Video and Language Use in Instagram Marketing for Multilingual Markets

In the business world, the use of English is widely spread. Not only is it used in the internal communication of companies, but an increasing number of them also employs it in their external communication. It can take several forms, but one medium distinguishes itself by its popularity: the video. As both English and videos have gained momentum, marketing has begun to make use of them. To analyse the extent of this phenomenon, this study explores the uses of videos and of English in several Instagram communication campaigns intended for multilingual markets (Belgium and Switzerland). Instagram spreads both video and picture publications, which makes it possible to determine which format is more often shared by companies. The examined data comes from four telecommunications firms; two are Belgian: Proximus and Orange and two are Swiss: Wingo and Salt. A quantitative analysis evaluates the frequency of use of videos in comparison with pictures. In addition, it determines the extent to which companies resort to English in relation with local languages. A qualitative analysis completes this investigation and scrutinises the visual and thematic contents of publications. Although diverse strategies were identified, videos were demonstrated to play a central role in the marketing campaigns under study, with one exception. Like videos, English seemed to be a non-neglectable resource in three of the four campaigns under examination. Also, a possible connection between this language and the video format was hypothesised. In the visual and thematic contents of publications, two trends were identified. On the one hand, the firms’ intention to advertise was visible. Visual components shaped companies’ brand identities and publications promoted products, services or gave advice to use them better. On the other hand, the companies under investigation seemed to focus on their followers. Visual elements familiar to posts’ viewers were examined and topics unrelated to telecommunications were highlighted.