University of Twente Student Theses
A different glance: The effects of facial expressions and text framing on reputation and message transportation in a fashion crisis response.
Nijkamp, Sophie (2023) A different glance: The effects of facial expressions and text framing on reputation and message transportation in a fashion crisis response.
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| Abstract: | INTRODUCTION: Fashion industries have been branded as damaging to the environment and suspected of greenwashing which causes a crisis for the fashion companies. A crisis that has a serious impact and requests for proper crisis communication. The European Union is responsible for regulations surrounding these industries and therefore is chosen to be the source of communication about this crisis. Besides creating a well-perceived reputation, it is crucial for such a crisis message to be received well by the public. Therefore, besides perceived reputation, the awareness around the issue and how the receiver can transport themselves in the message is tested in this research. PURPOSE: Crisis communication has several facets and can be differently used in various situations. The framing of the message holds meaning and can cause the crisis to be differently evaluated. Additionally, non-verbal communication might impact how a message is received. Therefore, this research examines the effects of facial expressions and text framing on how the crisis message is evaluated. The impact on perceived reputation, issue awareness and message transportation are tested to better understand how the European Union can communicate about a crisis in the fashion industry. METHOD: By using a 2 (rational/emotional) by 2 (neutral/excited) design, the effects of the four differently manipulated press releases were tested in an online experiment. The press releases of the European Union were evaluated by items on a 7-point Likert scale. The sample consisted of 124 valid cases that mostly consisted of students with varying nationalities. By performing a MANCOVA analysis, the variables were tested and the covariate effect of the level of environmental conscious was considered. RESULTS: Results show a significant effect of text framing on issue awareness and the level of environmentally consciousness showed a significant impact on the message transportation. The mean score for a rational text together with a neutral facial expression was higher than an emotional text with an excited facial expression. CONCLUSION: A rational text combined with a neutral facial expression created higher issue awareness among the respondents. Furthermore, a person who is environmentally conscious can better transport themselves into a message. These results can advise the European Union on how it can best communicate a message regarding a crisis within the fashion industry. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 05 communication studies |
| Programme: | Communication Studies BSc (56615) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/96617 |
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