The opening conference of the symposium, whose main theme this year was determined as “Communication Studies in the Digital Age”, hosted worldwide doyens of the communication field. Prof. Dr. Paul Argenti from Dartmouth University, known for his work on corporate communication and management, addressed many current topics, from Influencers, who are frequently discussed on social media, to striking advertising campaigns widely talked about worldwide and in our country. Argenti, who also touched upon the changes in consumer behavior, said, “The influence among peers has also changed along with public trust. In other words, as trust in markets decreased, trust in businesses also decreased. Consumers, instead, started looking to their peers, academics, and experts.”
This year's theme for Üsküdar University's 9th International Communication Days was determined as “Communication Studies in the Digital Age”. The symposium, held as a hybrid event for 3 days both face-to-face and online, featuring nationally and internationally renowned invited speakers in the field, will conclude on the evening of Wednesday, May 18. The invited speakers' session of the symposium, for which approximately 350 national and international academics submitted paper abstracts and 60 sessions were planned, took place face-to-face at Üsküdar University Central Campus Nermin Tarhan Conference Hall, moderated by Prof. Dr. Halil Nalçaoğlu from Istanbul Bilgi University.
Prof. Dr. Paul Argenti from Dartmouth University, known for his work on corporate communication and management, focused on new communication models used by brands in his speech titled “Polyphonic Integration in Corporate Brand Narrative”.
Prof. Dr. Paul Argenti: “Companies have shifted communication and discourse to individuals…”
Prof. Dr. Paul Argenti touched upon many topics, from the building blocks of corporate communication and how brands develop reputation to the rise of social media and the power of digital communication. Prof. Dr. Paul Argenti said, “Digital communication enables companies and institutions to establish a different form of communication.” Argenti, who also addressed the Influencers that have come to the fore in recent years, stated, “Because companies have now shifted communication and discourse to individuals. Especially when content is produced by users, companies need to review content produced by third parties.”
Prof. Dr. Paul Argenti: “You can manage the company's character”
Prof. Dr. Paul Argenti stated that one of the most important building blocks of corporate communication is strategy, saying, “Communication needs to start with a strategy. Every institution has hierarchical statements. You have a vision. You have goals. Another building block is to consider the person you are communicating with. That is, what does the person you want to communicate with expect from you? Reputation and prestige are very important for a company. Reputation is about how people perceive you. Therefore, this is not a process you can fully control, but you can manage who you are. You can manage the character of the company and what kind of company it is.”
Emphasizing that companies must have a story to tell, Prof. Dr. Paul Argenti said, “Unfortunately, they cannot tell good stories. This is really important. I believe the story told is very valuable in terms of brand interpretation.”
Prof. Dr. Paul Argenti: “Communication with customers is now two-way”
Emphasizing the importance of companies conveying the right message to their target audience accurately, Prof. Dr. Paul Argenti said, “A brand's reputation is determined by three factors: One is comprised of increasing tensions and the value customers have given to the brand throughout their lives. Actively communicating with customers will create a sense of community. In the past, our communication with customers was always linear and one-way, but now, due to the digital age, it has become and continues to be two-way. Therefore, if you can maintain consistency, this two-way communication will have value.”
Prof. Dr. Paul Argenti, pointing to many transformations and changes in our era, said in his speech, where he gave examples from global brands, “For example, a brand states that there is serious food waste in its operations. To reverse this, it highlights a brand that respects natural resources, and this brand is sought out proportionately more. The company states that negative comments have decreased by 45%.”
Argenti: “People do not engage with a brand until they establish trust…”
Noting that customers are now trying to communicate through more authentic channels, Prof. Dr. Paul Argenti said, “Being more authentic is important. Because customers now want to establish a more genuine connection with the brand. When they are informed or an need is met, they interact with this company at a rate of 96%. What those working in marketing don't understand is this: in the 21st century, advertisements are actually not that useful. Because we cannot establish trust with our customers. People state that they do not engage with a brand until trust is established.”
