Their work looks at how CEO communications drive public engagement during the Russia-Ukraine war. compared with brand messages from an organisation’s social media accounts.

The paper Finding the Right Voice: How CEO Communication on the Russia-Ukraine War Drives Public Engagement and Digital Activism, presents an analysis of 236,119 tweets. The authors investigate the effects of the message sender (CEO or brand), message framing (self or other), and message appeal (informational or emotional) on engagement. The level of engagement was measured in terms of likes, retweets, and replies.

PhD candidate Hamelberg, professors De Ruyter (King’s College London) and Van Dolen, and associate professor Konus found that CEO communications foster greater engagement and digital activism than brand messages. CEO messages with informational content or emotional appeals consistently outperformed brand messages. Another key finding was that CEO campaigns focusing on Ukrainian civilians amplified activism. This mirrored the impact of brand messages centred on the war’s impact on American citizens.

Getting public support

Together, these insights reveal how the message sender, framing, and appeal are interrelated when it comes to global geopolitical events. The findings provide vital knowledge for organisations and policymakers who wish to achieve public backing in times of war.