Integrated marketing communications and social media interactions: A qualitative study focused on the tea industry

Implementation of integrated marketing tools through social media platforms is an effective way to communicate with target audiences as an interactive marketing approach. Social media plays an important role in personalizing brands and spreading them to large audiences. Businesses promote their products, services and activities to target audiences and carry out marketing activities through social media. One of the most important roles of social media is to reduce the distance between public relations, marketing and advertising and help them become integrated. In this study, the use of social media for the purposes of integrated marketing communication has been investigated specifically for the practices of Çaykur and Doğuş Çay companies operating in the tea sector in Turkey. In this context, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube shares, which are the most used social media platforms of Çaykur and Doğuş Çay companies in the three-month period covering November 1, 2021 and January 31, 2022, were monitored. The obtained data were subjected to content analysis, basic statistics, frequencies, cross-tables and t tests of the applications were performed through the SPSS 25 program. The findings were compared, interpreted and discussed. As a result of the research; It was determined that both tea companies used Facebook, Twitter and Instagram effectively within the scope of integrated marketing communication and left Youtube to the final plan. In the three-month period within the scope of the investigation, Doğuş Çay company shared a single post on YouTube, while Çaykur company did not share a post. While Doğuş Çay company benefits from advertising and public relations as an integrated marketing communication tool on social media platforms, it has been determined that Çaykur company uses social media in advertising, public relations and direct marketing activities. When the shipments of Çaykur and Doğuş Çay are examined between November 1, 2021 and January 31, 2022, it is seen that they do not include sponsorship and sales development activities on four platforms. It was determined that the use of social media platforms by Çaykur and Doğuş Çay brands did not differ from each other in a statistically significant way. Integrated marketing practices in the social media environment are differentiating from company to company; Çaykur uses integrated marketing tools more effectively and effectively on social media platforms. It was concluded that Doğuş Çay company used a more integrated structure. Both brands need to use digital integrated marketing communication strategies more effectively to create communities in social media environments, increase brand value, increase brand loyalty and create purchasing behaviors.