1. THE IMAGE OF GERMAN
CORPORATIONS ON
WIKIPEDIA
THEORETICAL GROUNDWORK, EMPIRICAL
ANALYSIS AND COURSES OF ACTION
Jeannette Gusko | MASTER THESIS | UNIVERSITY OF LEIPZIG
30.09.2011 Digital Communication Awards 2011

2. „It‘s the COI*, stupid!“
*conflict of interest
Jeannette Gusko | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

3. Holistic research design
3
 Comparative online content analysis of Wikipedia
articles and corporate websites of 110 companies listed
in German indices DAX (30), MDAX (50) and TecDAX
(30)
 Online questionnaire of 30 PR managers about
Wikipedia engagement
 Aims and research questions:
 Identify image consistence/differences in social media
and company-operated contexts
 Formulate courses of action for online image on
Jeannette Gusko | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

4. Analytical framework
4
Wikipedia Corporate website Online journalism Communities
and Weblogs
Transparency of low high high medium
communication (authors mostly (originator known, (editorial team known, (authors known, partly
unknown, motivation and contact possible) contact possible) pseudonyms, may be
qualification mostly contacted)
unknown)
Aims of communication information, definition self-representation, information, explanation, self-expression,
information investigation networking, information,
investigation
Style of communication informative, informative, persuasive, informative, subjective, informative,
(quasi-) neutral, quasi-subjective, investigative, interactive, persuasive,
bottom-up top-down top-down bottom-up
Access for recipients free and free of charge free and free of charge partly free, paid premium mostly free and free of
and archive content charge
Recipient‘s role user / reader, author user / reader user/ reader user/ reader,
commentator, multiplier
Power of companies PoC < PoR PoC > PoR PoC > PoR PoC = PoR
(PoC) and recipients
(PoR) on image
building
Communicated condensed actual image planned image of the actual image of actual image of authors
corporate image of authors (amateurs and company journalists (mainly amateurs)
experts)
Jeannette Gusko | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

5. Empirical results
Two thirds of corporate Wikipedia articles are
ranked among the top 5 search results on
Google
among top 5 not among top 5
Ranking positions of Wikipedia articles in Google, n = 110
Jeannette Gusko | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

6. Empirical results
Wikipedia is no „real-time“ medium
Last edits of Wikipedia articles by index, n = 110
Jeannette Gusko | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

7. Empirical results
DAX companies and high-risk brands attract
higher diversity of Wikipedia authors
Number of authors of Wikipedia articles by index, n = 110
Jeannette Gusko | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

8. Empirical results
WP focuses on history, scandal/lawsuits &
finance
company (basic)
competition products
scandal/ performance
lawsuits
CSR history/tradition
innovation employees
Wikipedia Topics of Wikipedia articles and
finance Corporate Websites, n = 110
Corporate Website
Jeannette Gusko | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

9. Conclusion
 Institutionalization of Wikipedia <> Conflict of Interest
 active image comunication on Wikipedia is risky
 self-declaration and transparency
 engagement with the community
 aim for neutral coverage, counteract misinformation
 optimizing preceding image communication
Jeannette Gusko | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

10. Thank you.
Jeannette Gusko
M.A. Communication Management
Research Assistant
Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences
j.gusko@ostfalia.de
+49 177 267 83 28
@JeanneRaffut
Jeannette Gusko | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

11. Literature
 Gusko, J. (2011): The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia.
Theoretical groundwork, empirical analysis and courses of action
 Zerfass, A./ Gusko, J. (2011): Enzyklopädie der Images, pr Magazin,
06/11.
 Zerfass, A./Sandhu, S. (2008): Interaktive Kommunikation, Social
Web und Open Innovation: Herausforderungen und Wirkungen im
Unternehmenskontext, in: Zerfass, A. /Welker , A./Schmidt , J.(Eds.):
Kommunikation, Partizipation und Wirkungen im Social Web. Band 2:
Strategien und Anwendungen: Perspektiven für Wirtschaft, Politik,
Publizistik, Neue Schriften zur Online-Forschung 3, Halem Verlag,
Köln.
Jeannette Gusko | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

12. Empirical results
Overall tonalities of Wikipedia articles are
mainly neutral
positive
neutral
negative
Topic scandal/ law suits in Wikipedia articles by index, n = 110
Jeannette Gusko | Ostfalia University | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia

13. Empirical results
DAX articles are by far the most read
Page impressions of Wikipedia articles by index, n = 110
Jeannette Gusko | Ostfalia University | The Image of German Corporations on Wikipedia