Technical Papers
Oct 5, 2023

Megaproject Branding on Social Media from the Lens of Information Content and Information Diffusion

Publication: Journal of Management in Engineering
Volume 40, Issue 1

Abstract

Megaproject branding on social media is especially needed in this digital era to prompt the success of megaproject delivery. Existing social media–driven branding studies often concentrated on general projects or products, and rarely focused on megaprojects that have substantial societal impacts. This presented study concentrates on megaproject branding on social media. To achieve such a purpose, a conceptual framework is proposed that explores the topic content and diffusion network of megaproject-related information on social media. Megaproject branding insights are provided to examine megaproject brand image and to improve information diffusion. Megaproject brand image is interpreted from the theme aspects of politics, economy, social, environment, national security, and megaproject itself (PESNCM). To illustrate the proposed framework, the information related to China’s major infrastructure projects (CMIPs) on Twitter is studied. Theoretically, this study further proves the necessity of megaproject branding in managing megaproject public stakeholders. Methodologically, the proposed framework could be used to conduct megaproject branding on social media platforms. Practically, the case results could be used to guide branding practices of CMIPs on Twitter.

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.

Data Availability Statement

Some or all data, models, or code generated or used during the study are available in a repository online in accordance with funder data retention policies (https://github.com/nasaer0923/megaproject-branding-submitted-in-JME).

Acknowledgments

This study is supported by the National Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 72271122, 71871116, 72171048, and 72101055) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. 90YAH22030). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation of China.

