Introducción: La construcción de la marca empleador es un tema emergente en organizaciones que buscan fortalecer su plantilla de trabajo e integrar a los mejores talentos del mercado laborar. Frente a ello, es prioritario integrar en la estrategia de comunicación a medios digitales que propicien el posicionamiento del employer branding. La presente investigación estudia la gestión de la marca empleador digital en las empresas con mejor reputación de España y Portugal. Metodología: este estudio descriptivo, utiliza una metodología cualitativa, tomando como caso de estudio a Inditex y Grupo Nabeiro. Se desarrolla en dos etapas: 1) A través de la observación directa, se recoge y analiza la información sobre la marca empleador que brindan las empresas en sus páginas web; 2) Se desarrolla un análisis de contenido de la gestión de employer branding en redes sociales centrándose en LinkedIn. Resultados y Discusión: Inditex, muestra un alto interés en la construcción de su marca empleador a través de canales digitales, visibilizando su propuesta de valor como empleador, mediante la experiencia laboral contada desde la perspectiva de los colaboradores. Mientras que, Grupo Nabeiro, si bien cuenta con información general de marca empleador en su portal web, evidencia una gestión limitada en LinkedIn y, por tanto, del employer branding digital. Conclusiones: Se corrobora que los portales web y las redes sociales, en especial LinkedIn son poderosas herramientas para gestión del employer branding, pues, por su naturaleza, potencian la visibilización de las marcas y propician el relacionamiento entre estas y sus públicos de interés.

In this article, we briefly present the outlines of a research project on the challenges of managing communication among startups in Portugal. The exploratory study was based on the combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies and sought to analyze how crucial it is for startups to invest in branding and activate their brands through a planned communication strategy. It is universally recognized that the brand represents the most valuable intangible asset for the organization (Aaker, 1996; Kotler et al, 2012; Huseynli, 2022), currently having all the potential of technology to discover patterns of behavior and communication, but without ever compromising the humanization of the brand, despite the fascination with the digital lifestyle (Kotler et al., 2021). In 2014 a brand management methodology for agile companies emerged, Lean Branding (Busche, 2014) that teaches 21st century entrepreneurs the "way to create, communicate and sell a brand, constantly measuring its performance" (Busche, 2014). Startups cannot neglect this methodology. The big challenge is precisely the crossing of this business area, which is in affirmation, between the branding, since the literature review has shown that we are facing a little explored theme. Also, understanding how Portuguese entrepreneurs deal with the challenges of brand communication in such a competitive ecosystem, even with more modest budgets, and bringing more knowledge about branding applied to Startups, are the major contributions of this study.

Journalists have a long-standing presence in strategic communication, seen as a “transitory” mediating stakeholder that can influence other key audiences within organizations. However, their role is increasingly being challenged by the rise in alternative information disseminators—mainly digital influencers (DIs) who possess considerable persuasive power and command extensive reach across diverse audiences. Using a qualitative methodology, this study aims to analyze the perceptions of brand and strategic communication professionals regarding the role of journalists in the context of the emergence of influencer marketing within the field of strategic communication. To this end, the views of 24 communication professionals were gathered, including individuals from communication agencies and communication departments in both public and private sector organizations. The findings were discussed in light of the conceptual framework of media relations and digital influence. Results indicate that, although DIs are now well-established within the field of strategic communication, their rise has not diminished the importance of journalists in communication strategies.