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Beyond Humor: Unpacking the Power of Branded Entertainment in Crisis Communication

Cui, Yufan LU and Yang, Jingyu (2025) SKOM12 20251
Department of Strategic Communication
Abstract
As social media continues to advance rapidly and globalization intensifies, brands are grappling with a heightened complexity of crises. In this process, emotional factors are crucial in disseminating the crisis. Brands are increasingly attempting to influence the emotions of their audiences and ease crises through entertaining content. To explore the potential of brand entertainment strategies as crisis response means in different cultural contexts, based on the Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT), brand emotional resonance theory, and cross-cultural communication theory, this paper adopts qualitative research methods, selects six representative cases from China and Europe to conduct multiple-case study by document research and... (More)
As social media continues to advance rapidly and globalization intensifies, brands are grappling with a heightened complexity of crises. In this process, emotional factors are crucial in disseminating the crisis. Brands are increasingly attempting to influence the emotions of their audiences and ease crises through entertaining content. To explore the potential of brand entertainment strategies as crisis response means in different cultural contexts, based on the Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT), brand emotional resonance theory, and cross-cultural communication theory, this paper adopts qualitative research methods, selects six representative cases from China and Europe to conduct multiple-case study by document research and focus group interviews. Research has found that after cultural adaptation, through anthropomorphic expression and interaction with the audience, brand entertainment craft’s crisis response strategy that incorporates five thematic elements achieves positive emotional resonance, promoting the restoration of brand image and the resolution of crises. This study not only provides a theoretical perspective for the integration of brand entertainment and crisis communication, emphasizing its unique value in the field of strategic communication, but also offers practical guidance for brands to carry out crisis management in a cross-cultural context. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Cui, Yufan LU and Yang, Jingyu
supervisor
organization
course
SKOM12 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Branded Entertainment, Crisis Communication, Cultural Difference, Emotional Resonance, Strategic Communication
language
English
id
9203919
date added to LUP
2025-06-25 11:42:24
date last changed
2025-06-25 11:42:24
@misc{9203919,
  abstract     = {{As social media continues to advance rapidly and globalization intensifies, brands are grappling with a heightened complexity of crises. In this process, emotional factors are crucial in disseminating the crisis. Brands are increasingly attempting to influence the emotions of their audiences and ease crises through entertaining content. To explore the potential of brand entertainment strategies as crisis response means in different cultural contexts, based on the Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT), brand emotional resonance theory, and cross-cultural communication theory, this paper adopts qualitative research methods, selects six representative cases from China and Europe to conduct multiple-case study by document research and focus group interviews. Research has found that after cultural adaptation, through anthropomorphic expression and interaction with the audience, brand entertainment craft’s crisis response strategy that incorporates five thematic elements achieves positive emotional resonance, promoting the restoration of brand image and the resolution of crises. This study not only provides a theoretical perspective for the integration of brand entertainment and crisis communication, emphasizing its unique value in the field of strategic communication, but also offers practical guidance for brands to carry out crisis management in a cross-cultural context.}},
  author       = {{Cui, Yufan and Yang, Jingyu}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Beyond Humor: Unpacking the Power of Branded Entertainment in Crisis Communication}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}