Researchers from the Department of Marketing and Market Research at UGR have conducted a ground-breaking study demonstrating how the strategic use of emojis and congruent messaging in social media promotions of tourist destinations significantly enhances user engagement. This approach captures greater attention and simplifies user information processing, reducing cognitive strain. Specifically, integrating emojis in promotional content about tourism destinations aids in clearer understanding and minimises confusion, mainly when the messages exhibit low levels of unity.

The primary goal of this research, which was recently featured in the esteemed Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, was to explore how posts made by destination management organisations (DMOs) on social media, along with user comments (electronic word-of-mouth or eWOM), affect potential tourists’ perceptions and actions.

This study was executed at the UGR’s Mind, Brain and Behaviour Research Centre (CIMCYC) with financial support from the Andalusian Programme for R&D (grant number P20-01021). It involved an experimental setup using eye-tracking technology on 60 Facebook users. During these experiments, researchers varied the congruence levels between the messages posted by the DMOs and the user responses, the presence or absence of emojis, and the portrayal of the tourist destination, focusing on different aspects like natural environments, culinary experiences, accommodations, and beach resorts.

The team, comprising Beatriz García Carrión, Francisco Muñoz Leiva, Salvador del Barrio García, and Lucia Porcu, highlighted that the findings decisively confirm the effectiveness of using congruent messages in marketing, particularly in digital platforms like social media. Emojis, they noted, significantly enhance the processing of information, increase user focus, and reduce the mental effort required to comprehend the messages. Furthermore, congruent messaging not only aids in processing information but also positively influences emotional assessments, which are vital in choosing a tourist destination.

The findings offer several insights for tourism management, especially in the context of communication strategies targeted at social media audiences. They underscore tourism managers’ need to ensure high congruence in the information shared on social platforms. According to the researchers, this involves thoroughly reviewing and managing user comments across all channels to correct misalignments with the destination’s intended image, thereby averting potential adverse impacts.

Although emojis significantly improve overall understanding of the content, their effect on emotional evaluations was deemed insignificant. The research advocates that tourism managers should prioritise content related to the destination’s culinary delights and natural surroundings over traditional focuses like seaside and hotel facilities, as these elements garner more attention and are generally viewed more positively, even when congruence levels are low.

The study also points to a shift in consumer preferences towards more eco-centric tourism options. Tourism managers should increasingly highlight destinations’ environmental and sustainability aspects in their social media communications, which could lead to better visual engagement and emotional responses from potential tourists.

More information: Beatriz García-Carrión et al, The effect of online message congruence, destination-positioning, and emojis on users’ cognitive effort and affective evaluation, Journal of Destination Marketing & Management. DOI: 10.1016/j.jdmm.2023.100842

Journal information: Journal of Destination Marketing & Management Provided by University of Granada