CONSUMER’S E-SIGNALS PRISM ANALYSIS: IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS FOR CORPORATE COMMUNICATION STRATEGY

It is well known that Communication is able to contribute to the decisions made in different business areas, marketing included. However, in order to measure its impact on the company overall marketing strategy, it is required to be tracked and evaluated. The paper aims to provide this communication auditing, to capture not only the company communication flows effects, but also considering external messages and stimuli. Based on a conceptual focus of the updated communication process analysis framework (Signori, Confente 2011), this paper aims to validate requirements and tools of the communication audit in e-contexts. The new model of the communication process analysis includes the main C2C and C2B signals, testing new tools to identify whether e-contexts created by consumers have an impact on corporate communication processes and strategies. In fact, it is well known, that within the online environment, communication between companies and consumers have been considered as a peer to peer communication. Consumers are not only able to receive messages but also to become senders within the communication process in a proactive way (Prahalad, Ramaswamy, 2000; Lau 2001; Cova, Dalli 2009; Belk 2010). Under this perspective, consumers are able to manage and control some enterprises assets, particularly brand, reputation, definition of some company marketing tactics (O’Guinn T.C., Muniz 2005; Fournier 1999; Deighton 2002; Holt 2004; Wipperfurth 2005; Vescovi 2008, 2009). Furthermore, there is the need for companies to understand and measure the impact of new e-contexts and elaborate new strategies that take into account the proactive consumer behavior. The paper, will undertake this perspective, discussing the key implications for marketing decisions.