From a Mission Statement to a Sense of Mission: Emotion Coding to Strengthen Digital Engagements

Abstract The emergence of new technologies has revolutionized the way companies interact and build relationships with customers. This study aims to understand the emotion behind the company strategy and how they can be used to inform the design of digital channel engagements. A content analysis of 100 international companies from a range of industries and sectors was conducted with multiple data sources to develop an emotional coding scheme, for clarifying and refining the meaning behind a company’s strategy and its relationship to corresponding digital channels. This study identifies 10 distinct emotional channel typologies across 16 sectors through the analysed companies. This research contributes a theoretical and empirical understanding of emotion as a strategy. Outcomes guide practitioners on the selection and design of digital engagements based on the emotion code of their strategy as well as an industry sector. This article provides a novel approach to understanding and designing digital channel engagements by starting with meaning and purpose of the company