References

Aradau, C. 2010. “Security that matters: Critical infrastructure and objects of protection.” Secur. Dialogue 41 (5): 491–514. https://doi.org/10.1177/0967010610382687.
Bahadorestani, A., J. T. Karlsen, and N. M. Farimani. 2020. “Novel approach to satisfying stakeholders in megaprojects: Balancing mutual values.” J. Manage. Eng. 36 (2): 04019047. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000734.
Bilro, R. G., S. M. C. Loureiro, and J. F. dos Santos. 2022. “Masstige strategies on social media: The influence on sentiments and attitude toward the brand.” Int. J. Consum. Stud. 46 (4): 1113–1126. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12747.
Bin, A. A. E., R. Ali, A. K. Othman, F. H. Hassan, M. Izzuddin, A. Zainudin, and A. Fadzil. 2018. “Branding strategy on economic sustainability among personal care and cosmetics customers.” Int. J. Asian Social Sci. 8 (11): 995–1004. https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.1.2018.811.995.1004.
Bruwer, J., and R. Johnson. 2010. “Place-based marketing and regional branding strategy perspectives in the California wine industry.” J. Consum. Mark. 27 (1): 5–16. https://doi.org/10.1108/07363761011012903.
Chen, Y., and W. Ji. 2022. “Estimating public demand following disasters through Bayesian-based information integration.” Int. J. Disaster Risk Reduct. 68 (Nov): 102713. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102713.
Chen, Y., Y. Li, Z. Wang, A. J. Quintero, C. Yang, and W. Ji. 2022. “Rapid perception of public opinion in emergency events through social media.” Nat. Hazard. Rev. 23 (2): 04021066. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000547.
Chen, Y., Q. Wang, and W. Ji. 2020. “Rapid assessment of disaster impacts on highways using social media.” J. Manage. Eng. 36 (5): 04020068. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)me.1943-5479.0000836.
Devina, M., M. R. Astrini, and M. I. Syaebani. 2016. “Employer branding strategies effects on job pursuit intention of business school undergraduates: Case study of oil companies in Indonesia.” J. Entrepreneurship 4 (2): 1–39.
Diestel, R. 2017. Graph theory. New York: Springer.
Divandari, A., A. Ekhlassi, and K. Rahmani. 2014. “Devising a branding model for multipurpose mega-projects in entertainment, residential, tourism, and sport in Iran.” J. Vacation Mark. 20 (1): 73–91. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356766713494206.
Dong, R., L. Li, Q. Zhang, and G. Cai. 2018. “Information diffusion on social media during natural disasters.” IEEE Trans. Comput. Social Syst. 5 (1): 265–276. https://doi.org/10.1109/TCSS.2017.2786545.
Fahy, J., and D. Jobber. 2019. Foundations of marketing. New York: McGraw Hill.
Fan, C., Y. Jiang, and A. Mostafavi. 2020. “Social sensing in disaster city digital twin: Integrated textual–visual–geo framework for situational awareness during built environment disruptions.” J. Manage. Eng. 36 (3): 04020002. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000745.
Fan, C., C. Zhang, A. Yahja, and A. Mostafavi. 2021. “Disaster city digital twin: A vision for integrating artificial and human intelligence for disaster management.” Int. J. Inf. Manage. 56 (Mar): 102049. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2019.102049.
Flyvbjerg, B., ed. 2017. The Oxford handbook of megaproject management. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Ghiassi, M., J. Skinner, and D. Zimbra. 2013. “Twitter brand sentiment analysis: A hybrid system using n-gram analysis and dynamic artificial neural network.” Expert Syst. Appl. 40 (16): 6266–6282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2013.05.057.
Gil, N. A. 2023. “Cracking the megaproject puzzle: A stakeholder perspective?” Int. J. Project Manage. 41 (3): 102455. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2023.102455.
Grohmann, B., and H. O. Bodur. 2015. “Brand social responsibility: Conceptualization, measurement, and outcomes.” J. Bus. Ethics 131 (2): 375–399. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2279-4.
Gruhl, D., D. Liben-Nowell, R. Guha, and A. Tomkins. 2004. “Information diffusion through blogspace.” In Vol. 6 of Proc., 13th Int. World Wide Web, 491–501. New York: Association for Computing Machinery.
Jordan, L. 2021. “5 things U.S. policymakers must understand about China-Africa relations.” Accessed March 5, 2023. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/5-things-u-s-policymakers-must-understand-china-africa-relations/.
Kim, J., J. Bae, and M. Hastak. 2018. “Emergency information diffusion on online social media during storm Cindy in US.” Int. J. Inf. Manage. 40 (Mar): 153–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2018.02.003.
Kumar, P., and A. Sinha. 2021. “Information diffusion modeling and analysis for socially interacting networks.” Social Network Anal. Min. 11 (1): 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13278-020-00719-7.
Langford, D., and S. Male. 2008. Strategic management in construction. New York: Wiley.
Levitt, R. E. 2007. “CEM research for the next 50 years: Maximizing economic, environmental, and societal value of the built environment.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 133 (9): 619–628. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2007)133:9(619).
Li, L., Q. Zhou, W. Yang, and Y. Jiang. 2021. “Uncovering information diffusion patterns in different networks using the L-metric.” Enterp. Inf. Syst. 15 (10): 1635–1657. https://doi.org/10.1080/17517575.2021.1894354.
Li, Y., Y. Lu, Q. Cui, and Y. Han. 2019. “Organizational behavior in megaprojects: Integrative review and directions for future research.” J. Manage. Eng. 35 (4): 04019009. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000691.
Lin, H., S. Zeng, H. Ma, R. Zeng, and V. W. Y. Tam. 2017. “An indicator system for evaluating megaproject social responsibility.” Int. J. Project Manage. 35 (7): 1415–1426. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2017.04.009.
Littau, P., et al. 2015. “Managing stakeholders in megaprojects.” In The MS working group report. Seville, Spain: Univ. of Seville.
Liu, X. 2009. “Twitter power: Tweets as electronic word of mouth.” J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci. Technol. 60 (11): 2169–2188. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.
