Skip to main content
Log in

Fit for life: A content analysis of fitness tracker brands use of Facebook in social media marketing

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Brand Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Social media is seen as a key ingredient to build an organization’s brand strategy and promote products and brands to consumers. The purpose of this study is to examine how fitness tracker brands use social media – in particular, Facebook – to advertise their products, develop brand positions, and target specific audiences. A content analysis was conducted of the Facebook pages for four fitness tracker brands: Fitbit, Garmin Fitness, Jawbone, and Misfit for a four-month time period in 2015. A total of 421 posts were analyzed. The information recorded for analysis included timing (post date and time), popularity (likes), engagement (comments, shares, and hashtags), format of post, elements included, advertising appeal, marketing promotions, and selling points. Four research questions were investigated. Results offer significant implications for academicians as well as practitioners in the domain of social media brand management for the fitness industry.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adam, N.J., Spierer, D.K., Gu, J. and Bronner, S. (2013) Comparison of steps and energy expenditure assessment in adults of Fitbit tracker and ultra to the actical and indirect calorimetry. Journal of Medical Engineering & Technology 37(7): 456-462.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aula, P. (2010) Social media, reputation risk and ambient publicity management. Strategy & Leadership 38(6): 43–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Azar, S.L., Machado, J.C., Vacas-de-Carvalho, L. and Mendes, A. (2016) Motivations to interact with brands of Facebook – towards a typology of consumer-brand interactions. Journal of Brand Management 23(2): 153–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bender, J.L., Jimenez-Marroquin, M-C. and Jadad, A.R. (2011). Seeking support on Facebook: A content analysis of breast cancer groups. Journal of Medical Internet Research 13(1): e16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berger, E. A. and Paris, C. M. (2013) Exploring the Role of Facebook in Re-Shaping Backpacker’s Social Interactions. Proceedings of the International Conference in Dublin, Ireland; 21–24, January 2014, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, pp 299–312.

  • Brennan, L. and Binney, W. (2010) Fear, guilt, and shame appeals in social marketing. Journal of Business Research 63(2): 140–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Castronovo, C. and Huang, L. (2012) Social media in an alternative marketing communication Model. Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness 6(1): 117–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chae, H. and Ko, E. (2016) Customer social participation in the social networking services and its impact upon the customer equity of global fashion brands. Journal of Business Research 69(9): 3804–3812.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cutler, B. D. and Javalgi, R. G. (1993) Analysis of print ad features: services versus products. Journal of Advertising Research 33(March–April): 62–69.

  • Cummings, T. (2015). The ten best alternatives to Fitbit fitness trackers. http://heavy.com/tech/2015/02/top-best-alternatives-fitbit-fitness-tracker-withings-jaybird-jawbone-pebble-garmin/, accessed 25 July 2016.

  • Das, G. (2014) Impacts of retail brand personality and self-congruity on store loyalty: The moderating role of gender. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 21(2): 130–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Derdenger, T.P. and Kumar, V. (2013) The dynamic effects of bundling as a product strategy. Marketing Science 32(6): 827–859.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doyle, K. (2015) Facebook, whatsapp and the commodification of affective labour. Communications, Politics, & Culture 48(1): 51–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duggan, M. (2015) The demographics of social media users. http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/08/19/the-demographics-of-social-media-users/, accessed 25 February 2016.

  • Facebook (2016) Company information. http://newsroom.fb.com/company-info/, accessed 2 April 2016.

  • Ferguson, T., Rowlands, A.V., Olds, T. and Maher, C. (2015) The validity of consumer-level, activity monitors in healthy adults worn in free-living conditions: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 12(42): 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forbes (2015) Forbes America’s best employers, http://www.forbes.com/companies/facebook/, accessed 2 May 2016.

