ABSTRACT The objective of this research is to analyze the potential use of strategic communication, and specifically, strategic brand management and online communications directed to a foreign target by the Islamic State (IS). For this purpose, a review of official the IS online media releases was carried out to determine if they reflect characteristics, components, or tools of strategic communication. In this pursuit, a content analysis of a purposive sample of 381 events—photographs, infographics, English written content, and videos—were applied using two independent judges. Statistically relevant results substantiate claims that the IS uses communication strategies and tactics. Descriptive and inferential statistics point out that Delegitimize Opponents, Utopia-Religion, and Military are the three most commonly used themes, in line with the reported IS identity. Also the IS uses breadth of contents, targets, media outlets, and formats, showing content and social media communications such as in online communication. As far as the authors are aware, it is the first content analysis from a strategic communication perspective used to interpret potential branding by the IS. This study is timely, important and lends credibility to the use of communication and marketing terminology by terrorist experts, as well as bridging brand management and strategic communication and terrorism identifying potential targets, messages, channels and tools for counter arguing and positioning.

中文翻译：

---

IS Online Chatter只是噪音吗？：对伊斯兰国家战略传播的分析

摘要本研究的目的是分析战略传播的潜在用途，特别是伊斯兰国（IS）针对外国目标的战略品牌管理和在线传播。为此，对IS IS官方网络媒体发布进行了审查，以确定它们是否反映了战略沟通的特征，组成部分或工具。在此过程中，使用两个独立的法官对381个事件（照片，信息图表，英语书面内容和视频）的目标样本进行了内容分析。统计上相关的结果证实了IS使用沟通策略和策略的说法。描述性和推论性统计数据指出，使对手合法化，乌托邦宗教和军事是三个最常用的主题，与报告的IS身份一致。IS还使用内容，目标，媒体渠道和格式的广度，显示内容和社交媒体通信，例如在线通信。据作者所知，这是从战略传播角度进行的第一个内容分析，用于解释IS的潜在品牌。这项研究是及时，重要的，并为恐怖分子专家使用传播和市场术语以及将品牌管理与战略传播与恐怖主义联系起来提供了可信度，从而确定了潜在的目标，信息，渠道和工具来进行反驳和定位。据作者所知，这是从战略传播角度进行的第一个内容分析，用于解释IS的潜在品牌。这项研究是及时，重要的，并为恐怖分子专家使用传播和市场术语以及将品牌管理与战略传播与恐怖主义联系起来提供了可信度，从而确定了潜在的目标，信息，渠道和工具以进行反驳和定位。据作者所知，这是从战略传播角度进行的第一个内容分析，用于解释IS的潜在品牌。这项研究是及时，重要的，并为恐怖分子专家使用传播和市场术语以及将品牌管理与战略传播与恐怖主义联系起来提供了可信度，从而确定了潜在的目标，信息，渠道和工具来进行反驳和定位。