Vol 35, No 2 (2016)

Embodied cognition provides the epistemological means from which new insights into haptic
sensations can be explored within the field of consumer psychology. Extant research has shown
that incidental haptic sensations can, nonconsciously, influence the judgement of objects that are
non-diagnostic (unrelated) for the actual qualities of the item being judged; this would include
the perception customers have of products. The application of this conception to the use of selfreport
questionnaires in consumer research lead to the hypothesis that the haptic experience
of a self-report questionnaire (weight and firmness of the paper) could, nonconsciously, trigger
physically grounded mental frameworks. In turn, this could lead consumers to form stronger
product judgments when encountering an incidental, tactile experience of strength (firmness)
in a self-report questionnaire. In two experiments (N = 178 and N = 128) evidence was found to
support this hypothesis. Implications of the findings and future research directions are discussed.

Marketing communication practitioners lack a guideline for implementing social media
strategically. In the light of this, the authors of this article explored the strategic implementation
of social media within a marketing communication context. A grounded theory process was firstly
followed in order to compile a list of social media messaging categories. This list was then paired
with the disciplines of the marketing communication mix, based on their inherent similarities. To
demonstrate the practical relevance of the pairings thereafter, the authors followed a process of
action research as a way of analysing an organisation’s existing social media messaging plan, referencing the strategic considerations that the pairing process inferred. By doing so, the authors
established that the pairing and action research process explored could be used as a strategic
guideline for social media managers to improve the degree to which an organisation’s social
media messaging is conducive to the reaching of specific marketing communication objectives.

Robert Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980. However, in recent years, he
has faced serious resistance from ordinary citizens. This article examines subversive internet
memes that were created by ordinary Zimbabweans and posted on social media in the aftermath
of Robert Mugabe’s collapse at the Harare International airport on 4 February 2015. Firstly, the
study reads internet memes of the Mugabe fall as forms of resistance to the regime. Secondly,
it interrogates the methods that internet memes use to challenge official discourse. Thirdly, the
study critically analyses the various ways in which internet meme creators imagine and represent
Zimbabwe under the Mugabe regime. The article argues that internet memes of the “Mugabe fall”
express subversive views that undermine the regime through humour, exaggeration, satire and
other stylistic devices. Internet memes present an alternative discourse that counters the official
narrative promoted by the regime.

Communicating reputation to stakeholders and assessing whether these messages have been
received favourably are essential components of organisations’ overall communication strategies.
These actions are, however, becoming increasingly difficult to execute as a result of sophisticated
stakeholder expectations as well as notions of continuous stakeholder participation and
engagement on social networking sites (SNSs) by means of the co-creation of communication
content. This research proposes a new conceptual framework for reputation management on
SNSs that aims to address these issues. The framework is essentially based on the utilisation of
computer-aided qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) such as Leximancer and Centim
in the reputation management process. Based on the findings, it is suggested that CAQDAS
enables reputation managers to accurately measure stakeholder sentiment, identify prevalent
stakeholder discourses pertaining to organisational communication disseminated on SNSs, and
detect threats that could damage corporate reputation.