Power of the post: Instagram is the chosen social media platform for PR content of cosmetic companies.

Abstract

Social media has changed the PR landscape from exclusively focusing on traditional media to developing a two-way ongoing conversation between a company and their consumers. As we live a lot of our lives online, many brands have capitalised on this communication revolution we are currently experiencing. Through both visual and textual PR content posted on social media platforms, companies create brand awareness and communicate directly with their consumers. This study investigates why Instagram has been the most successful social media platform for PR content in the context of cosmetic companies from a consumer’s perspective with a self administered online questionnaire. A second source of research is in the form of interviews with two PR executives who are currently working in consumer PR agencies to gather relevant information from industry experts. The final source of research is a content analysis of Instagram posts from three Irish cosmetic companies. It was found that the features on Instagram are the reason why it has emerged as the most suitable social media application for PR purposes. Throughout the research, the impact that visual content posted from Irish cosmetic companies has on perceptions of female beauty is considered.