How Oregon Wineries Use Facebook and Website Content to Shape their Reputation and Engage Consumers

This study’s objectives were to: 1) examine how Oregon wineries use Facebook to manage their individual brand reputations and the reputation of Oregon as a wine region; 2) examine other communication strategies evident in these wineries’ use of Facebook; 3) assess the frequency and content of consumer responses to these communication strategies; and 4) compare the wineries’ use of Facebook to their use of their websites to communicate reputation messages. Content analyses were conducted on the Facebook timelines and websites of 20 Oregon wineries, assessing the presence of 16 reputation factors relevant to the winery and the wine region and the presence of three other communication strategies: announcing news, engaging consumers, and promoting sales. Consumer responses to wineries’ Facebook posts were analyzed for intention to buy wine or visit a winery, as well as the number of likes, comments, and shares. We found that wineries employed their web and Facebook pages to promote their own brand much more frequently than to promote the Oregon regional brand. They used Facebook primarily to engage fans, announce news and shape the winery’s reputation. The organic/sustainable reputation factor generated the most response overall. Posts announcing news generated the most likes. Posts with photos attached received four times as many likes as those without photos. Intention to buy a winery’s wine or visit the winery were frequently associated with Facebook posts promoting sales, inviting fans to visit the winery, or mentioning the following reputation factors: product quality, winery status, organic/sustainable, and sense of place