This paper attempts to explore the effectiveness of UK universities' websites. The area of branding in higher education has received increasing academic investigation, but little work has researched how universities demonstrate their brand promises through their websites. The quest to differentiate through branding can be challenging in the university context, however. It is argued that those institutions that have a strong distinctive image will be in a better position to face a changing future. Employing a multistage methodology, the web pages of 20 UK universities were investigated by using a combination of content and multivariable analysis. Results indicated ‘traditional values’ such as teaching and research were often well communicated in terms of online brand but ‘emotional values’ like social responsibility and the universities' environments were less consistently communicated, despite their increased topicality. It is therefore suggested that emotional values may offer a basis for possible future online differentiation.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to establish a categorization of corporate websites as tools of online communication, in accordance with how they apply usability to the content they present, and to determine the indicators of the content and usability variables which mark the differences between each group of websites. Design/methodology/approach: The present study analyses how 754 firms manage the usability of the content they provide through the channels of their corporate websites. To this end, a cluster analysis was applied to distinguish the types of firms according to the usability and content of their websites, followed by a discriminant analysis to determine which variables differentiate the groups. Findings: The work has presented a list of the indicators that the literature has considered to be determinant aspects of firms’ use of their websites for corporate strategic communications. These indicators can be applied in forming an instrument to measure the quality of company websites in this area. Originality/value: The present paper has attempted to clarify the panorama of corporate online communication via websites, understanding the issue as being not just a mere technicality but addressing it from the perspective of the emitter of the communication as a strategic instrument.

This paper shows how the leading Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking communicate their environmental sustainability policies through their websites. Specifically, this paper analyses the presence of sustainability‐related sustainable development goals on the websites of the top 100 universities in the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking (2021). In the area of university social responsibility, sustainability is less commonly communicated, hence the need to delve deeper into the presence of these messages, carrying out a descriptive study using content analysis as a form of data extraction. The conclusion is that neither position in the ranking nor geographic area are decisive for developing better communication about sustainability. In terms of content, sustainability features on the websites are in three key dimensions of the communication of HEIs worldwide (Climate change, Efficiency of sustainable cities and communities and Striving for peace and justice). Thus, the areas for improvement are around the positioning of this sustainability‐related content on their home pages, improving location and format (especially video). Moreover, reinforcing reputational messages, through plans or programmes, as well as improving engagement working on the multi‐directionality to other social media, is required.

La inteligencia artificial y la evolución de las redes sociales ha permitido la aparición de los influencers virtuales de apariencia humana sobre todo en Instagram. Estos se pueden definir como figuras diseñadas por ordenador que muestran en redes sociales una imagen similar a los humanos. Este artículo aplica un diseño exploratorio-descriptivo que tiene como objetivo analizar, mediante un estudio cualitativo que sigue el método de casos, la definición de qué son y cómo actúan en Instagram los influencers virtuales de apariencia humana. Además, también se ha analizado cómo funcionan estas figuras al trabajar con marcas como recursos publicitarios. Los resultados de este estudio ponen de manifiesto la forma en que estas figuras se comportan, y permiten a las marcas entender su funcionamiento como potentes soportes de comunicación empresarial. Además, se aporta un primer instrumento de estudio a través de dos fichas de análisis que parten de la literatura y de la observación del fenómeno en Instagram y que son aplicables a otros casos.

La comunicación de la marca de las cadenas hoteleras a través de sus sedes web: propuesta de un modelo para su gestión

Os “activos intangíveis” – como a identidade, a imagem, a reputação ou a marca – têm uma importância crescente na gestão das Universidades. A emergência da chamada Sociedade do Conhecimento trouxe novos desafios à responsabilidade pública das instituições de ensino superior. E, em menos de uma geração, estas instituições entraram num contexto dito “de mercado”, onde a sustentabilidade exige a adopção de orientações de gestão mais empresariais. Neste contexto, os factores intangíveis surgem como elementos muito valiosos para as Universidades. Analisaremos, neste trabalho, o caso de duas instituições de ensino superior público – a Universidade da Extremadura em Espanha e a Universidade do Minho em Portugal. Constitui propósito deste trabalho reflectir sobre o papel da identidade na superação dos desafios que se colocam hoje às instituições de ensino superior (como a conquista de novos públicos ou a descoberta de novas formas de financiamento). Essa avaliação é feita a partir de um estudo dos programas de modernização da identidade visual das universidades citadas. Os resultados apontam para o entendimento da identidade visual como uma área catalisador do esperado desenvolvimento estratégico destas instituições.