The communication of family-based brand identity through website storytelling

: evidence from Portuguese textile industry

Abstract

The main goal of this study is to explore the role of communication presented on websites related to family-based businesses in the Portuguese textile industry. In addition, this research aims to understand better how family businesses communicate their quality recognition, international presence, business plan, history, heritage, traditions, and the role of family members in the firm's development, through their websites. Moreover, to understand how companies correlate the identified themes through their website storytelling. The analysis of the communication through the 279 companies related to this sector and their websites was performed using content analysis combined with the Multiple Correspondence Analysis method. The findings reveal that themes related to marketing (e.g., core values, company's structure, range of products) and strategies (e.g., human resources, internationalization process, management model, performance, production, and sustainability) are being employed more frequently by the companies in the textile industry. Furthermore, the comparison between the top and lower performers indicates that regardless of the financial capability and size of the companies, the aspects related to the "management", "product", and "company" itself are always used to convey the desired message to the customers. Finally, the results reveal a generalised lack of emphasis on the contextualization of the family history on the firms' websites.

Date of Award	6 Jul 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Božidar Vlačić (Supervisor) & Serena Lacobucci (Co-Supervisor)