The aim of the paper is to present an analytical approach that combines netnography with text-mining to build consumer brand knowledge in terms of brand associations deriving from social media contents. More specifically, it is based on the multi-vocal nature (Gensler et al., 2013) of the brand related to the participatory, collaborative and socially-linked behaviors by consumers that serve as creators of brand stories thus determining brand associations. It identifies and explores user-generated contents (UGC) as expression of brand associations emerging from different categories of actors in social media (consumers, influencers and other online prescribers), and measures their alignment with the company-defined brand associations. The rise of social media and the associated possibilities of large-scale consumer-to-consumer interaction and easy user generation of content shed light on the importance of the consumer-generated brand stories through social media, which have a high impact due to their characteristics of being digital, visible, ubiquitous, available in real-time, and dynamic (Hennig-Thurau et al., 2010). Methodologically, the paper proposes a two-pronged methodological approach integrating qualitative market research techniques with the quantitative ones, respectively netnography, used to explore consumer interactions in virtual communities through computer-mediated discourses, and text mining, used to extrapolate information from relatively large amounts of electronically stored textual data by means of computer applications. More specifically, the paper proposes an analysis of the 10 top luxury fashion brands in terms of brand associations emerging from UGC in social media through the voices of consumers, bloggers and other online prescribers, in line with the multi-vocal nature of the brand. Such associations are then compared to those generated by the company, in order to identify a possible alignment. The paper provides an analytical tool that allow managers to actively understand how different “online market brand players” interact with their brands, and eventually redefine their branding strategies together with their brand communication.

본 연구는 원예치료 프로그램이 사회교육프로그램에 참여한 어르신들의 사회성 발달과 대인관계에 미치는 영향에 대하여 알아보았다. 결과 사회성 발달의 5가지 영영에서 모두 유의한 결과를 나타났다. 또한 대인관계는 개인차는 존재하지만 대부분 어르신에서 효과가 높게 나타났다. 금번 조사에 참여한 어르신들은 복지관, 노인정 등을 주로 찾으며 무료한 일상을 보내고 있는 분들이지만 식물을 활용한 원예치료가 노인들의 닫힌 마음을 열어주고 사회성을 높여 주며 대인관계 개선에 많은 도움이 되는 것을 알 수 있었다. 사회교육프로그램 등에 원예치료프로그램을 접목 실시하여 다양한 어르신들이 원예치료프로그램이 주는 혜택을 누릴 수 있다면 노인들의 상실감, 소외감 등으로 오는 노인화사회의 사회문제 해결에도 많은 도움을 줄 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.