Branding cancer research institutions through social media platforms

Abstract

Cancer research institutions resort to social media platforms to reinforce their relations with stakeholders and promote their brand. Nevertheless, they face several challenges: strict legal frameworks, patients’ new demands, and the development health technology. This paper aims to analyze how cancer research institutions manage social media platforms, as well as their corporate websites, for branding purposes. To do that, we conducted a literature review about cancer hospitals’ corporate communication strategies on these platforms; and then, we resorted to 48 indicators to evaluate how the top 100 cancer research institutions in the world managed their corporate websites, as well as their corporate profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, for promoting their brand. We concluded that these organizations should use social media platforms to explain their brand architecture, develop a corporate website based on a public health approach, and describe their social engagements in a clearer way. Finally, we recommended three managerial initiatives for these organizations: creating an in-house communication department employing experts in communication and public health, conducting an intellectual reflection about the company’s brand genealogy, and integrating oncologists and nurses in the company’s corporate communication initiatives carried out on social media platforms.