  • France, C., Merrilees, B. and Miller, D. (2016) An integrated model of customer-brand engagement: Drivers and consequences. Journal of Brand Management 23(2): 119–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fredrickson, B.L. (2001) The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist 56(3): 218–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grohmann, B. (2009) Gender dimensions of brand personality. Journal of Marketing Research 46(1): 105–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hastings, G., Stead, M. and Webb, J. (2004) Fear appeals in social marketing: strategic and ethical reasons for concern. Psychology & Marketing 21(11): 961–986.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hodge, A.C., Romo, Z.G., Medina, I.G. and Fionda-Douglas, A. (2015) Consumer-brand relationships within the luxury cosmetic domain. Journal of Brand Management 22(8): 631–657.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hsu, Y. L. (2012) Facebook as international eMarketing strategy of Taiwan hotels. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 31(3): 972–980.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johar, J. S. and Sirgy, M. J. (1991) Value-expressive versus utilitarian advertising appeals: when and why to use which appeal. Journal of Advertising 20(3): 23–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kassarjian, H.H. (1977) Content analysis in consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research 4(1): 8–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keller, K.L. (2009) Building strong brands in a modern marketing communications environment. Journal of Marketing Communications 15(2–3): 139–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, A.J. and Ko, E. (2012) Do social media marketing activities enhance customer equity? An empirical study of luxury fashion brand. Journal of Business Research 65(10): 1480–1486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kissel, P. and Buttgen, M. (2015) Using social media to communicate employer brand identity: The impact on corporate image and employer attractiveness. Journal of Brand Management, 22(9): 755–777.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, V. and Rajan, B.J. (2012) Social coupons as a marketing strategy: A multifaceted perspective. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 40(10): 120–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kwok, L. and Yu, B. (2013) Spreading social media messages on Facebook: An analysis of restaurant business-to-consumer communications. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly 54(1): 84–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lagrosen, S.O. and Grunden, K. (2014) Social media marketing in the wellness industry. TQM 26(3): 253–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Landon, E.L. (1974) Self concept, ideal self concept, and consumer purchase intentions. Journal of Consumer Research 1(2): 44–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leung, X.Y., Bai, B. and Stahura, K.A. (2015) The marketing effectiveness of social media in the hotel industry: A comparison of Facebook and Twitter. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 39(2): 147–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lumba, J. (2013). Top 10 Benefits of Using social media for your company, Incentive, 13 May, http://www.incentivemag.com/Strategy/Ask-the-Experts/Jennifer-Lumba/Top-10-Benefits-of-Using-Social-Media-for-Your-Company/, accessed 1 March 2016.

  • Lupton, D. (2014) Self-tracking cultures: towards a sociology of personal informatics. Proceedings of the 26th Australian Computer-Human Interaction Conference: Designing Futures, the Future of Design. Sydney, Australia: ACM Press, pp 77–86.

  • Macias, W. and Lewis, L.S. (2004) A content analysis of direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug site. Journal of Advertising 32(4): 43–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCorkindale, T. (2010). Can you see the writing on my wall? A content analysis of the Fortune 50’s Facebook social networking sites. Public Relations Journal 4(3): 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Media Buying (2015) Facebook and Twitter will take 33per cent share of US digital display market by 2017, 26 March, http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Facebook-Twitter-Will-Take-33-Share-of-US-Digital-Display-Market-by-2017/1012274?, accessed 2 May 2016.

  • Moorhead, S. A., Hazlett, D.E., Harrison, L. Carroll, J.K., Irwin, A. and Hoving, C. (2013) A new dimension of health care: Systematic review of the uses, benefits, and limitations of social media for health communications. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 15(4): e85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muntinga, D., Morrman, M. and Smit, E. (2011) Introducing COBRAs: Exploring motivations for brand-related social media use. International Journal of Advertising 30(1): 13–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nair, M. (2011) Understanding and measuring the value of social media. The Journal of Corporate Accounting & Finance 22(3): 45–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nicholls, J. (2012) Everyday, everywhere: Alcohol marketing and social media – current trends. Alcohol and Alcoholism 47(4): 486–493.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pai, A. (2015) Fitness tracker device revenue to reach $5.4 billion by 2019. Mobihealthnews, 25 March, http://mobihealthnews.com/41759/fitness-tracker-device-revenue-to-reach-5-4b-by-2019, accessed 20 July 2016.

  • Parganas, P., Anagnostopoulos, C. and Chadwick, S. (2015) ‘You’ll never tweet alone’: Managing sports brands through social media. Journal of Brand Management 22(7): 551–568.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parson, A. (2013) Using social media to reach consumers: A content analysis of official Facebook pages. Academy of Marketing Studies Journal 17(2): 27–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parise, S., Guinan, P.J. and Weinberg, B.D. (2008) The secrets of marketing in a web 2.0 world. Sloan Management Review, http://sloanreview.mit.edu/executive-adviser/2008-6/5068/the-secrets-of-marketing-in-a-web-20-world/, accessed 2 May 2016.

  • Perrin, A. (2015). Social Media Usage 2005-2015. 8 October, http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/10/08/social-networking-usage-2005-2015, accessed 22 February 2016.

