concerning which strategies are most cost efficient.
     
  • The Role of Digital Media in Public Relations. This line of research aims to explore the roles of digital media (i.e., social media and mobile technology) in public relations processes and outcomes. Our studies have examined the effects of publics’ engagement with organizations on social media and mobile phones on their relational satisfaction, organizational identification, and word-of-mouth communication, and how employee-organization relationships influence employees’ social media communication behaviors.
     
  • Theorizing and Examining organization-public relationship (OPR) and Institutional Trust: This line of research explores organization-public relationship (OPR) research and institutional trust, which has been regarded as a major forerunner of the paradigm shift from communication management to relationship management in the fields of public relations. Our studies have developed OPR scales and examined how various organizations use social media (e.g., Twitter) to establish relationships and communicate with their publics as well as their impacts on public engagement and organizational performance.
     
  • Optimistic Bias in Risk Perception. Optimistic bias refers to individuals’ cognitive tendency of perceiving lower risks to a hazardous event or disease for themselves than for others. This line of research aims to develop an integrative model of message features for reducing optimistic bias in risk perception, which in turn will motivate people to take preventive measures against the hazardous event or disease.

Key Publications:

Wang, Y., Cheng, Y., & Sun, J. (2021). When public relations meets social media: A systematic review of social media related public relations research from 2006 to 2020. Public Relations Review,47(4), 102081. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2021.102081 [SSCI]

Wang, Y. (2020). When relationships meet situations: Exploring the antecedents of employee communication behaviors on social media. Social Science Computer Review. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439320904719 [SSCI]

Wang, Y., & Guan, L. (2020). Mapping the structures of international communication organizations’ networks and cross-sector relationships on social media and exploring their antecedents. Public Relations Review, 46(4), 101951. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101951 [SSCI]

Huang, G. (2019). Variation matters: How to curb ad intrusiveness for native advertising on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Internet Research, 29(6), 1469-1484. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-12-2017-0524 [SSCI]

Huang, G., Li, K., & Li, H. (2019). Show, not tell: The contingency role of infographics versus text in the differential effects of message strategies on optimistic bias. Science Communication, 41(6), 732-760. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1075547019888659 [SSCI]

Xu, J. & Huang, G. (2016). Mapping public relations scholarship in Asia: A longitudinal analysis of published research, 1995 to 2014. Asian Journal of Communication, 26(6), 548- 565. https://doi.org/10.1080/01292986.2016.1218900 [SSCI]

Huang, Y. H. C., Lu, Y., Kao L., Choy, H. Y., & Chang, Y. (Forthcoming). Mainframes and Mandarins: The Impact of Internet Use on Institutional Trust in East Asia. Telecommunication Policy. [SSCI]

Cheng, Y., Huang, Y. H. C., & Chan, C. M. (2017). Public relations, media coverage, and public opinion in contemporary China: Testing agenda building theory in a social mediated crisis. Telematics and Informatics, 34(3), 765-773. [SSCI]

Huang, Y. H. C., Wu, F., & Cheng, Y. (2016). Crisis communication in context: Cultural and political influences underpinning Chinese public relations practice. Public Relations Review, 42(1), 201-213. [SSCI]

Wang, Y. (2020). When relationships meet situations: Exploring the antecedents of employee communication behaviors on social media. Social Science Computer Review. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439320904719 [SSCI]

Wang, Y., & Yang, Y. (2020). Dialogic communication on social media: How organizations use Twitter to build dialogic relationships with their publics. Computers in Human Behavior. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.106183[SSCI]

Wang, Y., & Ki, E.-J. (2018). Membership matters: Why members engage with professional associations. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 29, 71-82. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-017-9873-x [SSCI]