Umeå universitets logga

This bachelor's thesis examines the phenomenon of consumer boycotts and its correlation between strategies in crisis communication and news framing in written media. When the Swedish chocolate brand Marabou was targeted by news media in late May of 2023 as consumers started to boycott the brand, its parent company Mondelez International faced a challenge trying to repair its brand. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, data were collected through three major written news sources, as well as the affected product’s owner company’s press releases, with two relevant debate articles. The findings suggest a possible correlation between how organizations manage crisis communication with how media outlets frame stories. However, the extent of this impact may vary across different boycotts, as this thesis only analyzes a single event. Furthermore, while this study analyzes a correlation between crisis communication and news framing from written media channels, new technology, such as social media, facilitates new forms of participation, which have not been analyzed in this case. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the evolving relationship between crisis communication and news framing from media channels.