A qualitative comparison of agenda-building efforts between an organization’s employer branding and annual reports

Purpose – Organizations use a variety of channels to position their strategic content to external and internal stakeholders. Due to modern affordances, stakeholders have greater access to organizational information than ever, allowing them to compare multiple pieces of content from a single organization with ease. Design/methodology/approach – This study examines two information subsidies through the lens of an organizational exemplar: annual reports and employer-branding via social media. The objective is to compare how strategic communication priorities are managed, aligned or vary between information subsidies. Utilizing thematic analysis, this study qualitatively examines one organization’s annual reports and employer-branding social media content then thematically compares their content and positioning. Findings – Results of the study demonstrate how the exemplar varies in the positioning and salience of strategic communication between subsidies, depending on channel modality and norms of use. Originality/value – The study concludes by discussing the risks of incongruent organizational communication for effective relationship management, transparency and trust, and proposes why different information subsidies may appeal to the unique needs of their assumed audiences.