1,721,075 research outputs found
Foundations of Social Media Marketing
Full text linkAbstractThe Social Media have changed the power structures in the marketplace; evidence points to a major power migration taking place and to emergence of a new breed of powerful and sophisticated customer, difficult to influence, persuade and retain The paper outlines the nature, effects and present status of the Social Media, underlying their role as customer empowerment agents. It explains their aptitude and possible roles as part of the corporate Marketing strategy and identifies different ways of engaging them as marketing tools. The paper proposes two possible Social Media marketing strategies: a. The passive approach focusing on utilizing the Social Media domain as source of customer voice and market intelligence. b. The active approach i.e. engaging the Social Media as direct marketing and PR channels, as channels of customer influence, as tools of personalizing products and last but not least develop them as platforms of co-operation and customer-generated innovation. Finally the paper identifies future research directions around this new element of the marketing landscap
Virtual Marketing. New Rules and Challenges in the Networked Marketplace
Full text linkThe thesis emphasizes the fact that while deep-seated and time-honored business laws are always valid, survival and success in the virtual commercial environment requires some distance from the established, customary patterns of management thought and behavior. Proactive managerial attitude is essential considering the exceptional nature of the technologies, actors and environmental conditions defining online commerce
Strategies for surviving the Internet meltdown. The case of two Internet incumbents
Full text linkThis paper reviews a number of theoretical issues dealing with the strategic management process in fast-evolving, uncertain environments and examines the fit between theory and practice by means of two case studies, two successful dot.com incumbents from the first generation of Internet start-ups. Analysis of survival and growth strategies of the two virtual firms reveals interesting similarities in their evolutionary processes and corporate strategic attitudes. In both cases the company management has ensured survival and growth through rigorous organizational transformation based on very intensive, flexible and short-term- rather than long-term-oriented strategic decision making. This approach has helped out both companies not only to escape the Internet fall-out but also to build up strong brands and leading market position. As well as identifying managerial approaches, the case studies show analogies to theoretical approaches on managing the strategic process in evolving and chaotic environments
From strategy to e-strategy: lessons from two success stories
No full textThe article presents the results of research on the strategy of two internet corporations who survived the high-tech meltdown and became major online players and trendsetters in their industries. These two cases highlight the idiosyncracies of the virtual environment as a commercial platform and identify several similarities in the strategic process and managerial attitudes of both corporations
The Web 2.0 as marketing tool: Opportunities for SMEs
Full text linkThe new generation of Internet applications widely known as Social Media or Web 2.0 offers corporations a whole range of opportunities for improving their marketing efficiency and internal operations. Web 2.0 applications have already become part of the daily life of an increasing number of consumers who regard them as prime channels of communication, information exchange, sharing of expertise, dissemination of individual creativity and entertainment. Web logs, podcasts, online forums and social networks are rapidly becoming major sources of customer information and influence while the effectiveness of traditional mass media is rapidly decreasing. Using the social media as a marketing tool is an issue attracting increasing attention. The hitherto experience is that large public corporations are more likely to make use of such instruments as part of their marketing and internal operations (McKinsey, 2007).The paper defines the Web 2.0 phenomenon and based on the experience of large corporations examines how SMEs could engage the various Web 2.0 instruments in order to efficiently market their products, improve customer relations, increase customer retention and enhance internal operations
The Internet as a parameter of strategic planning: A study of E-Marketing practices of Dutch SMBs
No full textThis paper proposes a methodology for the identification and evaluation of Internet-based strategies and examines the role of the Internet as element of the strategic planning of Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) from a variety of Dutch industrial sectors. The study has an explorative character and is based on empirical data; it reveals the degree of acceptance and integration of the Web into the strategic plans by assessing management attitudes in three categories of factors delineating the online strategy.The findings suggest that while managers appreciate the importance of the Internet as essential compoment of their business setting, Web-based commerce does not seem to have become an integral part of corporate strategy by this category of business; limited strategic commitment and cautious attitudes in adopting technology as an important strategic option are for all intents and purposes preventing SMBs from fully utilizing the potential of the virtual marketplace.Key words: Internet Strategy, Strategic Planning, E-Business, E-Commerce, SMB strategie
The 4s web-marketing mix model
Full text linkThis paper reviews the criticism on the 4Ps Marketing Mix framework, the most popular tool of traditional marketing management, and categorizes the main objections of using the model as the foundation of physical marketing. It argues that applying the traditional approach, based on the 4Ps paradigm, is also a poor choice in the case of virtual marketing and identifies two main limitations of the framework in online environments: the drastically diminished role of the Ps and the lack of any strategic elements in the model. Next to identifying the critical factors of the Web marketing, the paper argues that the basis for successful E-Commerce is the full integration of the virtual activities into the company’s physical strategy, marketing plan and organisational processes. The four S elements of the Web-Marketing Mix framework present a sound and functional conceptual basis for designing, developing and commercialising Business-to-Consumer online projects. The model was originally developed for educational purposes and has been tested and refined by means of field projects; two of them are presented as case studies in the paper
The Marketing Mix Revisited: Towards the 21st Century Marketing
Full text linkThe paper assesses the current standing of the 4Ps Marketing Mix framework as the dominant marketing management paradigm and identifies market developments, environmental changes, and trends, as well as changing academic attitudes likely to affect the future of the Mix as theoretical concept and also the favourite management tool of marketing practitioners. It reviews the criticism on the 4Ps emanating from five traditional marketing areas - Consumer Marketing, Relationship Marketing, Services Marketing, Retail Marketing, Industrial Marketing -and the emerging field of Electronic Marketing. The paper identifies two main limitations of the Marketing Mix as management tool, common in all examined domains, namely the model's internal orientation and lack of personalisation. It also identifies several area-specific limitations and underlines the need for further research on the issue. The weaknesses identified in the study seem to support the frequently expressed suggestion that marketing scholars should focus their efforts in formulating the conceptual foundations and marketing methodologies that better address the needs of today's and tomorrow's markete
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