Prof. Dr. Paul Argenti: “Authority has now completely changed”
Prof. Dr. Paul Argenti, who also addressed the Influencers that have come to the fore in recent years, said, “Some of my former students are working as influencers. They say they earn very good money, even though they hadn't considered working in this field in the past. They work in areas like fashion or motherhood and earn money. Scott Cook says, ‘A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is. It has become what consumers tell each other.’ This is actually very impactful. Authority here has now completely changed. It has shifted from governments, companies, and different institutions to communities composed of individuals.”
Prof. Dr. Paul Argenti: “It is more than three times more effective than advertisements”
Prof. Dr. Paul Argenti, who also touched upon the changes in consumer behavior, said, “The influence among peers has also changed along with public trust. In other words, as trust in markets decreased, trust in businesses also decreased. Consumers, instead, started looking to their peers, academics, and experts. Now, people only begin to believe something after seeing it 3-5 times. They started believing when they saw it from friends, or on the internet. Influence, audience reach, follower count, and the strength of the relationship can actually create more than three times the impact of paid advertisements.”
Referring to influencers who reach very large audiences, Prof. Dr. Paul Argenti said, “There are different types of influencers. There are very powerful ones, professors, academics, those who reach very large audiences, journalists, and agitators. There is a very rich ecosystem here. The power of word-of-mouth information is such that some narratives brought up by individuals other than traditional influencers can be strong. For example, consumers, celebrities, bloggers, and comment writers can be influencers.”
Prof. Dr. Paul Argenti: “They challenged the status quo”
Prof. Dr. Paul Argenti also touched upon the 'I Said It's Possible' advertising campaign, which a shampoo brand launched with a famous volleyball player in recent months. Prof. Dr. Paul Argenti said, “6 out of 10 women say, ‘There are obstacles between me and my dreams,’ but this brand used an influencer who stepped outside traditional boundaries, challenged the status quo, and took a big risk. The campaign received significant engagement from consumers.”
Prof. Dr. Nico Carpentier from Charles University in Prague, known for his work in communication and mass communication, discussed the perspectives of both Turkish and Greek sides in Cyprus in his speech titled 'Materiality in the Digital Age: A Case Study on Antagonistic Nationalism and Memorializations in Cyprus'.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lemi Baruh from Koç University, known for his new media and communication studies, participated in the symposium with his speech titled 'Thinking Beyond Data: What Does Privacy Mean for the Self in an Algorithmic Age?'
Approximately 350 academics submitted paper abstracts for the three-day symposium, a significant portion of whom are from universities in foreign countries. The symposium will feature Dr. Maureen Ellis from University of London Academy, known for her work in semiology, with her speech titled 'Metaphor: Mystic Myth, Spirituality, Science,' and two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Paul Salopek (Out of Eden Walk Project, National Geographic).
The effects of the transformation experienced during the pandemic will also be discussed
Many topics will be discussed at the symposium, especially the digital transformation in the world highlighted by the pandemic, new media studies, communication in the digital age, the transformation of traditional media in the digital age, and new paradigms in communication sciences.
Many sessions will be held at the congress, titled “Media Industry, Digital Labor and Political Economy”, “Digitalization, Consumption and Media”, “Daily Life, Politics and New Media”, “Communication Technologies, Media and Surveillance in the Digital Age”, “Public Relations and Advertising in the Digital Age”, “Daily Life, Communication and Social Media”, “Studies on Turkey While Tracing Digitalization”, “New Media and the Transformation of Journalism”, “Digital Media and the Transformation of Space”, “Cinema and the Rise of Digital Platforms in the Digital Age”, “Digitalization, Crisis and Media”, “Technology, Digital Culture and Communication”, “Digital Culture, Cinema and Media”, “New Media and the Transformation of Journalism”, “Communication Education and Social Media in the Digital Age”, “Surveillance, Privacy and Violence”, “Politics, Media and Propaganda”, “Digitalization, Communication and Public Relations”, “New Media and Public Relations in the Digital Age”, “Public Relations and Social Media”, “Digitalization, New Media and Metaverse”.
For details: https://ifig.uskudar.edu.tr/tr