Online brand crises dissemination through the co-creation of networked narratives: the case of Balenciaga

Purpose This paper aims to advance current understandings about the dissemination of online brand crises. Specifically, it draws on the notions of brand publics and networked narratives to investigate the social dynamics between social media influencers and online publics in the co-creation of networked narratives about brand crises. Design/methodology/approach It combines a single case study with principles of netnographic sensibility and the digital methods approach to investigate the online brand crisis generated after the Balenciaga Gift Shop campaign. The data set comprises YouTube and TikTok videos and comments from online publics. Findings This paper proposes a framework for online brand crisis dissemination that clarifies the roles and co-creative interactions of social media influencers and online publics: Influencers curate content and frame heterogeneous, emotionally charged discourses, while online publics modulate and amplify these discourses, collectively shaping the dissemination of the brand crisis. Research limitations/implications This research investigates a single case. Future research could investigate multiple cases and other types of social media platforms to provide a more generalisable account of the phenomenon. Practical implications The authors recommend that brand representatives avoid actions and communication that can feed networked narratives. Also, to remediate brand crises and influence narratives, firms need to consider how their inputs may be appropriated by SMIs and publics in the co-creation of narratives. Originality/value While much research details how online brand crises disseminate, less is known about the roles of social media influencers and online publics in shaping these processes within contemporary online social formations. This research clarifies this topic and offers a proposed framework of online brand crises dissemination through the co-creation of networked narratives.