Social media as a marketing communication strategy: a comparative study between South African and South Korean schools

Abstract

This study explored how social media is used as a marketing communication strategy by comparing two private British-curriculum schools: the International School of Cape Town (ISCT) in South Africa and British Education Korea (BEK) in South Korea. Although both countries are globally competitive and digitally connected, they are shaped by different cultural influences. South Africa draws on both Ubuntu and Western values, while South Korea is influenced by Confucian traditions and strong technological development. The study addressed a gap in understanding how social media supports key marketing functions such as identity, presence, relationship building, conversation, reputation, information sharing, and group engagement within the school settings. The research followed an interpretivist paradigm and used a qualitative approach. Textual analysis was applied to the schools' social media content in the period August 2023 to August 2024, namely X, Instagram and Facebook to examine how marketing communication was carried out in practice. Four research questions guided the comparison, focusing on similarities, differences, cultural influences, and the platforms used to support marketing goals. The findings revealed that both schools use social media to build their brands, engage audiences, and communicate their values. ISCT used a wider range of content, highlighting academic performance, cultural diversity, community involvement, and extracurricular activities. ISCT used X alongside Facebook and Instagram for marketing communication. BEK focused more narrowly on academic achievements and arts competitions using Facebook and Instagram. These differences reflected variations in audience demographics, institutional focus, and cultural expectations. Overall, the research contributes to discussions on digital marketing in education and shows how cultural context shapes communication strategies. It concludes that schools can improve competitiveness and stakeholder engagement by using social media strategically and in ways that reflect their specific environments.