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The fundamental question driving public relations Web site research has remained atheoretical and exploratory, and is often worded as: How do…(certain kinds of organizations) use their Web sites? A welcome trend is that the focus of inquiry has expanded beyond U.S. organizations. For example, Alfonso and Valbuena Miguel (2006) examined the content and features of online press rooms of 120 companies from Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Ayish (2005) and Kirat (2007) looked at the use of Web sites by organizations in the United Arab Emirates. Like most other content analyses, these studies created inventories of the types of content available on the Web sites (number of press releases, backgrounders, videos, etc.) and of certain Web site features (navigation path, interactivity, feedback, etc.).
One remarkable study that breaks away from the exploratory content analytic genre is Bennett’s (2005) analysis of charity Web sites. Bennett drew upon marketing research in atmospherics, defined as the ambiance of a place, and their effect on consumer emotions and behavior. Bennett applied the concept of atmospherics to charity Web sites, and explored the effect of Web site features and design on consumer emotions, telepresence, approach/avoidance behavior, and conative responses. Bennett integrated these variables into a parsimonious model that predicts approach/avoidance behavior and conative responses. Bennett’s study addresses a very important aspect of the Web site experience, namely the emotions that arise in response to the ambience, or atmosphere, created by Web site content and design. Future research could integrate atmospherics into the conceptual framework of the public relations Web site experience proposed in this book.