Lobo, S., and A. F. Abid. 2020. “The role of social media in intrastakeholder strategies to influence decision making in a UK infrastructure megaproject: Crossrail 2.” Project Manage. J. 51 (1): 96–119. https://doi.org/10.1177/8756972819864456.
Lopez, A., E. Guerra, B. Gonzalez, and S. Madero. 2020. “Consumer sentiments toward brands: The interaction effect between brand personality and sentiments on electronic word of mouth.” J. Mark. Anal. 8 (4): 203–223. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41270-020-00085-5.
Ma, H., D. Sun, S. Zeng, H. Lin, and J. J. Shi. 2021. “The effects of megaproject social responsibility on participating organizations.” Project Manage. J. 52 (5): 418–433. https://doi.org/10.1177/87569728211015868.
Mahmood, A., and J. Bashir. 2020. “How does corporate social responsibility transform brand reputation into brand equity? Economic and noneconomic perspectives of CSR.” Int. J. Eng. Bus. Manage. 12 (May): 1847979020927547. https://doi.org/10.1177/1847979020927547.
Morgan, A., V. Wilk, R. Sibson, and G. Willson. 2021. “Sport event and destination co-branding: Analysis of social media sentiment in an international, professional sport event crisis.” Tourism Manage. Perspect. 39 (Jul): 100848. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2021.100848.
Mostafa, M. M. 2013. “More than words: Social networks’ text mining for consumer brand sentiments.” Expert Syst. Appl. 40 (10): 4241–4251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2013.01.019.
Nedopil, C. 2022. “China Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) investment report.” Accessed March 5, 2023. https://green-bri.org/investment-report-belt-and-road-initiative-bri-2020-covid19/.
Ninan, J., S. Clegg, and A. Mahalingam. 2019. “Branding and governmentality for infrastructure megaprojects: The role of social media.” Int. J. Project Manage. 37 (1): 59–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2018.10.005.
Shen, B., and K. Bissell. 2013. “Social media, social me: A content analysis of beauty companies’ use of Facebook in marketing and branding.” J. Promot. Manage. 19 (5): 629–651. https://doi.org/10.1080/10496491.2013.829160.
Shirdastian, H., M. Laroche, and M. O. Richard. 2019. “Using big data analytics to study brand authenticity sentiments: The case of Starbucks on Twitter.” Int. J. Inf. Manage. 48 (Sep): 291–307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2017.09.007.
Siddiqui, K. 2019. “One Belt and One Road, China’s massive infrastructure project to boost trade and economy: An overview.” Int. Crit. Thought 9 (2): 214–235. https://doi.org/10.1080/21598282.2019.1613921.
Wan, X., R. Wang, M. Wang, J. Deng, Z. Zhou, X. Yi, J. Pan, and Y. Du. 2022. “Online public opinion mining for large cross-regional projects: Case study of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in China.” J. Manage. Eng. 38 (1): 05021011. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000970.
Wang, D. H. M., P. H. Chen, T. H. K. Yu, and C. Y. Hsiao. 2015. “The effects of corporate social responsibility on brand equity and firm performance.” J. Bus. Res. 68 (11): 2232–2236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.06.003.
Witz, P., V. Stingl, M. Wied, and J. Oehmen. 2021. “Asymmetric legitimacy perception across megaproject stakeholders: The case of the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link.” Int. J. Project Manage. 39 (4): 377–393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2021.01.006.
Xue, J., G. Q. Shen, Y. Li, J. Wang, and I. Zafar. 2020. “Dynamic stakeholder-associated topic modeling on public concerns in megainfrastructure projects: Case of Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge.” J. Manage. Eng. 36 (6): 04020078. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000845.
Yoo, E., W. Rand, M. Eftekhar, and E. Rabinovich. 2016. “Evaluating information diffusion speed and its determinants in social media networks during humanitarian crises.” J. Oper. Manage. 45 (Mar): 123–133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jom.2016.05.007.
Zeng, S. X., H. Y. Ma, H. Lin, R. C. Zeng, and V. W. Y. Tam. 2015. “Social responsibility of major infrastructure projects in China.” Int. J. Project Manage. 33 (3): 537–548. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2014.07.007.
Zhou, Z., and C. Mi. 2017. “Social responsibility research within the context of megaproject management: Trends, gaps and opportunities.” Int. J. Project Manage. 35 (7): 1378–1390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2017.02.017.
Zhou, Z., X. Zhou, and L. Qian. 2021. “Online public opinion analysis on infrastructure megaprojects: Toward an analytical framework.” J. Manage. Eng. 37 (1): 04020105. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000874.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Journal of Management in Engineering
Journal of Management in Engineering
Volume 40Issue 1January 2024

History

Received: Mar 31, 2023
Accepted: Aug 9, 2023
Published online: Oct 5, 2023
Published in print: Jan 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Mar 5, 2024

Permissions

Request permissions for this article.

ASCE Technical Topics:

Authors

Affiliations

Yudi Chen, A.M.ASCE [email protected]
Associate Professor, Dept. of Management Science and Engineering, Nanjing Univ. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province 211106, China. Email: [email protected]
Zhipeng Zhou, A.M.ASCE [email protected]
Professor, Dept. of Management Science and Engineering, Nanjing Univ. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province 211106, China. Email: [email protected]
Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Civil Engineering, Southeast Univ., Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province 211189, China. Email: [email protected]
Professor, School of Civil Engineering, Southeast Univ., Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province 211189, China (corresponding author). ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2987-505X. Email: [email protected]

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Download citation

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

Cited by

View Options

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Article
$35.00
Add to cart

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Article
$35.00
Add to cart

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Copy the content Link

Share with email

Email a colleague

Share