Abstract

Using a mixed-methods approach, this study explored how automobile companies in Saudi Arabia used Twitter to market to women after the Saudi Arabian government lifted its ban on women driving. All tweets from auto companies posted between September 26, 2017, and June 30, 2018, were examined. While a total of 11,028 tweets were targeted toward Saudi citizens during this historic period, only 184 tweets (less than 2 percent of the total sample) were found to be targeted toward women. The study further examined these 184 tweets and the 92 advertisements embedded in them using both quantitative and qualitative methodology. Using the lens of social learning theory, results suggest that auto companies were supportive of women and presented them as more independent and authoritative than has historically been considered typical for Saudi Arabia. This study offers some practical implications for professionals in the advertising industry.

摘要

本研究采用混合方法，探讨了沙特阿拉伯政府解除对女性驾驶的禁令后，沙特阿拉伯的汽车公司如何使用 Twitter 向女性推销。对 2017 年 9 月 26 日至 2018 年 6 月 30 日期间发布的所有汽车公司推文进行了审查。虽然在这一历史时期共有 11,028 条推文针对沙特公民，但只有 184 条推文（不到总样本的 2%）被发现针对女性。该研究使用定量和定性方法进一步检查了这 184 条推文和嵌入其中的 92 条广告。从社会学习理论的角度来看，研究结果表明，汽车公司支持女性，并认为她们比历史上被认为是沙特阿拉伯典型的女性更加独立和权威。