From Communication Traffic to Brand Cognition: The Multilevel Effectiveness of University Brand Communication on Douyin—A Thematic Analysis of Three Types of Universities in Shaanxi Province, China

Abstract

Short-video platforms have become an important channel for university brand communication, yet views, likes, and follower counts provide limited explanation of why universities choose particular content, how key individuals participate in information mediation, or what forms of brand cognition audiences ultimately develop. Using three types of universities in Shaanxi Province as comparative contexts, this study employs multi-stakeholder semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis to examine the organisational logic of university brand communication on Douyin, platform adaptation, opinion-leadership mechanisms, the relationship between brand identity and audience brand image, and the ways in which communication effectiveness is assessed. The study included 21 participants, seven from each university, covering five role categories: communication decision-makers, content producers, potential opinion leaders, internal audiences, and external audiences. Interview data were managed using NVivo 14 and analysed through within-case coding and cross-case comparison following Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis procedure, resulting in six shared themes. The findings show that the effectiveness of university brand communication on Douyin is not a single traffic outcome but consists of four interrelated yet non-substitutable levels: platform performance, audience understanding and interaction, alignment with organisational objectives, and long-term brand value. Institutional positioning and organisational governance shape communication objectives and content production, constituting organisational antecedents of effectiveness; platform adaptation requires a balance between visibility and the integrity of brand identity and may lead to brand narrowing; key individuals, including academics, students, and alumni, supplement official communication through professional authority, humanised authenticity, and experiential mediation, constituting an interpersonal mechanism of effectiveness; and partial misalignment between brand identity and audience brand image reveals the complexity of the audience-understanding level. This study argues that university short-video communication should be evaluated through a multilevel effectiveness framework and should develop differentiated communication logics according to institutional positioning, credible communicators, and target-audience cognition.