  • Prince, J.D. (2014) The quantified self: Operationalizing the quotidien. Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries 11(2): 91–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roncha, A. and Radclyffe-Thomas, N. (2016) How TOMS’ “one day without shoes” campaign brings stakeholders together and co-creates value for the brand using Instagram as a platform. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management 20(3): 300–321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reichert, T., Lambiase, J., Morgan, S., Carstarphen, M. and Zavoina, S. (1999) Cheesecake and beefcake: No matter how you slice it, sexual explicitness in advertising continues to increase. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly 76(1): 7–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riffe, D., Lacy, S. and Fico, F. (2005) Analyzing Media Messages: Using Quantitative Content Analysis in Research. 2nd edn. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, R., Roper, S. and Lettice, F. (2016) Social media interaction, the university brand and recruitment performance. Journal of Business Research 69(8): 3096–3104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schivinski, B. and Dabrowski, D. (2015) The impact of brand communications on brand equity through facebook. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing 9(1): 31–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sheehan, B. (2013) Loveworks: How the world’s top marketers Make Emotional Connections to win in the Marketplace. Brooklyn, NY: PowerHouse.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shen, B. and Bissel, K. (2013) Social media, social me: A content analysis of beauty companies’ use of Facebook in marketing and branding. Journal of Promotion Management 19(5): 629–651.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shimp, T.A. and Andrews, J.C. (2013) Advertising, Promotion, and Supplemental Aspects of Integrated Marketing Communications. 9th edn. Mason, OH: Thomson South-Western.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sifferlin, A. (2015) More than two thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. Time Magazine, 22 June, http://time.com/3929990/americans-overweight-obese/, accessed 2 May 2016.

  • Stables, J. (2016) Best fitness trackers 2016: Fitbit, Garmin, Misfit and more, 23 June, http://www.wareable.com/fitness-trackers/the-best-fitness-tracker, accessed 20 July 2016.

  • Stafford, M.R. and Day, E. (1995) Retail services advertising: The effects of appeal, medium, and service. Journal of Advertising 24(Spring): 57–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Statista (2016a) Number of worldwide internet users. http://www.statista.com/statistics/273018/number-of-internet-users-worldwide/, accessed 1 May 2016.

  • Statista (2016b) Facts and statistics on wearable technology. http://www.statista.com/topics/1556/wearable-technology/, accessed 1 May 2016.

  • Steinfield, C., Ellison, N.B. and Lampe, C. (2008) Social capital, self-esteem, and use of online social network sites: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Applied Development Psychology 29 (6): 434–445.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stelzner, M.A. (2014) 2014 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, Published by Social Media Examiner, pp 1–50.

  • Talamo, A. and Ligorio, B. (2001) Strategic identities in cyberspace. Cyberpsychology & Behavior 4(1): 109–122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uzunoglu, E. and Oksuz, B. (2014) New opportunities in social media for ad-restricted alcohol products: The case of “Yeni Raki.” Journal of Marketing Communications 20(4): 270–290.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wallace, L., Wilson, J. and Miloch, K. (2011). Sporting Facebook: A content analysis of NCAA organizational sport pages and Big 12 conference athletic department pages. International Journal of Sport Communication 4(4): 422–444.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warren, R., Wicks, J.L., Wicks, R.H., Fosu, I. and Chung, D. (2007) Food and beverage advertising to children on U.S. television: Did national food advertisers respond? Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 84(4): 795–810.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitney, L. (2016) Fitbit still tops in wearables, but market share slips, 23 February, http://www.cnet.com/news/fitbit-still-tops-in-wearables-market/, accessed July 20, 2016.

  • Williams, J. and Chinn, S.J. (2010) Meeting relationship-marketing goals through social media: A conceptual model for sport marketers. International Journal of Sport Communication 3(4): 422–437.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wong, H.Y. and Merrilees, B. (2015) An empirical study of the antecedents and consequences of brand engagement. Marketing Intelligence & Planning 33(4): 575–591.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yan, J. (2011) Social media in branding: Fulfilling a need. Journal of Brand Management 18(9): 688–696.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zailskaite, L. and Kuvykaite, R. (2016) Conceptualizing the social media communication impact on consumer based brand equity. Trends Economic and Management 25(1): 68–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, M. and Luo, N. (2016) Understanding benefits from harmonious brand community on social media. Internet Research 26(4): 809–826.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, H., Jin S., Fang L. and Knight, J.G. (2014) Be rational or be emotional: Advertising appeals, service types, and consumer responses. European Journal of Marketing 48(11/12): 2105–2126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mary Beth Pinto.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Pinto, M.B., Yagnik, A. Fit for life: A content analysis of fitness tracker brands use of Facebook in social media marketing. J Brand Manag 24, 49–67 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-016-0014-4

Download citation

  • Revised:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-016-0014-4

Keywords

Navigation